GOP tables DACA amid spending battle

WASHINGTON—Republican leaders won’t push for an immigration bill while they seek votes Thursday to keep the government funded. Federal funding expires Friday. The House introduced a short-term spending bill and plans to vote Thursday on extending funding for another month while debate continues on several policy issues. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Wednesday lawmakers are not ready to move forward with an immigration bill to protect recipients under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program amid debate in Congress and mixed signals from the White House. “I’m looking for something that President Trump supports. And he’s not yet indicated what measure he’s willing to sign,” McConnell said. “As soon as we figure out what he is for, then I would be convinced that we were not just spinning our wheels going to this issue on the floor but actually dealing with a bill that has a chance to become law and therefore solve the problem.” White House chief of staff John Kelly huddled Wednesday with Democrats on Capitol Hill to negotiate what kind of border security measures can pass along with DACA. He told them the president’s view of building a border wall has “evolved” since the campaign. But Trump contradicted that idea in a Thursday morning tweet: “The wall is the wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it.”