President Obama supports and will sign the $1.1 trillion bipartisan spending package that’s emerged on Capitol Hill, the White House said Thursday.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Mr. Obama does not agree with everything in the legislation but will sign it to avoid a government shutdown.
“It provides the kind of certainty that’s important to our economy. That is among the reasons why the president supports the passage of this compromise proposal and would sign if it it comes to his desk,” Mr. Earnest told reporters.
Specifically, the administration says it appreciates funding for the fight against Ebola, efforts to defeat the Islamic State, investments in early education and other portions of the package.
But the White House opposes a weakening of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform package and the fact that the legislation only funds the Department of Homeland Security through the end of February 2015.
Still, those reasons do not warrant a presidential veto, Mr. Earnest said.
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“This compromise proposal merits bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and hopefully will arrive on the president’s desk in the next few days and if it does, he will sign it,” he said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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