The budget gives the military more funding but no down payment on a border wall with Mexico. The financial plan still has to be approved by the full House of Representatives and Senate.
Image: AP
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US Congress negotiators have written out a budget of at least $1 trillion (917 billion euros) to last through the rest of the fiscal year until September, according to congressional aides in Washington on Sunday night.
Life in the shadow of the wall
Residents in the Mexican city of Tijuana have constructed some quirky architectural structures near the rust-red fence erected by the US. Meanwhile, the authorities last month posted a call to expand the wall.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
The wall exists
The border between the US and Mexico spans about 1,900 miles, of which nearly 700 miles are currently covered by walls and fences. Tijuana is the largest city in Baja California, one of the six Mexican states with a border to the US.
Image: GoogleMaps
Sweeping views
The residents of this house near the US-Mexico border fence enjoy a wider view of the scrublands in the US state of California.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Trump critic
Mexican architect Carlos Torres, 68, has been living in his house near the fence for three decades. He said the proposed wall will not be able to halt immigration. "Trump doesn't know what he's talking about. Here at this fence, people keep crossing every week," Torres explained.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Treehouse
Guatemalan chef Joaquin, 36, builds a bed in a tree, near a section of the border fence. He said he was deported from the United States. At night from his bed, Joaquin tries to look into the heavens through the leaves. "I've tried to cross so many times that the border guards even got to know me, but I never made it back," he said.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Flagship project
A house stands near the US-Mexico fence on the outskirts of Tijuana. Last month, the US authorities posted a call for proposals to expand existing walls along the Mexican border. The US president Donald Trump talked about building a wall several times during his election campaign. This project is being seen as Trump’s flagship anti-immigration project.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Eye-watering costs
The roof of a house made with an advertisement banner is seen next to the fence, extension of which may cost between $12 billion (11.3 billion euros) and $15 billion.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Not easy to cross
This shack standing next to the US-Mexico fence may look as if it can be climbed easily, but the proposed wall is going to be harder to cross. Because according to the tender, the wall should not be scalable, even using sophisticated climbing aids, and should be sunk at least six feet into the ground to avoid tunneling.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Two different kinds of wall
A girl runs outside her home near the US-Mexico fence, which was made of corrugated metal. However, the proposed wall will be of two different kinds of material - solid concrete and a transparent one.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
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The Republican-majority Congress is expected to vote on the budget early this week. In order to prevent a government shutdown, the budget must be approved by the House of Representatives and Senate before receiving US President Donald Trump's signature by Friday.
The spending bill would be the first major piece of bipartisan legislation to advance during Trump's presidency, should the spending bill be pushed through. It is expected to be passed, but it is uncertain how it will be received by Republicans in Congress and by the White House.
The fiscal year ends September 30. If the budget is not passed by midnight Friday, it would be the first US federal government shutdown since 2013.
No wall, yet
The budget does not include a down payment on a wall along the US-Mexico border, one of Trump's main promises on his campaign. Trump has said a wall is necessary to prevent illegal immigration, but Democrats refused to agree to a budget with funding for the wall.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said the spending measure ensures "taxpayer dollars aren't used to fund an ineffective border wall."
The military will receive a $15 billion boost and border security will receive $1.5 billion more.
The budget also includes $68 million to reimburse New York City and other local governments for protecting Trump Tower, where Trump's transition team met following the election. Trump's wife, Melania, and their son, Barron, currently reside in Trump Tower.
Success for Democrats
Many measures favored by Democrats made their way into the budget.
A $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health is in the budget, which was one of the programs Trump wanted to be reduced. There will also be additional funding to fight opioid abuse which is a serious problem in many US states.
Grants for summer school and transportation funding will also be increased.
While well short of their initial aspirations, Democrats secured $295 million for Puerto Rico's Medicaid problems.
