Updated Feb 15, 2019

Congress passes spending bill ahead of Trump's emergency declaration

Photo: Michael Reynolds-Pool via Getty Images

The White House confirmed Thursday that President Trump intends to sign the bipartisan spending bill agreed to by Congress, and — at the same time — declare a national emergency in order to get additional funding for his border wall.

The state of play: The Senate (83-16) and the House (300-128) both passed the bill on Thursday. Trump is expected to sign it and declare a national emergency on Friday morning.

Why it matters: Trump's decision to invoke his emergency powers is sure to anger both Democrats and some Republicans because of the precedent it could set for future administrations. It's also likely to be met with several legal challenges, including one from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said after the announcement that it's one option Democrats will consider.

“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action — including a national emergency — to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border. The President is once again delivering on his promise to build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country.”

— Sarah Sanders

Go deeper: Republicans push back on Trump's emergency declaration

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U.S. coronavirus updates: America's "very painful two weeks"

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 4,000 people in the U.S. — with over 1,500 deaths reported in New York City, per Johns Hopkins.

The state of play: In a major pivot in tone, President Trump said Tuesday it's "going to be a very painful two weeks," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans — even with strict social distancing guidelines in place.

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Why StubHub halted refunds

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

With sports on pause and large gatherings banned across the globe, the live events industry has effectively ground to a halt.

The state of play: In the U.S. alone, more than 23,000 events have been canceled, postponed or rescheduled in the past three weeks.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 877,422 — Total deaths: 43,537 — Total recoveries: 185,241 — Map.
U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 189,633 — Total deaths: 4,081 — Total recoveries: 7,136 — Map.
Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: It's "a tale of two Americas" as the rich are more likely to work from home and the poor are more likely to report to work.
Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
State updates: Washington and California appear to have slowed their surges of new cases.
2020 updates: Joe Biden said it's "hard to envision" the Democratic National Convention going ahead as planned in July.
What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

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