By John T. Bennett

CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House on Wednesday signaled President Donald Trump is inclined to sign a bipartisan border deal and then use executive powers to access additional funds for his proposed southern border wall.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not resist the notion that Trump is leaning toward signing a package that would give him just under $1.4 billion for the barrier project even though it is far less than his $5.7 billion demand. She noted, as her boss said Tuesday, that he is not thrilled with the emerging legislation but also described him as “OK” with the path ahead.

“But he’s OK because he’s going to get the job done, no matter what,” Sanders told Fox News. “You can rest assured the president said he was going to build a wall, and he’s going to deliver.”

Citing two people who have spoken with the president, CNN reported Wednesday morning that Trump has said he will sign the bill. The recent 35-day partial government shutdown was politically damaging for Trump and he appears inclined to avoid a repeat.

But the president has demonstrated that things could change quickly — his top spokeswoman said he and White House officials still want to see the final legislative text.

“They’re still tinkering and making edits to that legislation and once we see what the final piece looks like, the president can make that decision,” she said, referring to the House-Senate panel that crafted the border deal.

Sanders also offered a preview of the Trump team’s messaging if he does sign the package by painting Speaker Nancy Pelosi as having given more ground than Trump.

“This has made some progress,” she said. “Nancy Pelosi said she wasn’t going to give a dollar for the wall. This has roughly $1.4 billion that’ll go towards the wall.”