US President Donald Trump speaks about the spending bill during a press conference in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House on March 23, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Nicholas Kamm (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump signs the spending bill

Veronica Rocha, Brian Ries and Amanda Wills, CNN

Updated 7:47 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018
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2:44 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Far-right media fumes as Trump signs bill

From CNN's Oliver Darcy

Far-right media personalities fumed on Friday after President Trump signed a spending bill he previously threatened to veto into law.

They were upset the $1.3 trillion package did not include complete funding for his promised wall along the US-Mexico border.

In a string of tweets, Ann Coulter, a conservative media firebrand who was one of Trump's most outspoken supporters during the 2016 election, skewered the President. After Trump said he would never sign a bill like this into law again, Coulter quipped, "Yeah, because you'll be impeached."

A headline on Breitbart, the far-right website which is generally very supportive of Trump's agenda, said, "RIP BORDER WALL 💀…"

And on the Drudge Report, another conservative news website generally supportive of the President, the banner headline read, "FAKE VETO."

The flood of criticism did not stop there. Other far-right internet personalities, seething on Twitter, voiced similar frustrations with the spending package.

Jim Hoft, the founder of Gateway Pundit, a fringe far-right website that the president has shared stories from in the past, declared the move to sign the package into law "WEAK!" Hoft even went on to suggest that he had muted the sound while watching Trump’s bill signing, tweeting, “It was that bad.”

2:39 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump: We will sue "certain drug companies for what they have done with the opioids"

From CNN's Dan Merica 

President Trump seemed to go a step further than he has gone in the past on the issue, saying that his administration would be suing “certain drug companies” for what they have done with the opioids.

Trump, speaking during an event on the omnibus government funding bill today, said that the suits would be brought in federal court.

“We will be suing certain drug companies for what they have done with the opioids and we will be bringing the suits at a federal level,” Trump said. “The level of drugs that are being put out there and the power of this addition is hard to believe.” 

Trump said as recently as Thursday that his administration was preparing litigation against “some of these companies” that produce opioids.

He wasn’t clear on Thursday about whether the federal government would enter into lawsuits against opioid producers but left the door open to doing what other cities and states have already done.

“Opioids are a big problem,” Trump said. “We are going to be probably, we are developing potential ligation to be suing some of these companies. If we could only do a pain killer that is not so addictive.”

On Monday, Trump said his administration is “looking very seriously at bringing major litigation against some of these drug companies.” He added, “We'll bring it at a federal level. Some states are already bringing it, but we're thinking about bringing it at a very high federal level and we'll do a job.”

In response, multiple opioid producers suffered sizable losses on the stock market.

2:36 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump says Republicans wanted to solve DACA in bill but Democrats didn't

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond

President Donald Trump argued Friday that Democrats have stood in the way of recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from gaining permanent legal status, while casting Republicans as would-be saviors. 

"The Republicans are with you, they want to get your situation taken care of," Trump said speaking directly to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. "The Democrats fought us, they just fought every single inch of the way. They did not want DACA in this bill."

The reality, of course, is much more complex. Democrats and Republicans in recent weeks have sought to negotiate a deal that would grant legal status for undocumented immigrants while also providing funding for Trump's border wall. The two sides have been unable to reach a deal that could be included in the omnibus.

But Trump sought to use the political gridlock to his advantage, casting Republicans as the true defenders of the subset of undocumented immigrants -- who are protected by a program that Trump ended.

"I do want the Hispanic community to know and DACA recipients to know that republicans are much more on your side than the Democrats who are using you for their purposes," Trump said.

1:55 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump: "I looked very seriously at the veto"

President Trump was asked about his veto threat as he exited the room, and he said it was the military funding gains that ultimately changed his mind.

"We looked at it, a veto. I looked very seriously at the veto. I was thinking about doing the veto," Trump said. "But because of the incredible gains that we've been able to make for the military, that overrode any of our thinking."

1:47 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump: "We had no choice but to fund our military"

President Trump said he had "no choice" but to sign the bill because of the funds it provides to the military.

"We had no choice but to fund our military because we have to have by far the strongest military in the world," Trump said. "And this will be by far the strongest military that we've ever had."

The President, while stating he was disappointed in the spending bill -- "nobody more disappointed than me because the number is so large" -- acknowledged that the bill was a product of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.

"We have to also know that there are a lot of strings pulling everybody in different directions," he said.

1:42 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump calls for line-item veto of spending bills, which has been deemed unconstitutional

From CNN's Allie Malloy

President Trump said he is calling on Congress to give him a “line-item veto” for all government spending bills. 

The Supreme Court has previously found that the line-item veto violated the Presentment Clause of the Constitution, which says the President does not have the power to unilaterally amend or repeal legislation (Clinton v. City of New York). 

Trump also spoke about why the bill was so large, saying, “it became so big because we need to take care of our military,” as well as blaming Democrats.

1:40 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump again calls for Senate to "get rid of the filibuster rule"

President Trump returned to criticism he floated since the fight over Obamacare and called for the Senate to "get rid of the filibuster rule" and " go to 51 votes."

He said that was the only way to "have really sustained, continued success."

Most senators oppose giving up the special Senate tool, which was designed to ensure the minority party has some say in the legislative process.

1:40 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump: "I will never sign another bill like this again"

President Trump said he has signed the 2,232-page omnibus spending bill — but warns he will never do this again.

"There are a lot of things we shouldn't have had in this bill but we were, in a sense, forced if we want to build our military, we were forced to have," Trump said.

"There are some things we should have in the bill. But I say to Congress, I will never sign another bill like this again."

1:31 p.m. ET, March 23, 2018

Trump: "I have signed this omnibus budget bill"

President Trump says he has signed the spending bill, avoiding a shutdown. But he isn't happy about it.

"Therefore, as a matter of national security, I've signed this omnibus budget bill. There are a lot of things I'm unhappy about in this bill," Trump said.