House Republicans on Wednesday released a spending bill providing $5 billion next year for building Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico. That would represent a major boost and suggests a raucous pre-election budget battle may lie ahead.

Democrats have long opposed financing Trump’s wall but lack the votes by themselves to block House approval of that amount. But they have the strength to derail legislation in the closely divided Senate. Without naming a figure, Trump said in April that he would “have no choice” but to force a government shutdown this fall if he doesn’t get the border security money he wants.

The $5 billion is well above the $1.6 billion in the Senate version of the bill, which would finance the Homeland Security Department. The higher amount matches what Trump has privately sought in conversations with Republican lawmakers, according to a GOP congressional aide who wasn’t authorized to publicly talk about private discussions and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Keeping Americans safe by protecting our homeland is a top priority,” Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., who heads the House Appropriations Committee’s homeland security subcommittee, said in a written statement.

Two leading Democrats — Reps. Nita Lowey of New York and California’s Lucille Roybal-Allard — called the $5 billion a waste that “only further enables this administration’s obsession with cruel attacks on immigrants.”

The government’s new budget year begins Oct. 1, which in effect creates a deadline for the White House and Congress to try reaching budget deals. They almost never do. Without at least a temporary truce, federal agencies would shut down that day. That would create a tremendous political risk for the GOP, which controls government, barely a month before the election.

Trump made the wall a keystone of his successful 2016 election campaign, but insisted that Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has always refused to do so.

Trump tweeted his thanks to Yoder for proposing the $5 billion and wrote that Yoder has “my full and total endorsement.” Yoder is favored to win his GOP primary next month but could face a competitive fall race.

All but $126 million of the $5 billion would be for constructing more than 200 miles of wall, with the remainder for technology. Beyond the $5 billion, the bill includes added money for new canine teams, border patrol agents, aircraft and sensors.

(AP)