(CNN) The White House insisted that House Democrats drop language in the year-end spending bill establishing a specific and quick timeline for deploying appropriated aid to Ukraine or risk a veto, multiple people involved with the talks told CNN.

The disagreement was contentious and the White House drew a red line on the issue, the people involved said. But the matter was resolved over the course of a few days as Democrats backed down, with the threat of a shutdown never moving to the forefront, the people said.

Trump signed the $1.4 trillion spending package and a defense authorization act on Friday night, officially taking the threat of a government shutdown off the table.

The people acknowledged that the White House's position wasn't viewed during the talks as out of line or conspiratorial and that the limits Democrats were trying to put in place cut into executive authority to a degree they expected to draw pushback. But the Democratic push underscored how unsettled congressional Democrats are by what has transpired.

Even those supportive of the White House position acknowledged the optics of the White House rejecting the proposal in a budget deal staving off a government shutdown were not ideal in light of the prominent role of Ukraine in the President's ongoing impeachment ordeal, but noted it was one of several executive authority issues fought over in the final days of the talks

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