Republican and Democratic leaders haven’t even started their post-government shutdown border-wall negotiations yet, but the prospect for any deal might be dead already.
When President Donald Trump ended the longest shutdown in history last week, he said he needed a compromise from Democrats, even suggesting protecting so-call “Dreamers” in exchange for border-wall funding.
But Democrats are already ruling out the idea.
“The fading prospects of the negotiation mean Trump is likely to receive only a fraction of the $5.7 billion he’s been seeking for his southern barrier in any deal, if one can be put together at all by Feb. 15,” Politico reports. “Then he would have to decide whether to unilaterally move funds around by declaring a legally dubious national emergency or embrace another debilitating shutdown.”
Negotiations are supposed to begin Wednesday, but Democrats are taking a negative outlook.
Congressional negotiators haven’t even held their first meeting yet to avoid a new shutdown, but the prospect of a big deal on border security and immigration is essentially dead https://t.co/Li7qCcxcgH
— POLITICO (@politico) January 30, 2019
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois said, “I’ve tried to work with this administration on issues involving immigration with a great level of frustration. And I do not want to take so many innocent people whose fate is hanging in the balance of this political debate and start off with the premise that we have a likelihood of solving their problem.”
“Whatever works”
Republican Sen. John Cornyn says the deal sought should be “narrow” in scope, adding, “It’s not going to be a big immigration bill. Because it’s not within their portfolio.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’s for “whatever works,” in order to avoid another shutdown.
Politico notes, “Democrats’ decision to keep DACA off the table may surprise some. Just a year ago, they let the government shut down in hopes of winning protections for Dreamers at risk of deportation. Now Trump and Republicans are desperate for wall money.”
Why are Democrats being so resistant to a deal when President Trump has offered to give protection to “Dreamers,” people who came to this country as kids illegally through no fault of their own?
The President took a big political risk when he ended the government shutdown last week. Why not meet him in the middle?
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Aren’t Democrats always talking about meeting in the middle to get stuff done, while calling Republicans “obstructionist?” Who is being obstructionist now?