Senator Susan Collins told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that a compromise could be reached on border security, but that it would not be “to the degree” President Trump is requesting.
Collins was one of six Republicans to cross the aisle and vote for a Democrat plan to end the shutdown without a penny of funding for a wall at the southern border.
Now she’s hinting at further GOP capitulation to the left.
“I think what will happen is that the efforts to continue to build physical barriers, which have gone on in the last two administrations, will continue, but not to the degree the president has requested,” Collins claimed.
.@SenatorCollins says she doesn’t think Trump will secure funding for his wall before Feb 15: “I think what will happen is the efforts to continue to build barriers, which have gone on in the last 2 administrations, will continue, but not to the degree that POTUS has requested.” pic.twitter.com/LvCNurTR2D
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 27, 2019
A Different Approach
Collins did note that a border-security agreement would need an all-of-the-above approach.
“It’s going to be a combination of physical barriers, technology, more border patrol agents, more immigration judges, more sensors,” she predicted.
Furthermore, she suggests that the best agreement lawmakers can come to is one that focuses more on funding the government for another year without threat of another shutdown.
“The best agreement that we can get is an agreement on border security,” she said, “but an agreement to fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year.”
Seems like protecting the American people should be above that, or at the very least on the same plane.
Trump Not Optimistic Either
Asked his predictions for getting a border-wall compromise wrapped up when the current three-week CR runs out on the 15th, President Trump remained skeptical.
The President recently told the Wall Street Journal that the chances of coming to an agreement by then were “less than 50-50.”
Trump tells @PeterWSJ he is pessimistic about a deal with Congress for wall money in next three weeks: “I personally think it’s less than 50-50, but you have a lot of very good people on that board.” https://t.co/NnJgXOSVIA
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) January 28, 2019
“The plan put forth by President Trump is by no means ideal,” Collins said in a statement when a Republican plan to open the government including funding for the wall was being considered, “but it would result in the reopening of the government, my priority, and the outlines of a compromise are before us.”
“Compromise is not a sign of weakness,” she added.
The only adult in the room actually willing to compromise though has been President Trump. He should abandon that path, circumvent Congress, avoid both Democrat and Republican obstructionism, and declare a national emergency.
Then he’ll get the exact wall that he wants.