Many Democrats Ready to Make Deal to End Shutdown
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Donald Trump is acutely aware that this is not just the ideal time to hammer out a border security agreement with Democratic leaders — it’s the only time. And Democratic petulance may cause them to miss a golden opportunity.
On Tuesday, clearer heads on the Democratic side of the aisle reached out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who is the chief cause for the gridlock. Other House Democrats are seeking an end to the impasse, according to reports released Tuesday.
In a letter drafted by freshman Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat, and signed by an undisclosed number of like-minded party centrists, the lawmakers asked their House leader to enter into good faith negotiations with the White House.
The letter gives an olive branch to the speaker: “We understand that this shutdown was not caused by the 116th Congress,” it said, before adding, “but it is our job to fix it.”
Thus far, Pelosi has shown no inclination to fix the shutdown if such a solution includes funding for a barrier at the border.
At her last White House face-to-face meeting, Pelosi suggested a 30-day continuing resolution on those agencies that remain closed, to give the parties time to work out a border security proposal that would be agreeable to all.
When Trump asked if that would include funding for a barrier, the House speaker said no. Her recalcitrance signaled the end to the conversation. Accordingly, Trump called the meeting a “ total waste of time .”
As further indication of how intractable Pelosi is, on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, Trump addressed the nation, proposing a 3-year legal status for so-called Dreamers, those who were illegally brought across the border as children by their parents.
In return, the president asked for funding for more immigration judges, drug interdiction technology, humanitarian assistance, and to begin construction of a border barrier.
Just as Trump began his address, Pelosi responded in the negative. Her mind was already made up before she even heard the president’s proposal.
On the Senate side, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has repeatedly allowed Pelosi to take the lead in the discussion, even though he’s on record as repeatedly supporting border barriers in the past.
Cracks in the Democratic position first began appearing last month, when Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif, announced that she was willing to open serious negotiations with the White House on border security in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers.
“I'm willing to negotiate a certain amount of money if we can make sure that the 800,000 to one million DACA eligible individuals in this country get a pathway to citizenship,” she told CNN’s Poppy Harlow .
At the time, she suggested at least meeting the president halfway on border construction — $2.5 billion.
“So I think that's all subject to negotiation,” she said. “We have to be willing to negotiate. I do not want to see the government shut down.”
On Tuesday those cracks widened significantly when Pelosi’s Number 2, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told host Neil Cavuto on Fox News that walls and other barriers weren’t necessarily immoral, contradicting the House speaker’s stated position.
“If [the wall] is protecting people it’s moral; if it’s imprisoning people, it may well be immoral,” he said.
Hoyer also told Cavuto that walls were a component part of border security: “I think physical barriers are a part of the solution,” he said.
It all comes down to Pelosi. Fairly or unfairly, media outlets have often criticized the president for exhibiting petulant, sometimes churlish behavior.
This time it’s the House speaker, and short-sightedness could cause her party to miss the opportunity to gain some major concessions Democrats have long sought.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range.
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News Flash - Democrats Have Always Been Open To A Deal To Open Government...
Tell that to Pelosi; who said no money to expanding and upgrading the border fence. That is not being open to a deal to open government.
KAG My apologies, its just to easy.
EXACTLY! The reason this shutdown goes on is that the gop senate cannot pass anything their Infant Terrible Geriatric King of Vulgaria will sign. Wall? Schmall. You cannot negotiate with an angry teething toddler. If Trump was such a good deal maker we would not be suffering a shutdown at all much less the longest one in history. Making America Great Again. MY FAT ASS! More like Moscow's Agent Governing America. Putin must be thrilled. Trump should go ahead with Trump Tower Moscow. After all, we all know he is still negotiating that deal and he is going to need a safe harbor to exile in witch (/s) he can feel safe and protected. After all, Putin will be living right upstairs. They can even have adjoining bedrooms connected by a romantic spiral staircase. Doesn't that sound lovely? I bet the views of the Kremlin will be just stunning from way up there. Plus, there will be more freedom than Trump would ever be able to enjoy on Elba. God Bless America and Deliver Us From Trump...
Maybe they are
lol
I would be if I were in his shoes, after all a safe harbor is a safe harbor. When the shit hits the fan he sure doesn't intend to be in the way you can bet on that.
Considering it is the cons floating this we must surmise it is getting too hot for Trump with his approval in freefall so he is signaling he is ready to cave on his stupid olde wall...
I've learned not to underestimate this man. I think we may yet have some nasty ta go.
Yes, but any political party as far down as the gop and Trump are consistantly now among the generic voting public is doomed to get an awful shellacing at the polls in every election held until they get entirely different candidates with new good popular political policies and new democratically doable agendas. Unfortunately, for the damn gop anyway, they are saddled with Trump's lameass dysfunctional bassackwards derply unpopular administration and dumb olde Mitch McConnell's lousy do nothing majority in the US Senate while the righteous and growingly popular Democrats in Congress are going to be daily highlighting Trump and Company's multitudinous criminal malfeasances and chronic widespread financial corruption. Trump is going to get a historic whooping in November 2020. That is, if he even runs or is not already impeached, run out of DC on a rail and sent off to ignominious exile on Elba or in Quatar...
I guess that's your choice, I don't think I'd put that much faith in a person who has already let down so many in his lifetime. People usually dont sue folks they are happy with the dealings they've had with others.
3500 lawsuits against this wonderful man.. I say Trust him at your own risk, I do not.
That will depend on "the deal"offered.
I'm of the mind to go ahead and hold trump to the same standards for everyone. If anything in the deal isn't permanent nothing should be.
If anything in the deal is temporary , it all should be.
I say take this oppertunity to stop that bull shit pratice once and for all.
If so that's scary. If trump had nothing to lose that would mean he has absolute power.
I think that's why he set up and is now it seems switching to plan B. Declaring a national crises to gain the finding for his wall.
It's a safer bet for retaining power with all the mounting pressure of the shutdown.
No loss, different path to the same result.
Who cares.
I suppose it depends upon what you mean by"support im all out"...???
Breaking news:
6 Republicans break ranks to vote in favor of Democrat-led shutdown bill
The Senate on Thursday failed to pass two competing bills aimed at re-opening the federal government, as day 34 of the shutdown wore on.
The second bill, championed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Democratic leadership, would have provided backpay for federal employees and funded the government through February 6, allowing the current debate over immigration reform and border wall funding to take place while federal employees are getting paid.
Joining Democrats were six Republicans, Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
Pelosi has taken a hard line and if she doesn't come off of it, she may not be Speaker much longer.
There's no rationale beyond political spite for insisting that no money at all be spent on a border fence. If it's so immoral, we should be tearing down the hundreds of miles of fencing that we already have.
In spite of what the media or Pelosi wants people to think, Trump has always been open-minded and flexible on the details of a physical barrier. For example, he has always said we don't need 2,000 miles of fence. He figures we need about 1,000 miles in total. We already have about 700 miles worth and the Border Patrol only wants to improve what we have and build about 250 miles more. That's just not that extreme.
It also isn't going to be a solid Berlin-type wall of cement, rocks, or bricks. The Border Patrol has said they'd like to be able to see through it and Trump has agreed that's a sound idea. He seems happy to defer to whatever the BP thinks it needs to do the job most efficiently. By the way, you can't see through much of the fencing we have now. No outrage, though. Odd.
Trump is happy to call it a wall or a fence, it doesn't really matter. "Build the wall" just carries more rhetorical flavor than "Build the fence." Write the word "fence" into the legislation and Trump won't care. Trump has proven to be flexible but Pelosi is not. If she keeps it up, she may well find other Democrats going around her to get a deal done. The person who leads that group could replace her as Speaker.
I agree IF trump has actually backed down and is gong another route to get the funding he desires pelosi would be wise to accept the new reality.
Trump is happy to call it a wall or a fence, it doesn't really matter.
This I disagree with, IMO: trump has actually made the whole situation much worse by his insistence of continuing to not call it a fence. The man is stuck on the word Wall more that the actual barrier being a wallor a fence at this point (he says) but he still seems to have one hell of a time using the correct word. Fence.
"Doesn't really matter", Yes it does. Or he wouldn't want to keep his own word. Wall.
Words do matter even if some would prefer to muddle them, usually for their own benefit.
Also IMO: This president would be wise to realize that and appreciate that a 24/7/365 negosiator is not all that a good president is. His word use does matter. We want to trust our presidents and what they say, not be played by them.
After all the president is actually our employee. Not the other way around.
Like I said, he is flexible - and has been for a while. Getting hung up on the terminology is such a waste of time.
Mulvaney: Trump offering Democrats a steel border fence instead of concrete wall
Once A Fence, Later Slats, Almost Always A Wall: Trump's Border Wall Contradictions
Personally I accepted the man doesn't care what he says and doesn't take care to use the proper words many times, I just point out that it does make a difference including to him it seems or he himself would use the word fence. So...
Not to worry it appears he is switching gears and may just have decided to go after his Wall in a different fashion after all.
Many Democrats Ready to Make Deal to End Shutdown
They always have been, just not willing to include funding for 13th century technology.