Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) told the media that President Donald Trump is looking for a “simple” border deal in order to keep the government open after its latest funding expires.
With the government reopened thanks to a short-term spending plan, the race is on to procure another spending bill to keep the government open past the three-week deadline that ends on February 15.
During the shutdown, there was talk among a group of bipartisan senators about a big immigration reform package that would include, presumably, border-wall funding, in addition to granting amnesty or some kind of legal protection to those who are here illegally.
That deal ended up being a no-go for Trump. At one point, the White House was considering offering legal protection for so-called DACA recipients. However, Democrats didn’t bite on the deal.
Related: White House Fights for Border Security with Possible New Shutdown Ahead
Trump relented, in the end, by agreeing to a short-term spending bill to pay government workers while Congress works out its own deal.
Congress gets its marching orders on the wall. President Trump has let his wishes be known to Republican senators in what he’s willing to accept when it comes to border security.
From The Washington Post: “President Trump signaled to a GOP senator over the weekend that he is searching for a ‘simple’ border wall deal in advance of the new funding deadline next month — casting more doubt on the prospects of a broader immigration deal before portions of the government shut down again.”
The senator Trump spoke to is David Perdue of Georgia. Sen. Perdue relayed Trump’s message to The Post, saying, “He wants as simple of a solution as we can get.”
If there’s no deal, Trump will act. Perdue confirmed that if Congress comes up empty-handed with wall funding, Trump’s willing to act.
“At the end of the day, if in three weeks [there is no resolution], this president’s ready to move,” he told The Post.
The implication, of course, is that Trump would declare a national emergency and build the wall unilaterally.
Trump’s smart enough to know that wrangling a big immigration package out of Congress that has everything he wants is not realistic in the short timeline allotted.
He’s going to shoot for the straight and narrow: wall funding with a small concession to Democrats.
The question is: What are Democrats willing to accept to come around on the wall?
It’s still unknown at this point, as it becomes more and more clear that Democrats are only looking for a political victory in this fight — and not something good for the country.
This article originally appeared in The Political Insider and is used by permission.
Read more at ThePoliticalInsider.com:
Nancy Pelosi is Still Refusing to Let Trump to Deliver State of the Union
Poll Shows Nancy Pelosi Still Has Largest Negativity Rating After Shutdown
Trump Says He Could Shut Down Government Again if He Doesn’t Get Wall Funding
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