Prez blames the Dems for no DACA deal
Government shutdown in play
WASHINGTON — An escalating war of words between President Trump and congressional lawmakers cast a cloud over a potential deal for immigrants brought into the country illegally by their parents — and also potentially increased the likelihood of a government shutdown by week’s end.
Trump pre-emptively blamed Democrats yesterday for any failure to reach a deal to protect those covered under the Obamaera Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that he rescinded last year, saying that Democrats just want to shut the government down.
“Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting,” Trump tweeted yesterday. “Deals can’t get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military.”
Trump referred to comments made by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) confirming news reports that Trump used a vulgar term to describe African nations and that he bemoaned the number of people coming from those countries and Haiti, saying he preferred immigrants from countries like Norway.
The statements drew quick and widespread condemnation and resulted in Trump reversing his vow to sign whatever DACA deal lawmakers came up with. Instead, Trump rejected a bipartisan plan that would give “dreamers” a path to citizenship while imposing some limits on the diversity visa program and family reunification, while not eliminating those programs entirely. It would also boost border security, including bolstering fencing at the Mexican border.
The president’s rejection of the deal also threw a wrench in the plan to include a DACA deal as part of a spending bill that must be passed by Friday to avoid a government shutdown. While deadlines — and shutdown threats — usually help spur congressional action, the fact that Trump’s DACA rescission does not go into effect until March, and a federal judge has ordered the program to continue, has reduced some of the urgency lawmakers may feel.
But lawmakers, including close Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) want a deal done.
“We’re not going to get there by the president tweeting. We’re not going to get there by him trying to blame Democrats. That’s not going to work,” Graham said yesterday. He also stood by his account that the president used the vulgar term and said that he spoke up to Trump in response.
“The only pathway forward is a bipartisan deal,” Graham said.