A deal to avert another shutdown appears close
But it’s far from certain if Trump will sign the pact
WASHINGTON — A small bipartisan group of lawmakers plans to work through the weekend to craft a government spending deal in hopes of averting another partial shutdown by Feb. 15 — but it’s far from certain President Donald Trump will sign the deal.
The group of Republicans and Democrats from both the House and Senate hopes to sign off on an agreement — expected to provide money for “physical barriers” along the border but not a wall as Trump has envisioned — by Monday.
That would give the full Congress time to pass the legislation by the Feb. 15 deadline.
“I’m cautiously optimistic, but we’ll find out over the weekend,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, DTexas, one of the members of the committee tasked with putting together a deal. “It’s getting closer.”
Some of the negotiators, including Cuellar, are heading to Camp David at the White House’s invitation this weekend to continue the talks. Republican and Democratic lawmakers responsible for putting together an agreement were trading offers as recently as Thursday night.
Both Republican and Democratic members of the group say they’re close to an agreement. And across Capitol Hill, lawmakers expressed deep skepticism about going through another government shutdown.
“In this situation, there is no appetite on either side of the aisle, and I think in either chamber for another partial government shutdown,” Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., another committee member, said Friday morning on “Fox & Friends.”
Lawmakers on Friday refused to release many details of the plan coming together, cautioning that negotiators are working well together and they don’t want to spoil the good faith. The deal is all but certain to include physical barriers, funding for additional border security measures and new language to address people seeking asylum.
“The president, Republicans, want some form of physical barriers. It’s just, what do we get in exchange for that?” said Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., another one of the committee members. “How do we protect our borders and yet do it in a way that respects our values as Americans; that we treat people humanely, particularly asylum seekers, people who are coming here?”
If the group is able to reach a deal, it would need to be approved by Congress and signed by the president.
Besides opposition from some conservatives pushing for more wall money, some liberals may not accept the final product. Some Democrats in the House have cautioned that they won’t approve more funding for Customs and Border Protection and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez, D-N.Y., a progressive with perhaps the highest profile among freshmen in the House, voted against a measure to reopen the government last month because it funded ICE.
Any compromise would almost certainly fund those agencies. Ocasio-Cortez’s opposition to funding ICE in the earlier deal could prompt some progressives to think twice before throwing in their support.
In some ways, the political battle to come may be based on semantics over the definition of “wall.” A Republican’s wall may be seen as fencing by a Democrat.
Cuellar, whose district is along the border, is pushing for “levee walls.”
“You have dirt mounds. You put cement on one side, a low fence on top,” he said, “and voila you’ve got a barrier. People can call it border security. Some of us will call it flood control and it’s a win-win.”
Lawmakers say the White House has been involved in the committee talks and suggest they expect Trump will sign on to a deal if it is approved by Congress.