Dems nix Don Dreamer-wall spending deal

WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill Democrats have rejected a White House bid to extend protections for Dreamer immigrants in exchange for $25 billion in funding for President Trump’s long-sought border wall as Washington talks on a $1.3 trillion catchall spending bill hit a critical stage Monday.

Disputes remain over immigration enforcement and a smaller infusion of wall funding, as well as a major rail project that pits Trump against his most powerful Democratic adversary, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (photo inset) of New York.

Monday’s developments were described by congressional aides in both parties who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks remain secretive.

All sides were pressing toward an agreement by Monday night, which would pave the way for a House vote Wednesday. Action is needed by midnight Friday to avert another government shutdown.

The bipartisan measure is loaded with political and policy victories for both parties.

Republicans and Trump are winning a long-sought budget increase for the Pentagon, while Democrats would obtain funding for infrastructure, the opioid crisis and a wide domestic programs.

While most of the funding issues in the enormous measure have been sorted out, fights involving a number of policy “riders” — so named because they catch a ride on a difficult-to-stop spending bill — continued.

Efforts to use the measure as a vehicle to extend protections for young immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, or DACA, program appeared likely to fail, aides said. Trump killed the Obama-era program in September, but a court decision has essentially left it in place, for now.

The White House had revived the idea in recent days — offering Sunday a 30-month extension of DACA protections in exchange for $25 billion for Trump’s border wall — but Democrats demanded protections for a broader pool of immigrants than had signed up for DACA, a request denied by GOP negotiators.

Trump, meanwhile, has privately threatened to veto the whole package if a $900 million payment is made on the Gateway project, a priority for Schumer.

The project would add an $11 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River to complement deteriorating, century-old tunnels that are at risk of closing in a few years. swath of