As Congress plans to push through a stop-gap bill to keep the government open for two weeks, Democrats are standing firm against the $5 billion President Trump wants for a border wall.
Democrats want to stick to the $1.6 billion for border security allocated in a bipartisan Homeland Security appropriations bill, which includes repairs to fencing, levees, and more money for tech. Some congressional Republicans appear ready to pass the larger government funding package, according to House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., but Trump isn’t.
“Essentially we have agreement on what needs to be done, and it is simply the wall that is the major and principle item that is holding up full agreement,” Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m hopeful in the next week or so that that will be resolved one way or another.”
Democrats are committed to border security, Hoyer said, but won’t back money for Trump’s physical border wall. Senate and House Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., were set to meet with Trump Tuesday but postponed their conversation due to the funeral of former President George H. W. Bush.
“The American people would think it absurd if you can’t get to an agreement,” Hoyer said. “Both sides understand there would be some money significantly for border security.”
Congress is expected to pass a two-week continuing resolution on Thursday to fund the government until Dec. 21. If Trump refuses to agree to a spending deal because it doesn’t include funding for a border wall, the government would partially shut down.
“We have a president who campaigned on a wall that was going to be built from the Pacific to the Rio Grande to Brownsville,” said Hoyer. “I don’t think he has a great deal of support for that, specifically. I think he has support for border security.”
A senior Democratic aide said little has changed and pointed to Schumer’s comments from last week. If Trump doesn’t want the $1.6 billion, Schumer said, Congress could also pass a continuing resolution for the Homeland Security Department that keeps border security funding levels at $1.3 billion.
There is little incentive for Democrats to help Trump fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall. Republicans control both chambers and the White House, and unlike during the brief shutdown in January, the blame for a December shutdown would likely fall on Trump.
“Trump said that the border wall would be paid for by the Mexicans,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., told the Washington Examiner in October. “If he wants to shut down the government because U.S. taxpayers now are supposed to be paying for the wall, good luck on explaining that to the American people.”
