Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday a bipartisan bill on immigration that is central to clearing the way for a government spending deal next month is in serious jeopardy now that Democrats seem to be refusing to pay for a southern border wall.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday withdrew an offer he made to President Trump last week that in exchange for protecting so-called “Dreamers,” Democrats would agree to $25 billion for border security, including a wall. The Senate minority leader made that offer after Trump invited him to the White House to try to negotiate an accord on federal funding that was hours away from expiring.
Schumer said Tuesday the wall money offer was valid only if Trump came out publicly in favor of the deal, which Schumer believes would have pressured the House and Senate GOP to get behind it.
“He didn’t do that,” Schumer said. “We are going to have to start on a new basis and the wall offer is off the table.”
Schumer seemed to indicate later that he was only rescinding that specific border wall offer, and was not refusing the idea of any new funding as part of a deal.
“That was part of a package. It was the first thing the president and I talked about was finishing by, as he said, Tuesday night,” Schumer said.
But it wasn’t clear, and when asked later what Schumer and other Democrats might be willing to accept when it comes to border wall funding, Schumer’s office simply replied, “No.”
That led Republican leaders to warn that if Democrats completely oppose new border wall funding, there won’t be an immigration deal.
Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Schumer’s retraction has already “set back” the talks “a long way” and could stall them permanently if wall funding now becomes non-negotiable for Democrats.
“If it is, we won’t get a deal,” Cornyn said. “That is a core requirement of any deal.”
Cornyn said Schumer’s $25 billion offer was “a substantial number and is probably in the realm of reality in terms of what border security improvements are going to cost.”
Cornyn said Trump is seeking a border wall system that is comprised of some physical infrastructure, but also technology and personnel aimed at stopping illegal immigration along the southern border.
Groups of Senate lawmakers met informally on immigration Tuesday, a day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., promised to bring up a bill next month, in exchange Democratic support a federal spending bill reopened the partially closed government. McConnell said if there was no broad deal on immigration, the Senate would vote on a bill by Feb. 8 to protect Dreamers now protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said lawmakers are looking for a compromise between conservative immigration reform proposals with tough provisions that would end chain migration and a moderate plan offered by Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
“There are more active conversations going on about finding that middle ground than we’ve had in the last three months,” Perdue told the Washington Examiner.
