Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., boasted Monday that the $1 trillion spending deal struck between Democrats and Republicans over the weekend is a win for Democrats and the public, in part because it doesn’t provide $1.5 billion in funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border as requested by President Trump.
“It’s a great deal. We think it’s a very good deal for the American people,” Schumer said before pointing to over 160 “poison pill riders” that Democrats got rid of prior to the agreement, including on proposed cuts to women’s health and the environment and rollbacks of Dodd-Frank. “We’re very gratified with the result.”
When asked if his party lost anywhere in the bill, the New York senator conceded they did not get everything on their wish list. Still, he said he hoped this could lead to future bipartisan agreements with Republicans and, potentially, a move toward possible negotiations with the White House.
“Are there a few places? Sure. But overwhelmingly, we were very pleased with the outcome on issue after issue, both on the spending side and on the legislative side — the poison pill side. I would not say there’s a major loss in here. There’s a few things we would have preferred to come out differently.”
“I hope this is a metaphor for the future. When Republicans work with us, we can get things done … We’re willing to work with them,” Schumer said. “This bodes well for 2018 budget. This bodes well for working together, and frankly, I hope the president learns this lesson as well because thus far on his major forays, taxes and healthcare, there’s been virtually no consultation with Democrats and you’ve seen the result.”
Schumer praised the work of Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and said he “passed the test with flying colors.” Leahy, a longtime member of the committee, said that the White House did not reach out once to the committee during negotiations, unlike previous administrations.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also labeled the agreement a “defeat” for President Trump and cited the White House’s decision to drop their demand for border wall funding. The White House initially wanted a down payment for the wall included in the bill, but Democrats deemed that request to be a non-starter.
“In a defeat for President Trump, the omnibus does not fund the immoral and unwise border wall or create a cruel new deportation force,” Pelosi said in a letter to House Democrats. “We have also eliminated more than 160 Republican poison pill riders, ranging from undermining a woman’s right to reproductive health to dismantling Dodd-Frank’s vital Wall Street consumer protections. Democrats also succeeded in securing policy priorities and funding increases for critical non-defense items in the omnibus, which will save lives and create jobs.”
The 1,600-page funding deal is set to be voted on before spending expires at midnight on Friday.
