Wary of shutdown, Trump inches toward support for wall deal

[webfact]

Wary of shutdown, Trump inches toward support for wall deal

By Richard Cowan and Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump listens next to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday edged toward backing a deal in Congress on government funding that would not meet his demand for $5.7 billion for a wall on the Mexicanborder but would avert a partial government shutdown.

 

Trump, widely blamed for a five-week shutdown that ended in January, said he did not want to see federal agencies close again because of fighting over funds for the wall, one of his signature campaign promises in the 2016 election.

 

The Republican president did not commit himself to backing the government funding agreement struck between Democratic and Republican lawmakers this week. But two sources and a Republican senator close to the White House said he would likely sign off on it.

 

"I don't want to see a shutdown. A shutdown would be a terrible thing. I think a point was made with the last shutdown," Trump told reporters. "People realized how bad the border is, how unsafe the border is, and I think a lot of good points were made."

 

Trump said he would hold off on a decision until he sees actual legislation about the issue. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump was "inclined to take the deal and move on."

 

Graham told reporters that Trump would then look elsewhere to find more money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border and was "very inclined" to declare a national emergency to secure the funds.

 

With a Friday night deadline looming before a shutdown, there is little time for the White House and the political parties in Congress to agree on funding.

Funding is due to expire for the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and several other federal agencies.

 

LESS MONEY

The congressional agreement reached on Monday falls far short of giving Trump all the money he wants to help build the wall. Instead, congressional sources say, it includes $1.37 billion for new barriers - about the same as last year - along 55 miles (90 km) of the border.

 

Details of the legislation were still being written, but the full bill could be made public as early as Wednesday evening, according to lawmakers and congressional aides.

 

The accord must be passed by the House of Representatives, dominated by Democrats, and the Republican-controlled Senate, then signed by Trump by midnight on Friday to prevent a shutdown.

 

The measure's fate in the House was far from certain given the risk that some conservatives and liberals will oppose the compromise for different reasons.

 

Like Trump, congressional Republicans have little appetite for a repeat of the 35-day partial shutdown in December and January - the longest in U.S. history - which closed about a quarter of federal agencies and left some 800,000 federal workers without pay.

 

"It’s time to get this done,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday, in reference to voting on the compromise.

 

Democrats in the House are aiming to schedule a vote on Thursday evening, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, told reporters. If passed, it would then go to the Senate.

 

OTHER OPTIONS

A White House spokeswoman, Mercedes Schlapp, told CNN that lawyers were reviewing the administration's options should Congress not provide Trump's demanded money for the wall.

 

A variety of sources close to the White House said Trump was likely to explore using his executive power to reallocate other federal funds for barrier projects along the southern border. He was weighing the use of an executive order, among other options, the sources told Reuters.

 

"The president is going to get that money (in the legislation) and he’s going to find other ways to come up with the rest and he’s going to build the wall," said one Trump adviser. "At the end of the day, the result is going to be the same."

 

Trump previously threatened to declare a "national emergency" if Congress did not provide money specifically for the wall - a move that would almost certainly draw opposition in Congress and in the courts.

 

"We think the president would be on very weak legal ground to proceed," said Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House.

 

Speaking to sheriffs and police chiefs of major cities, Trump said later on Wednesday he was determined to “fully and completely” secure the U.S. border, including providing more law enforcement, closing legal loopholes and finishing the border wall.

 

Trump has come in for criticism from the right for wavering on support for the wall, which the administration says will cut illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

 

"Trump talks a good game on the border wall, but it's increasingly clear he's afraid to fight for it," right-wing commentator Ann Coulter tweeted on Tuesday.

 

Trump abandoned a planned compromise on funding for the wall in December after similar criticism.

 

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by , Susan Cornwell, Roberta Rampton, Amanda Becker, Susan Heavey and Lisa Lambert; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-14

[Bluespunk]

Pelosi’s broken him. 

[mtls2005]

Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh "will pull him back in".

 

 

 

[Tug]

Donald just sign and lie it’s what you do anyway

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, Tug said:

Donald just sign and lie it’s what you do anyway

The bit about the lie.

 

He’s already on it:

[robblok]

Seems the master of deal is failing in his biggest promise. 

[mtls2005]

Trump says you'd have to be able to 'climb Mt. Everest' to scale his wall

 

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump promised Wednesday that a "big" and "strong" border wall is "very, very on its way," even as Congress moved toward considering a Homeland Security spending bill that would provide for the construction of about 55 miles of new steel fencing.

 

"It’s a wall that people aren’t going through very easy. You’d have to be in extremely good shape to get over this one. They would be able to climb Mt. Everest a lot easier, I think," he said.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-says-immigrants-would-have-be-able-climb-mt-everest-n971271

 

 

 

[Hanaguma]

Any deal that has both sides moderately unhappy is probably a fair compromise.  

 

Time to get back to the serious business of running the country instead of running to the nearest news camera and speechifying. 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Hanaguma said:

Any deal that has both sides moderately unhappy is probably a fair compromise.  

 

Time to get back to the serious business of running the country instead of running to the nearest news camera and speechifying. 

So if Trump doesn't sign this deal you'll accept he is the one refusing to get back to serious business of running the country?

[Basil B]

No doubt he will claim a climb down as a victory. 

[Basil B]

1 hour ago, Hanaguma said:

Any deal that has both sides moderately unhappy is probably a fair compromise.  

 

Time to get back to the serious business of running the country instead of running to the nearest news camera and speechifying. 

Not forgetting if the news crews not say what he likes he can always get his thugs to beat them up.

[stevenl]

I don't think he'll sign this. This goes against what he promised and is still promising his base: a wall, no matter how.  If hje'd sign this that would be signing defeat. Why would he, just shut it down again.

[Basil B]

11 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I don't think he'll sign this. This goes against what he promised and is still promising his base: a wall, no matter how.  If hje'd sign this that would be signing defeat. Why would he, just shut it down again.

Difficult to say, another shut down and his ratings will fall further so he must be having sleepless nights over this, I think he will be trying to work out how to turn a climb down in to a victory, and attack "Nasty Nancy" on other fronts...

[legend49]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

Seems the master of deal is failing in his biggest promise. 

Maybe a new song for him The Great Pretender"

[DM07]

"Something something greatest deal- maker something..."

[mtls2005]

32 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I don't think he'll sign this.

 

Well, McConnell said he would bring anything to a vote that the president might not sign? But who knows?

 

Not sure they can find 67 votes to override a veto?

 

If so then find the Fat Lady, no not Trump in drag, cuz it's over for Potus at that point. Lame duck, fully cooked and fork tender.

 

 

[spidermike007]

Trump went up against Pelosi and was beaten so badly, he is bruised, bloody and nearly unconscious. He is a terrible negotiator. Despite what he sells, he cannot negotiate his way out of a paper bag, and so far has been bloodied by Kim, Putin, MBS, Xi, and Pelosi. He just does not know how to deal with a woman of her skill, smarts, and savvy. Donald Trump, the fake negotiator.

 

He already knows, his chances of getting re-elected are ebbing away by the day. Another shutdown would ruin him.  

[mtls2005]

Ann Coulter, just getting warmed up...

 

 

 

Still love Rick WIlson's prediction...

 

 

[Hanaguma]

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

So if Trump doesn't sign this deal you'll accept he is the one refusing to get back to serious business of running the country?

Yes. If he DOES sign it, will you accept that he IS serious about running the country?

[mtls2005]

23 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Yes. If he DOES sign it, will you accept that he IS serious about running the country?

 

Seems like a pretty low bar?

 

Installing a full golf simulator in the White House says a lot about his "seriousness". 

 

I'm off for some "Executive Time" now.

[TopDeadSenter]

58 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Donald Trump, the fake negotiator.

 

He already knows, his chances of getting re-elected are ebbing away by the day.

Oh really? His approval rating is now 50% or more. More popular now than even Barack Obama. He will win the next election I am quite sure of it. Wall or not.

 

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_feb13

[mtls2005]

Strongly approve  - 37% down three points in a couple of days.

 

Hard to see that going up with the wall failure, after the Trump Shutdown.

 

Maybe a few glue huffers will hang on?

 

 

[Redline]

Another lost deal ???? too bad there is no Russians or bankruptcy to fall back on.  They are coming after your red lines Donny ????????

[Redline]

44 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Oh really? His approval rating is now 50% or more. More popular now than even Barack Obama. He will win the next election I am quite sure of it. Wall or not.

 

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_feb13

And did you see the inauguration?  A world record! ????

[billd766]

1 hour ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Oh really? His approval rating is now 50% or more. More popular now than even Barack Obama. He will win the next election I am quite sure of it. Wall or not.

 

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_feb13

I will see your rasmussen and raise you these 4.

 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_trump_job_approval-6179.html

 

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/17/685539207/poll-trump-approval-down-slips-with-base

[attrayant]

2 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Oh really? His approval rating is now 50% or more. More popular now than even Barack Obama. He will win the next election I am quite sure of it. Wall or not.

 

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_feb13

 

Rasmussen is the only poll that shows Trump not drowning quite as badly as he has been lately, but still definitely drowning.  This is a post SoTU address bump.

 

[EVENKEEL]

Seems the folks suffering from TDS isn't looking at the big picture because this spending bill is about so much more than Border Security.

[Cryingdick]

13 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Pelosi’s broken him. 

 

I thought the wall was immoral? 

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, Cryingdick said:

 

I thought the wall was immoral? 

No idea what you are on about. 

[Cryingdick]

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Strongly approve  - 37% down three points in a couple of days.

 

Hard to see that going up with the wall failure, after the Trump Shutdown.

 

Maybe a few glue huffers will hang on?

 

 

 

He will most likely win again because the dems have gone off the deep end. McConnell could barely hold back tears of laughter when he said the senate would vote on the "new green deal". Any dim that votes for it has basically ended their presidential campaign. 

 

The people that think a wall won't work think you can get rid of airplanes and take a train to Europe. In true fashion the dems will manage to seize defeat from the jaws of victory.