Facing gridlock, GOP senators seek big immigration deal to end shutdown

[highplainsdem]

Source: CNN

Staring at a prolonged government shutdown, Republican senators are privately planning to court Democratic senators on an immigration deal that would give President Donald Trump money for his border wall and include several measures long-sought by Democrats, according to sources familiar with the matter.

After Trump stormed out of a White House meeting with congressional leaders, GOP senators privately gathered in Sen. Lindsey Graham's office Wednesday to discuss a way out of the logjam. The long-shot idea: propose an immigration deal that would include $5.7 billion for Trump's border wall along with several provisions that could entice Democrats.

Those items include changes to help those who are a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program as well as immigrants from El Salvador and other countries impacted by the Temporary Protected Status program - along with modifications to H-2B visas.

-snip-

GOP senators pitched the idea to senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who said if they came up with a proposal that got Trump his border wall money and could pass the Senate, the White House would be open to more discussions on the matter, the source said. He did not say Trump would endorse such a plan.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/09/politics/immigration-deal-wall-fight-republican-senators/index.html

---

The senators include Graham, Collins, Tillis, Alexander, Portman and Murkowski.

[Gore1FL]

1. I hope the Dems don't negotiate with the terrorists. nt

[cstanleytech]

31. Actually I dont mind negotiation between the Senate and House but it should not include

any money for the absurd phallic wall that Trump clearly wants as a symbol of his delusional greatness.

[iluvtennis]

42. Ditto.

[smb]

48. Maybe Plant A Little Mushroom Garden At The Border Instead nt

[left-of-center2012]

2. "He did not say Trump would endorse such a plan"

Trump was for the last plan,
before Limbaugh, Coulter, and Fox said "NO!"

[highplainsdem]

6. Yeah, RWers on Twitter are already warning against this.

[LiberalLovinLug]

26. I don't know why Republicans don't just defer to Fox & Friends

They might as well just send them in as that will be Trump's final consultation anyways

[LakeSuperiorView]

3. Have the republicans said how they are going to pay for the wall and everything else?

Or do deficits not matter again?

[groundloop]

14. We already know how they'd pay for this - from the blood, sweat, and tears of working Americans

They'll cut Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, social services, and infrastructure (so long as it doesn't inconvenience the wealthy).

[forgotmylogin]

4. Why does the money he wants keep going up by a tenth of a billion

in every news story I read about it?

[Midnightwalk]

9. It's a trump project

Cost overruns, even before the project begins, should be expected.

[marylandblue]

5. Trump already turned down a deal like that, and I don't see President Coulter allowing it back.

[Thekaspervote]

7. Several have floated daca for the wall, dotard and his ilk have said they won't support it

[GulfCoast66]

8. We should consider this. The Senate is desperate.

Make DACA the law, with a pathway to citizenship. Not a Presidential decree. Cause we owe it to those kids.

Basically comprehensive immigration reform. With a guest worker program.

Do it because the trump base hates DACA about as much as they want the wall. Hannity and Limbaugh will convince Trump to kill it.

Even if he accepts it his base will splinter and hardly any wall will get built in the next year and a half. Then we drive a stake in it in 2020.

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. Just resuscitate the BIPARTISAN immigration reform bill from 2013, the one written by the Gang of 8

It passed in the Senate 68 - 32. All of the Dems voted for it, plus 14 GOP. Boehner killed it in the House.

[GulfCoast66]

11. You summed it up better than I did.

But we both know Trump would not support it.

Which is why we should agree to it. He has to have the immigration issue for 2020.

[IronLionZion]

30. Good! Let him reject it

Then it will be on the record that he doesn't care about the wall or border security, just pandering to racists

[scarytomcat]

47. if the Senate passed the bill that they passed with 80 votes right before the year end break

which is the one Pelosi passed to open this session it could be veto proof
and dump would be done (for now anyway)

[Johnyawl]

13. I think this is a really good idea GulfCoast!

...the court battles over eminent domain will tie the project up for the next two years at least. And the environmental lawsuits will add to that.

[EX500rider]

19. "And the environmental lawsuits will add to that."

Not sure they can:

The Real ID Act, attached as a rider to a supplemental appropriations bill funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, decreed, "Not withstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to waive all legal requirements such Secretary, in such Secretary's sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads." Secretary Chertoff used his new power to "waive in their entirety" the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act to extend triple fencing through the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve near San Diego.[22] The Real ID Act further stipulates that the Secretary's decisions are not subject to judicial review, and in December 2005 a federal judge dismissed legal challenges by the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and others to Chertoff's decision.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico%E2%80%93United_States_barrier#Secure_Fence_Act

[Bleacher Creature]

12. How is DACA a concession? It was Trump who took it away in the first place.

I realize that DACA was flawed and temporary, but the idea that restoring it is some sort of grand gesture from the Republicans is a bit hard to swallow.

[GulfCoast66]

16. Make DACA law with a pathway to citizenship.

And allow the all the rights of any naturalized citizen, including sponsoring family members.

This has been our overriding goal from the get-go.

We can allow the wall to distract us from our over riding goals. A wall that will never really happen.

Call his bluff. Because he will not support this either. His base hates DACA. As much as they want the wall.

If we support this and the republicans agree we get what we want. If they kill it, and they will, it removes the whole boarder security argument from their quiver and leaves them hold nothing but exposed racism.

[srobertss]

37. I totally agree.

Resist, resist, then stop and watch them fall on their faces as Trump refuses to sign on.

[jcgoldie]

34. Didn't the court already pull the rug out from under him on suspending DACA?

Why would Dems negotiate to reinstate DACA when he's already been kneecapped on that issue?

[srobertss]

41. Supreme Court could undo it

They upheld his Muslim ban. And Bret Kavanaugh has sworn to get revenge on Dems.

[BumRushDaShow]

46. "They upheld his Muslim ban"

No they didn't. The WH had to re-write it several times before the courts allowed a very limited scope of the last iteration that was primarily only in effect for 90 or 120 days.

[srobertss]

52. I don't trust the Supreme Court, but I'm guessing Trump wouldn't sign on to it anyway

I know many of the DACA recipients don't want to be used as hostages in this fight, but I find the uncertainty of their lives sickening. And even if this compromise were offered, after Fox News weighs in, Trump probably wouldn't agree. It would further demonstrate his bad faith.

I admit I haven't followed the travel ban very well, except that anything that doesn't include the country of origin of the 911 hijackers is a farce. So I was disappointed that the Supreme Court upheld the final iteration, which according to wikipedia is in force indefinitely.

[BumRushDaShow]

55. I agree

I have zero trust... especially once Kavanaugh starts weighing in more. I hope that RBG can hang on. The "conservatives" are really a wildcard though because oddly enough, some have or may have foibles or special interests (like Scalia used to be the 4th amendment junkie, so sometimes he ruled against his own when it came to privacy), so you just won't know until the 2 newest start flexing their muscles.

And yup, it is difficult when you have lunatics who are not schooled in how the government functions (nor cares), yanking Oval Office chains left and right. But there is something I see mentioned about him however - he often follows the advice of whoever the last person he talked to recommends so there seems to be jockeying going on to be that "last person" - particularly from those who want their own agendas put into place.

We also have a bit of an issue not really talked about here on DU except in some whispers here and there - and that is Schumer, who has socially known Drumpf for many years and has been an elected politician (NY state, U.S. House, U.S. Senate) for almost 40 years (since 1975). There is a relationship that is there that is now at odds and is somewhat disconcerting. And IMHO, he doesn't seem to have a strong grasp of the obscure rules (despite the fact that he has been in there for 20 years)... Plus he hadn't been a part of the leadership in the Senate prior to taking this position like Harry Reid (who had been a Whip and who also became a Senator 2 years after McConnell in '87). So I would hope that he could find some kind of kindred mentor to guide in some more sophisticated strategizing.

[srobertss]

56. Schumer is not very skilled as Senate minority leader

I think it was Claire McCaskill who said that Schumer never asked her to make a vote that was uncomfortable for her. That’s kind of the opposite of what a political leader should be doing. Pelosi, on the other hand, is very good at her job.

And I did read after posting the above that Lindsay Graham realized that his notion of offering DACA to the Democrats wasn’t going to fly with Trump. So that makes my whole notion moot anyway. Lindsay said he’s very depressed.

I suspect we’re going to go the national emergency route, Trump will declare a victory, and then it’s on to the next distraction as Michael Cohen gets ready to testify to Congress.

[BumRushDaShow]

57. Agree

and this scenario seems to be about the only (known) "face-saving" move left for someone who enjoys painting himself into corners.

I just hate to see this type of "governing by crises" being normalized, lurching from one ridiculous scenario to another, and causing great harm to millions. There are loopholes that exist that have never been tested because over generations, "society" defined criteria (that were updated and modernized over time) for what is considered "acceptable behavior", and now the breach of those societal norms is underway.

[RockRaven]

15. Sorry, but no, no, NO. You cannot make a deal where the thing Democrats get relies on executive

branch administrative functions. We've seen REPEATEDLY that the Trump administration simply refuses to faithfully perform executive branch functions it does not like (see Russia sanctions, for starters).

[GulfCoast66]

17. I agree. Which is why we should enshrine it in law.

Then the administration can’t touch it. But they will reject it as well. The base hates DACA.

Offer a law enshrined DACA with a pathway to citizenship. For a wall that will never really be built. If they agree we get our longstanding goal of DACA citizens. When they refuse, and they will, it’s strips the boarder security from their argument and leaves them holding nothing but racism.

Let’s not forget, our original goal was, and should be full citizenship for the DACA kids.

[Thekaspervote]

18. Agree... because we all know they won't pass a compressive immigration LAW

[GulfCoast66]

20. Right! I now think this is the trap Schumer and Pelosi are setting.

We give them 5 billions for the wall which will never really be built. And they know it. And they do what trump says he wants and a vast majority of Americans want. DACA in law with a path to citizenship.

On the slight chance the accept we get what we want and their base is splintered. They hate DACA and want those brown kids deported.

But when it is rejected it strips bare the excuse of boarder security and leaves nothing but racism.

If a dumdass like I can figure this out, others can to. Which is why McTurtle is in his shell. He sees what is coming.

[ProudLib72]

21. Take away the money for the fucking wall and they've got something

Otherwise it's status quo. Actually, it's worse because it's a huge win for the Rump and his base.

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. The GOP is down. Go for the jugular.

Dems must not deal with terrorists. Period.

[NNadir]

23. Lindsay Graham, the Kavanaugh worshiping asshole doesn't give a shit about this country.

I don't know why they can't get it through their tiny racist brains. No fucking wall.

They gripped this country for two years, destroyed much of what made America great, defended a frat boy wannabe rapist, and now they offer this as reasonable?

Screw off Lindsay.

[blue neen]

24. Amen to that.

No wall.

[Hulk]

25. I'm a "conservative progressive"....

WASTING $5,000,000,000 to get this worthless lard ass to open the government offices again isn't going to work in my book.

If these dumb ass repuKKKes want to specify WHERE walls are needed so that it can be evaluated, then and only then, we might be able to spend money on a damned wall. In the middle of nowhere so this jackass can score a win with his brainless KKKlan is ridiculous. Also, I heard his girlfriend, lindsay, mention we might be able to give DACA "work visas" or some such bull shit. BULL SHIT!! They don't need to be kept as pawns in this immigration nightmare that this irresponsible government is wholly responsible for. They need a pathway to citizenship, and the other 11-20 million need options to gain a legal status. They don't all need to have a pathway to citizenship, but the majority should not be prevented from applying for citizenship under the right circumstances and with the legal background.

Don't fucking cave on this one Pelosi. I feel awful for the government workers. If I was one I'd be looking for employment elsewhere. If you are content with having a career in a field where you are threatened every year with a lay off and hardship, I'd say that sucks and there are better ways to make a living. I was a teacher for 30 years, and strikes and canvassing the city to pass levies was enough to make me think twice about the profession I chose. It's a crying shame, but when you get an asshole like the mushroom-dick tyrant, you are going to run into this life style at any given time. That totally sucks.

NO wasting 1000 X 1000 X $1000 times 5 for his fucked up wall.

[AlexSFCA]

27. trump supporters are against daca more than for the wall

it’s as simple as that; they’d rather have daca folks deported than having a wall. We are fortunare the job market is good right now otherwise I have no doubt we’d see mass deportations across the country.

[RobertDevereaux]

28. Not One Red Cent EVER!

[SHRED]

29. YOU DON'T NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS

Period.

[littlemissmartypants]

39. +1000 nt

[bluestarone]

54. THIS

x's a quadbillion

[LibDemAlways]

32. Trump has no business demanding that Pelosi and Schumer

give him the money for his stupid wall. There is a ton of video evidence that he swore up and down Mexico would pay for it. If I were them, I'd tell him he's barking up the wrong tree and to leave them alone, open up the government, and go get the money from Lopez Obrador.

[dalton99a]

33. If they don't want to do the right thing, fuck them.

[mastermind]

35. I wonder how many safety net programs they are going to cut in this great deal of theirs?

Dems, do not fall for their tricks!!!

[BootinUp]

36. Nope, Nada, Zilch!

[SunSeeker]

38. GOP mouthpiece Steve Cortez said tonight that we're close to a deal involving the wall for DACA.

He was on Chris Cuomo's show on CNN. Probably wishfull thinking on his part.

[littlemissmartypants]

40. Tom Tillis.

No negotiating with the terrorists in the White House.

No wall. Period.

Keep pounding, Madame Speaker!

[iluvtennis]

43. why didn't trump pull this wall ploy when GOPers had both houses of congress - cuz it's political.he

doesn't care about a wall. he likes the political theater of calling out Pelosi on this.

If I recall correctly, Mitch McConnell never even put the asinine bill Paul Ryan jammed through the House in front of the senate for a vote.

Let's say hypothetically that Nancy said yes to the 5.7B (note: I don't want Dems to do it), why would McConnell change his position now?

I just want the federal workers to get back to work - they have families to support. This fkn wall stuff can be handled after that.

Trump has the federal workers held hostage and for a stupid as wall. You don't give into a hostage taker.

thanks for letting me rant

[smb]

50. The Whole "Wall" Nonsense...

...started because Orangestain's handlers had to dumb down the immigration issue to something they could cram into his little pea brain.

[beachbum bob]

44. issues are separate and democrats must not cave

[DeminPennswoods]

45. If McConnell would allow a vote on opening all but DHS,

Dems have already said they can debate what to do about "the wall". Presumably that means border security and I'm sure they'd be open to negotiating real, comprehensive immigration reform as part of that.

[displacedtexan]

49. No. Wall. Ever.

History is watching, and this time there's video.

[Maxheader]

51. No

Wall!!

[X_Digger]

53. No. Wait, not no, FUCK NO.

Not a goddamned dollar for a wall you orange shitgibbon.