In order to end the lengthy partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump agreed to sign a short-term spending bill to reopen the government on the sole condition that Democratic members of Congress engage in negotiations on border security funding, specifically with regard to funds for the construction of new border walls, fences, and barriers.
There had been talk over the past week that the special bicameral and bipartisan committee tasked with negotiating a deal prior to Feb. 15 was close to an agreement, but word over the weekend suggested the talks had stalled out yet again — and President Trump took to Twitter over the weekend to express his thoughts on the disconcerting development.
Dem leaders spiking a deal?
“I don’t think the Dems on the Border Committee are being allowed by their leaders to make a deal,” Trump suggested on Sunday.
I don’t think the Dems on the Border Committee are being allowed by their leaders to make a deal. They are offering very little money for the desperately needed Border Wall & now, out of the blue, want a cap on convicted violent felons to be held in detention!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2019
The Hill reported that Trump was referencing news shared by Republican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, a member of the negotiating group, who’d said that Democrats had sought to limit the number of beds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had access to, forcing the agency to release many illegal immigrants that they would have otherwise detained.
Knowing this, Trump blamed Democratic leaders for throwing a wrench in the gears of negotiations, and, in a follow-up tweet, seemed to suggest that wrench had been placed there purposefully in order to bring about another shutdown, which would distract from numerous scandals plaguing Democrats across the country.
It was a very bad week for the Democrats, with the GREAT economic numbers, The Virginia disaster and the State of the Union address. Now, with the terrible offers being made by them to the Border Committee, I actually believe they want a Shutdown. They want a new subject!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2019
The government has been funded through Friday; however, if a deal isn’t reached, the government will partially shut down again.
Obstinate obstructionism
In a tweet later on Sunday, Trump came back to the issue of a cap imposed on the number of beds ICE would have available to detain illegal immigrants, which had only come into play after hopes had been raised that deal was within reach.
He tweeted:
The Border Committee Democrats are behaving, all of a sudden, irrationally. Not only are they unwilling to give dollars for the obviously needed Wall (they overrode recommendations of Border Patrol experts), but they don’t even want to take muderers into custody! What’s going on?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2019
President Trump has made it abundantly clear that national security is his No. 1 priority, but it seems that Democrats remain staunchly averse to providing him any sort of clear-cut win on the issue.
Indeed, Dems have either refused to provide funds for a border wall altogether or sought to deny funding for other aspects of border security if wall funds are included in a deal.
That isn’t going to fly with most of the American people, and Trump isn’t afraid to call the Democrats out on their duplicitous obstruction that will ultimately make the country a less safe place.
