Trump digs in on border-wall funds as congressional negotiators prepare to convene
President Trump warned Wednesday that lawmakers would be “wasting their time” if they do not discuss a wall or physical barrier along the southern border as part of a deal to stave off another government shutdown. But some Democrats said their starting point in the new negotiation is no money for physical barriers of any kind.
“The wall doesn’t work. You can go under. You can climb over. You can go around,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.), a member of the bipartisan House-Senate conference committee created as part of a deal to end the 35-day partial government shutdown Friday. The group meets for the first time Wednesday afternoon.
“The bottom line is, is my position is no,” said Cuellar, who represents a district along the U.S.-Mexico border and said he was reflecting the unified stance of House Democrats on the conference committee.
The comments underscored the difficulty the 17-member committee will have in resolving the central dispute that led to the shutdown in the first place and threatens to prompt another one when short-term government spending runs out Feb. 15.
The president continues to demand funding for his long-promised border wall, while Democrats — emboldened after they forced Trump to back down last week and accept a short-term solution with no wall money — do not want to give it to him.
The president’s message was delivered in a morning tweet hours before the committee was to hold its first meeting.
“If the committee of Republicans and Democrats now meeting on Border Security is not discussing or contemplating a Wall or Physical Barrier, they are Wasting their time!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
If the committee of Republicans and Democrats now meeting on Border Security is not discussing or contemplating a Wall or Physical Barrier, they are Wasting their time!
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In a separate tweet, Trump referred to a “Fox & Friends” segment about migrant caravans heading in the direction of the border — a tactic Trump also employed last month before negotiations broke down over his demand for $5.7 billion in border-wall funding.
Despite some uncompromising positions being staked out ahead of their first meeting, other lawmakers expressed optimism that the committee, filled with dealmakers rather than hard-liners, could find a path toward agreement.
“There’s good people in that conference committee,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), another committee member. “I think we can come to an amiable conclusion if we’re left to our own device.”
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