President Trump outlines new border security proposal to end partial government shutdown
Trump says that his plan is a common sense compromise that both parties should enthusiastically support.
In a speech Saturday from the White House, President Trump proposed exactly what the American people asked for: tough border security and a reasonable compromise to reopen the government.
In asking for $5.7 billion in border barrier funding in exchange for protection from deportation for three years for 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients and another 300,00 immigrants here with Temporary Protected Status, President Trump extended yet another overture to Democrats.
The president urged Democrats to compromise, secure the border and end the 29-day-old government shutdown.
TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION OFFER BRINGS POLARIZED REACTIONS FROM DEMS AND GOP
“Both sides in Washington must simply come together,” President Trump said. “Listen to each other. Put down their armor. Build trust. Reach across the aisle and find solutions.”
But before the president even had the opportunity to announce his offer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected it, calling his plan “unacceptable” and a “non-starter.”
Pelosi’s premature rejection is a hypocritical renunciation of support for policies that Democrats once supported and – in some cases – still pay lip service to today.
Indeed, just five years ago, 54 Senate Democrats voted to double a portion of a southern barrier with Mexico, end chain migration, end the diversity visa lottery, and spend $40 billion on border security (almost eight times what the president is asking for now!).
So what changed?
The person sitting in the Oval Office changed. Democrats now reject the very proposals they once voted for when President Obama sat in the same office.
Why? Because the Democrats want to deprive President Trump of a political win.
What a sad reality.
Saturday’s proposal by the president and the Democrats’ premature rejection once again make clear that President Trump and congressional Republicans are the only reasonable parties working toward a solution to reopen our government.
Saturday’s proposal by the president and the Democrats’ premature rejection once again make clear that President Trump and congressional Republicans are the only reasonable parties working toward a solution to reopen our government.
Consider the facts.
When President Trump learned that Democrats were opposed to the concrete wall on the border, he offered a steel slat barrier – trying to assuage Democratic opposition to the term “wall.”
In another effort at finding reasonable compromise, the Office of Management and Budget issued a letter on behalf of President Trump offering $800 million to “address urgent humanitarian needs” and $4.2 billion for detention beds and permitting unaccompanied minors to apply for asylum in their home country – both proposals Democrats had asked for previously.
In short, President Trump has consistently made fair compromise offers. But Democrats have been woefully absent at the negotiating table.
While President Trump remained in Washington during the holiday break, Pelosi embarked on a Hawaiian vacation. While President Trump waited in Washington yet again last weekend, several congressional Democrats were spotted on the beach in Puerto Rico.
And once more Pelosi and Democrats planned to leave town for a seven-day congressional delegation trip to Afghanistan and Brussels starting on Thursday. It was President Trump who made the responsible choice of using his executive power to ground the military plane and keep the Democrats in Washington.
Saturday’s compromise offer was another effort by the president to pull Democrats to the negotiating table to end this government shutdown and ensure that 800,000 federal employees receive paychecks.
Make no mistake. This is exactly what the American people want.
A recent Marist poll found that 63 percent of Americans said they “like elected officials who make compromises with people they disagree with.” This statement garnered majority support among both Democrats and Republicans.
Nevertheless, the government shutdown negotiations have shown quite clearly that Democrats have precisely zero interest in compromise.
Ask yourself this: What have Democrats given up?
The answer is nothing. Remaining firmly entrenched in their offer of $1.3 billion in border security funding, Democrats have not budged one iota since the government shutdown began.
President Trump has offered a compromise. Not once. Not twice. But three times.
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Democrats remain the irresponsible party of “no” while federal workers don’t get paid, thousands of illegal immigrants take the dangerous trek north, and Americans feel the scourge of illicit drugs crossing our border.
Compromise is the answer – but Democrats continue to reject it.