Report: Border Funding Talks 'Have Broken Down' As Shutdown Looms
- 5 years ago
The Washington Post reports that the border funding talks have "broken down" among lawmakers as another shutdown looms.
Negotiations over border security "have broken down and are at an impasse," putting the government in jeopardy of another shutdown, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
One of the key sticking points is said to be Democrats' desire to curb the aggressiveness of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, by limiting the number of detention beds the agency can access at a given time.
At the same time, lawmakers are reportedly circling a figure between $1.3 billion to $2 billion for border barrier funding--far less than the $5.7 billion demanded by President Trump, notes the Post.
The possibility of an impasse comes just days after multiple reports indicated that a bipartisan deal to keep the government running past February 15 was close to being completed.
However, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney seemed to fuel the speculation otherwise when he said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" Sunday: "[The president is] going to do whatever he legally can to secure that border."
He went on to say: "Is the shutdown entirely off the table? The answer is no."
Meanwhile, Trump continues to make his case for the border wall on Twitter.
"The Democrats just don't seem to want Border Security," he tweeted Saturday. "They are fighting Border Agents recommendations. If you believe news reports, they are not offering much for the Wall. They look to be making this a campaign issue. The Wall will get built one way or the other!"
Negotiations over border security "have broken down and are at an impasse," putting the government in jeopardy of another shutdown, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
One of the key sticking points is said to be Democrats' desire to curb the aggressiveness of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, by limiting the number of detention beds the agency can access at a given time.
At the same time, lawmakers are reportedly circling a figure between $1.3 billion to $2 billion for border barrier funding--far less than the $5.7 billion demanded by President Trump, notes the Post.
The possibility of an impasse comes just days after multiple reports indicated that a bipartisan deal to keep the government running past February 15 was close to being completed.
However, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney seemed to fuel the speculation otherwise when he said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" Sunday: "[The president is] going to do whatever he legally can to secure that border."
He went on to say: "Is the shutdown entirely off the table? The answer is no."
Meanwhile, Trump continues to make his case for the border wall on Twitter.
"The Democrats just don't seem to want Border Security," he tweeted Saturday. "They are fighting Border Agents recommendations. If you believe news reports, they are not offering much for the Wall. They look to be making this a campaign issue. The Wall will get built one way or the other!"