President Trump Calls Proposal A ‘Common-Sense Compromise Both Parties Should Embrace’
On Saturday afternoon, Donald Trump made an offer to House Democrats regarding the ongoing government shutdown. As the longest government shutdown in American history drags on, Trump made several appeals to Democrats, saying he would make several concessions to get the government up and running again — provided he gets funding for his border wall.
Among the concessions Trump announced was legal protection for undocumented immigrants. Trump stated that he would support legislation that would allow roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants — widely known as ‘Dreamers’ — temporary legal status should funding for the border wall be approved. Additionally, dreamers would be entitled to work authorization for three years, should their protection status be revoked for any reason.
Trump described his proposal, which still hinges on the border wall being built, as “straightforward, far, and reasonable.” He also stressed there was “lots of compromise” in the deal. The deal would also include a three-year extension of legal statuses for immigrants who have been temporarily protected for deportation — a topic that Trump had previously claimed he would not compromise on.
However, not everyone saw the proposal as a good one. House Democrats actually rejected the proposal before it was formally offered, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling it “a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives.” Many Democrats viewed the proposal as inadequate at best, saying it did not hit on any of the core issues they were hoping to resolve.
Trump has been facing increasing pressure from both sides of the political aisle to find a way to end the government shutdown. With over 29 days since the government has been fully operational, tensions are running high — particularly for the 800,000-plus federal employees who are going without pay.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019
With Democrats refusing to provide any funding for Trump’s border wall, it looks like the situation will remain at a standstill for the time being. According to CNBC, reports indicate that Republicans and Democrats alike have been encouraging Trump to reconsider bills passed by the House that would allow them to temporarily reopen the government. Should the bill be approved by the President, the government could resume full functionality while the border security debate continues as a separate issue.
Unfortunately, it does not look like Trump is planning on budging regarding the border wall. He has repeatedly rejected any plans to reopen the government that do not include the $5.7 billion the wall is estimated to cost.
