In a private meeting with Jared Kushner, Vice President Mike Pence, and Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Sen. Chuck Schumer made it clear that the wall is a no go.
According to reports, Schumer said:
A Chuck Schumer spokesman says the minority leader told Mike Pence, Mick Mulvaney and Jared Kushner at a private meeting that any proposal for a border wall can’t pass the Senate. The Democrats aren’t making fresh offers.
— Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) December 21, 2018
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Democrats can’t make this any clearer. The votes do not exist in the Senate for one single cent of wall funding. Trump can shut down the government, but the same offer of $1.6 billion for border security, not wall funding is what is on the table. Democrats aren’t going to give Trump a dime for his wall, and he is going to feel the heat from this shutdown.
As Schumer said earlier in the day from the Senate floor, “The Senate, every Democrat, and every Republican has already unanimously supported a clean extension of government funding. Democrats supported the measure because we do not want to see the government shutdown. We have no demands other than that.”
Democrats aren’t shutting down the government. They aren’t the ones demanding $5 billion for the wall that can’t pass the Senate. Unlike Trump, Democrats are living in reality. The votes aren’t there. Trump can’t get anything for his wall. His White House staff has been told so in person, so if Trump shuts down the government, it’s all on him, but the wall isn’t happening.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
