Speaker Pelosi says Trump proposal a non-starter
Listen to this articleWASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected President Donald Trump’s Saturday offer to provide $5.7 billion for a border wall in exchange for a three-year extension on protections for DACA and TPS recipients.
Trump’s offer, if agreed by Pelosi, would have allowed the government to reopen.
“Initial reports make clear that his proposal is 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,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement released ahead of Trump’s televised remarks.
She added: “It is unlikely that any one of these provisions alone would pass the House, and taken together, they are a non-starter. For one thing, this proposal does not include the permanent solution for the Dreamers and TPS recipients that our country needs and supports.”
Senate Minority Whip Dick Dubrin echoed similar sentiments.
“First, President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell must open the government today. Second, I cannot support the proposed offer as reported and do not believe it can pass the Senate. Third, I am ready to sit down at any time after the government is opened and work to resolve all outstanding issues,” Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a statement released ahead of the speech.
Democrats have offered $1.3 billion for border security as a counteroffer to the wall. The administration has repeatedly refused.
The speech comes on Day 28 of a partial government shutdown.
Trump has said he has not ruled out the possibility of declaring a national emergency to build the wall but that doing so would be a last resort.
Last week Pelosi rescinded Trump’s invitation to deliver the State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress. The speech had been scheduled for Jan. 29. Trump responded by denying Pelosi use of a military aircraft for a trip Afghanistan.
The newly installed Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has passed a series of spending bills to reopen the government. The Republican-controlled Senate has refused to consider the measures.
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News
Top photo is a YouTube screenshot of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Bryan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a life-long passion for politics at all levels. He has interned in the Maryland General Assembly and has volunteered for several congressional campaigns. Given this particular background, he has a unique insight into the dynamics of political analysis. When he is not writing, Bryan spends his time reading about history and frequenting Chinese restaurants.
