Congressional Republicans and administration officials are becoming more and more skeptical that they can strike a long-term budget deal with Democrats by January 19, accusing them of postponing the issue until they have their demands met.
Leaders from both parties have been working to reach an agreement raising spending caps in order to avoid a government shutdown before federal funding ends.
However, Republicans believe that Democrats are slow-walking the discussion on a possible spending bill until Congress agrees to protect the thousands of undocumented immigrants from deportation. But bipartisan leaders are still far from striking a deal on immigration and border security, which threatens Republicans with the possibility of not getting a budget agreement unless they meet Democrats’ demands.
“[R]ight now, the Democrats are holding that deal hostage for a DACA negotiation … I think that’s going to make the Jan. 19 date pretty hard to hit. They’re just not agreeing to the spending caps … They’ve made a decision not to go forward on that until we get closer or get a DACA deal,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said Monday.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tried to show on Monday that her party was ready to strike a deal and expressed confidence that a budget agreement will soon be reached before the January 19 deadline.
“It’s a decision. All you have to do is decide that you’re going to do it. That gives us a whole week — next week — and another day when we come back after Martin Luther King Day. Hopefully, we can come to some agreement in the next week,” Pelosi told reporters on Monday, according to Politico.
GOP leaders, on the other hand, accuse Democrats of making unreasonable requests on DACA, without demonstrating a willingness to compromise.
“Why won’t Democratic leadership negotiate with us? Because we refuse to simply pass the Dream Act, as is, with no proportional border security and interior enforcement measures. As the Democrats see it, it’s take it or leave it, their way or the highway,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Tuesday with lawmakers from both parties to discuss a deal on DACA, but they have all expressed skepticism that the meeting will yield any positive results.
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