House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists that her party is unified against the wall, but cracks are starting to show. Eight Democrats broke with Pelosi Wednesday to vote against an amendment in a disaster aid bill that would block wall funding, the Daily Caller reported.
Shutdown continues
The partial government shutdown, the longest in history, is now in its fourth week as Democratic leadership refuses to negotiate with President Donald Trump on his desired $5 billion for border security funding. Rank and file Democrats declined an invitation from Trump to negotiate over lunch on Tuesday, which came one week after Trump walked out of a meeting with Pelosi when she said she would never agree to fund the wall even if the government opens.
Neither side is blinking and tensions have grown petty. Pelosi proposed postponing Trump’s State of the Union Address Wednesday, citing false security concerns amid the shutdown, only for Trump to postpone a congressional trip abroad the next day that Pelosi had planned.
Dems break with Pelosi on wall
Pelosi wants to present a unified front against the wall and reportedly told Democrats to stick together at a party huddle on Tuesday, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has said the party is “totally united.” But some Democrats stuck in the no-man’s land are starting to feel the pressure and are eager for compromise.
The image of unity projected by party leadership was undercut when eight Democrats voted Wednesday against an amendment attached to a disaster aid bill that would block Trump from diverting relief money to build the wall, something he has threatened to do. The amendment, which passed 230-197, was brought by House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA), who called the wall “medieval” and said it “won’t work. Period.”
The Democrats are: New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi, South Carolina Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham, Oklahoma Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn, New Jersey Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Colin Peterson, Michigan Democratic Rep. Elise Slotnik, and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Jeff Van Drew.
The emergency relief bill is the sixth effort by House Democrats to open the government with no wall funding since the shutdown started and will likely not be taken up by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Senate Republicans have refused to take up spending bills from the House that do not include wall funding on the expectation that Trump will veto them.
Moderates seek compromise
The White House is reportedly looking for support from moderate Democrats in vulnerable districts that Trump won, some of whom have signaled frustration with their party leadership’s uncompromising position and are open to negotiating on the wall that Pelosi calls “immoral.” Apparently seeking to bypass Pelosi, the White House asked a number of Democrats to talk about the shutdown over lunch on Tuesday but they declined the invitation.
“I have said multiple times that I support some element of a physical barrier as part of an overall package on border security, but it’s also got to include more funding for border agents, it’s got to include more technology,” Brindisi told Vox. “But I’ve always been consistent in saying if the experts tell us a physical barrier makes sense, I will support it.”
Trump again invited Dems — minus Pelosi — to attend a bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to discuss the shutdown at White House Situation Room on Wednesday. Pelosi warned potential participants that they would hit a brick wall, but at least one who went to the meeting, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), said it was “constructive.”
Hoyer said Trump’s efforts to reach out to Democrats this week are a desperate attempt to fleece votes from Pelosi “wherever he can [find them]”, but numerous freshman Democrats have signaled that they are willing to work towards a compromise, and some non-freshmen have too, including Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) who said he supports trading wall funding for protections for illegal immigrants.
“If I am getting comments and contact from my constituents expressing concern that the Democrats are not prioritizing security, then I think we can do better,” said freshman Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).
Democrats are not the only ones seeking compromise. Eight House Republicans broke with Trump on January 9 in a vote to fund the government and that number grew to 12 in another vote the following day.
Moderate Senators including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are also breaking with Trump, and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a Trump loyalist, has urged Trump to open the government for a few weeks to spur negotiations. But McConnell is holding the line and backing the president.
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