slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Reuters•February 11, 2019

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - U.S. congressional negotiators on Monday reached a tentative deal to try to avert another partial government shutdown on Saturday, but congressional aides said it did not contain the $5.7 billion President Donald Trump wants for a border wall.

"We reached an agreement in principle" on funding border security programs through Sept. 30, Republican Senator Richard Shelby told reporters.

"Our staffs are going to be working feverishly to put all the particulars together,” Shelby said. Neither he nor three other senior lawmakers flanking him provided any details of the tentative pact.

But it was far from clear if the Republican president would embrace the agreement. His December demand for $5.7 billion this year to help pay for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border - rejected by congressional Democrats - triggered a 35-day partial government shutdown that ended last month without him getting wall funding.

A congressional aide, who asked not to be identified, said the outline of the deal included $1.37 billion for erecting new fencing along the southern border. That is about the same amount Congress allocated last year and far below what Trump has demanded.

The aide said none of the money would be for a "wall," which Trump has been touting since he launched his campaign for president in 2016. Democrats say the wall would be costly and ineffective.

Two other congressional sources said only currently deployed designs could be used for constructing 55 miles (90 km) of additional barriers. Those designs, which include "steel bollard" fencing, have been in use since before Trump became president.

Shortly after the deal was reached in the U.S. Capitol, Trump held a rally in the border city of El Paso, Texas, to argue for the wall he says can protect Americans from violent criminals, drugs and a "tremendous onslaught" of migrant caravans.

Trump said he heard about progress in the talks just before he took the stage, but he too did not discuss details. "Just so you know - we're building the wall anyway," he said. "Maybe progress has been made - maybe not."

Beto O’Rourke, the former Democratic congressman from Texas considering a 2020 White House run, held a counter-rally just 200 yards away and accused Trump of stoking "false fear" about immigrants and telling "lies" about O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso.

But a vocal group of conservatives influential with Trump has urged him to remain steadfast in his demand for the border wall money. In comments about the tentative congressional deal reached on Monday, Fox News commentator Sean Hannity told his viewers: "Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain."

Under Monday's agreement, which must be fleshed out by congressional staff experts, Democrats gave up on a demand they floated on Friday night to lower the cap on immigrant detention beds in the interior of the United States.

Democrats had complained the Trump administration was increasing detention capacity as a way of speeding up deportations of i*****l i*******ts, some of whom were seeking asylum under U.S. law.
But an overall cap - on borders and in the interior - would remain at 40,520 beds. The aide said that despite that cap, the number had actually grown to 49,057 and that under the deal, it would be brought down to the legal cap.

But one of the other aides said the deal would give Trump the flexibility to increase the number to 52,000 if necessary.

Democratic Representative Nita Lowey said on Monday night: "I hope by Wednesday we'll have a finished product." Lowey said she had been in touch with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who she said "has confidence I have made the right decision."

Trump agreed to reopen the government last month for three weeks to allow congressional negotiators time to find a compromise on government funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, to avert another shutdown.

The handful of lawmakers leading the negotiations met privately for about two hours on Monday. They said they wanted to seal a plan by Monday night to allow time for the legislation to pass the House of Representatives and Senate and get Trump's signature by Friday, when funding is due to expire for the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and several other federal agencies.

Without a new injection of federal funds, an array of federal agencies would have to suspend some activities, ranging form the maintenance of national parks to publication of economic data that is important to financial markets.

During the record-long partial government shutdown, which ran from Dec. 22 to Jan. 25, 800,000 federal workers went without pay even though many of them were required to report to work.

The shutdown ended shortly after a shortage of federal air traffic controllers triggered delays of hundreds of flights at airports in the New York and Philadelphia areas.

In recent weeks, Trump has threatened to declare a "national emergency" if Congress did not give him money to build a border wall. He says that would allow him to use existing funds for other activities to build a wall - an idea that Democrats and many Republicans in Congress oppose.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

If the i***ts in charge stage another shut down it will be several more nails in their coffin lid.

jimpack123 Loc: wisconsin

I predict that Trump will cave in and sign the bill 55 miles of fence compared to 200 miles his wall just keeps getting smaller and smaller just like his GOP base will be getting smaller and smaller

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Sicilianthing

>>>

Whattabuncha CRAP !

If Trump makes another Compromise, one more stupid deal, one more waffle I”M OUT !

Screw him too.

bahmer

It appears that the democrats should go to the Marine training grounds and learn how not to shoot themselves in the foot so often. They lost the p**********l e******n because Trump pressed the issue of erecting a border wall and they are fighting him on the very thing that got him elected and they would be wise to pony up the money and then in 2020 they can say what they have done instead if what they haven't done. They might get more v**es if they were to bite the bullet and go along with Trump then to resist him as they are now doing. But as the saying goes it is there funeral allow them the luxury of choosing their own method of their demise.

Idaho

So you gonna v**e Dem then?

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

He should v**e any way he feels like Spud

Sicilianthing

>>>

No I’m just going to focus all my time on Plans B, C and D

Screw the parties.

Abel

You're right about the crap, but don't bail out, that's what the Progs want you to do. I think the Progs screwed up by wanting to reduce the number of beds for i*****l m*****ts though; I guess they want them to sleep on the floor or the ground - - that should make it less attractive for the border hoppers. I hope he stands his ground. Have a goodun, we need ya.

Sicilianthing

>>>

If Trump waffles again or he’s not careful about who he sides with, he too will be exposed soon.