Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 22 January 2018

No Deal The approach found ad- crats. Five Democrats from

Continued from Front vocates in South Carolina states won by Trump broke
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who
ranks in a vote Friday. The
November’s midterm elec- has been trying to broker measure gained 50 votes
tions. an immigration deal, and to proceed to 49 against,
That threat prompted mod- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, but 60 were needed to
erates to huddle for a sec- both Republicans who re- break a Democratic filibus-
ond day Sunday in hopes jected an earlier short-term ter. Trump, who regularly
of crafting a plan to re- proposal. Lawmakers took disrupted negotiations in
open the government. The the proposal to their lead- recent weeks, had been a
contours of that proposal ers Sunday afternoon. relatively subdued player in
were still taking shape Sun- But shortly before 7 p.m. the weekend debate. He
day evening. In exchange Sunday, Graham said no has not appeared in pub-
for Democratic votes on a deal had been reached lic since Friday afternoon.
From left, Rep. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., three-week spending mea- by the moderate group The White House said he
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., return sure, the GOP leadership in because Democrats were was in regular contact with
to the Capitol after a meeting of moderate senators on Day 2
of the federal shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, the Senate would agree to not on board. “To my Dem- Republican leaders, but he
Jan. 21, 2018. address immigration policy ocratic friends, don’t over- has not reached out to any
Associated Press and other pressing legisla- play your hand,” he told Democrats, a White House
tive matters in the coming reporters. “A government official said.
Critical government func- ing, when thousands of weeks. Sen. Chris Coons, shutdown is not a good Sunday morning on Twitter,
tions continued, with uni- federal workers would be D-Del., said the potential way to get an outcome he called on the GOP-con-
formed service members, told to stay home or, in deal would not secure an legislatively.” trolled Senate to consider
health inspectors and law some cases, work without immediate vote on immi- Chuck Schumer, the Sen- deploying the “nuclear op-
enforcement officers set to pay. What was still a week- gration tied to reopening ate’s top Democrat, indi- tion” — changing Senate
work without pay. end burst of Washington the government, but law- cated earlier Sunday that rules to end the filibuster
Lawmakers were mind- dysfunction could spiral makers were seeking “an he would continue to lead — and reopen the govern-
ful that the political stakes into a broader crisis with agreement that we would a filibuster of the stopgap ment with a simple major-
would soar Monday morn- political consequences in proceed to immigration.” spending measure, while ity. Senate Majority Leader
congressional Republi- Mitch McConnell dismissed
cans appeared content that option, saying Repub-
to let the pressure build licans will welcome the fili-
on the second day of the buster when they return to
government shutdown. being the Senate minority.
After Senate Democrats Democrats are facing in-
blocked a temporary gov- tense pressure from their
ernment-wide funding bill base to solve the issue over
Friday night, both parties the young immigrants, and
engaged in furious finger- they are skeptical of Re-
pointing. Democrats, who publicans’ credibility when
initially dug in on a demand offering to deal. Whether
for legislation to protect Trump would back the
about 700,000 immigrants emerging plan or any later
who were brought illegally proposal on immigration is
to the country as children, an open question. Even if
shifted to blame the shut- the Senate voted on an im-
down on the incompe- migration proposal, its pros-
tence of President Donald pects in the House would
Trump and the Republican be grim.
leadership. Republicans Furthermore, Democrats
argued that Democrats view Trump as an infuriating
shuttered the government bargaining partner, point-
over “illegal immigration” ing chiefly to his failed 11th-
in a bid to gin up enthusi- hour talks with Schumer on
asm among their base. Friday. The Democrat says
“I think they miscalculated Trump expressed support
on the shutdown,” Cornyn for a fix for the young immi-
said. “It’s very unpopular grants in return for financ-
and they’re trying to find a ing for Trump’s wall along
way out of it.” the U.S.-Mexico border
Absent a breakthrough, — only to back off hours
the vote early Monday will later. The White House says
prove to be a test of unity Schumer and the president
and resolve among Demo- never came to terms.q