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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 6 February 2019

GOP leader wants border deal

with hope that Trump will OK it

By ANDREW TAYLOR and scuttled an apparent bi- $1.6 billion plan on the ta-
ALAN FRAM partisan deal and trig- ble last year, though many
Associated Press gered a historically long House liberals think even
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal shutdown. that amount is too high.
Senate’s top Republican Capitol Hill talks to resolve The developments came
on Tuesday pushed con- an impasse over Trump’s in the hours before Trump’s
gressional bargainers to demands for billions of dol- annual State of the Union
reach a border security lars for his long-sought bor- address, in which the presi-
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined at left by
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters in advance of deal without first getting der wall were making prog- dent was sure to again call
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, on Capitol President Donald Trump’s ress, participants said. But for his long-stalled border
Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. approval, a month after with lawmakers facing a wall.
Associated Press the impulsive president deadline to complete their But if Tuesday’s develop-
work by Feb. 15 or confront ments increase the likeli-
a renewed shutdown, Sen- hood of an agreement
ate Majority Leader Mitch among the pragmatic
McConnell, R-Ky., said he’s lawmakers dominating the
not seeking Trump’s bless- talks — who are drawn
ing in advance. from the deal-making ap-
McConnell’s tactic could propriations committees
remove a significant hur- — it could increase the risk
dle confronting the talks. that Trump might scuttle
Trump’s demands have the entire effort if he’s not
shifted abruptly on several satisfied with the border-
issues during his two years security package.
in the White House, and Meanwhile, negotiators are
top Republicans seem to leaning on border-security
feel that the best course experts to sort through their
will be for them to focus on options.
reaching a compromise While Trump is insisting on
with Democrats. physical structures like
McConnell told reporters walls, fences and vehicular
that negotiators “ought to barriers, Democrats are fo-
reach an agreement, and cused more on next-gener-
then we’ll hope that the ation scanners, additional
president finds it worth sign- manpower and help for
ing.” detained migrants.
That’s a break from his “We’re looking to see if
stance during the recent there’s a way to get to-
35-day partial federal shut- gether in a comprehensive
down, which began after way — whether it’s a bar-
Trump — under pressure rier, whether it’s a fence,
from conservative pun- whether it’s technology,
dits — turned against an whether it’s more person-
agreement to keep agen- nel. I think it might be all of
cies open that both parties that,” Shelby told reporters.
thought he’d embraced. A group of House GOP
That closure ended Jan. 25, lawmakers returned from
and during it McConnell in- a fact-finding trip to Tex-
sisted that Trump’s buy-in as, New Mexico and San
would be needed before Diego. Rep. Chuck Fleis-
any agreement could be chmann, R-Tenn., said he
reached. came away from the trip
Trump is seeking $5.7 billion with a better sense of what
for a U.S.-Mexico border approaches work best in
wall, but it’s clear that the varied locations, but that
House-Senate negotiations fences or walls are a key
won’t approve nearly that piece of the border secu-
much. The Senate put a rity puzzle.q