The top Republican leaders in Congress mounted a quick campaign to convince President Donald Trump to accept the compromise bipartisan spending deal, Politico reported on Tuesday.
The GOP leaders are worried that Trump could refuse to sign the deal, which includes far less money for the border wall than what the president demanded. Trump rejected a December agreement that sparked a 35-day partial government shutdown, which most observers said ended in a defeat for the president and the Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the deal hammered out by congressional negotiators this week as a rejection of the “extreme positions” of liberals, while Senate Majority Whip John Thune said the agreement is good, because it “gets us out of the current logjam we are in and builds the wall and keeps the government open.”
Some Republicans played up what they said was Democrats caving, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy telling CNBC that the party had reversed itself from providing no new wall money and limiting detention beds for interior enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
However, according to Politico, the deal actually includes about the same amount of funding for fencing that Democrats have been offering for two months.
Many Senate Republicans appeared unwilling to back the deal until hearing from Trump, especially after conservative commentators rejected it, with, for example, Fox News host Sean Hannity labeling it a “garbage compromise.”
The deal provides only $1.375 billion in funding for a border barrier, which is far less than the $5.7 billion Trump had demanded.
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