It's time for lawmakers to "get away from the rhetorical games" when it comes to a compromise on border security and the argument over a wall, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is continuing to say there will be no money allotted for it, Rep. Mike Waltz said Thursday.
"I think the president has been very reasonable," the Florida Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"We have all on both sides of the aisle voted for this for years, a Secure Fences Act in 2006 which (Hillary) Clinton, (Barack) Obama, and (Chuck) Schumer all voted for."
Calls for a "smart wall" rather than a physical structure are "ridiculous," said Waltz.
"We need a full system," he commented. "We need judges and technology and barriers where they make sense. The president said in strategic locations where Border Patrol is asking for them."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-Ky., has said the government will not shut down, and Waltz agreed that he does not like shutdowns.
"At the end of the day, the president has to sign the bill," said Waltz. "That's our system and democracy. If he saying he won't sign anything without some type of funding for barriers which he said he is willing to give on, who is really losing here?"
Trump also extended a hand to the DACA recipients, said Waltz, but that was "apparently dropped from the table."
"This is really unfortunate," he said. "Let's cut a deal. Compromise can't be a dirty word."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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