Senate Republicans are skeptical that Congress will be able to reach an agreement on a deal in just three weeks to boost border security that includes funding for a border wall, as President Trump is demanding.
On Friday, after Trump agreed to end the shutdown and give Congress a three-week period to find a deal, some were already saying a deal of this magnitude probably requires more time than Congress has.
“It’s immigration. That’s the hard part — it’s immigration,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., as he left the Capitol Friday. “When you deal with immigration, there are a lot of complicating issues.”
“Everybody tries to push this thing as big as they can, and that’s hard because that’s not three weeks. That’s three months,” Lankford said, on how much time might be needed.
The plan approved by Trump, and which Congress passed soon afterward, calls for House and Senate lawmakers to negotiate some way forward on border security. Trump stressed that a border wall should be part of that discussion, but there’s no guarantee Congress will be able to agree to that.
If it doesn’t, Trump indicated several times he would declare a national emergency to seize control of funds he could use to build a border wall, a plan that would likely face court challenges.
While it’s a risky move for Trump, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said Friday he thinks there’s a good chance Congress will fail, and that Trump will be forced to try going his own way.
“I don’t know that we do [a deal],” Cramer said. “There’s a chance that we’re in the same soup in three weeks.”
Democrats on Friday were vague on whether they could finally agree to any wall funding now that it’s up to lawmakers to find a deal.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., declined to say if a wall was possible, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he was “optimistic” both sides will be able to reach a “good conclusion.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a loud proponent of ending the shutdown in recent weeks, said Trump’s threat to act unilaterally is one that she is taking seriously.
“I believe that he will do what he has said if he thinks that is an option that is good for him,” Murkowski said.
“Is it a tall order? Absolutely. Is it something that we have had plenty of time to be considering what those elements are? Yes. We’ve been doing it a long time,” she said.
One GOP senator argued that Senate Democrats will take a hit if it gets to that point, in particular because if Democrats are willing to spend money on a wall, they might also be able to win concessions from Trump, such as protection for “Dreamers.” But if Trump acts alone, Democrats will get nothing.
At the end of a 35-day shutdown, Republicans seemed fatigued by the incident, which could be a sign they will be willing to do any deal with Democrats that helps avoid another one. And that could bode poorly for Trump when it comes to whether he can get what he wants.
“What did we learn? It’s as bad as we thought and maybe worse as time goes on,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
“Shutdowns are miserable,” she said. “The last one was miserable, and this one was double miserable.”
