Schumer tells Trump to butt out of border talks
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told President Trump on Tuesday to stay away from negotiations on a border security bill, and let Congress handle it.
"We've come to big agreements before, for example, on budgets and Russian sanctions," Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters.
"What was the common theme? When the president stays out of the negotiations, we almost always succeed. When he mixes in, it's a formula for failure," Schumer said.
"So I'd ask President Trump, let Congress deal with it on its own," he said.
The House and Senate have less than three weeks to negotiate some kind of bill to boost border security. Trump, who agreed to end the 35-day government shutdown so these talks could begin, is hoping negotiators can agree to spend some money on new border wall.
But Democrats are still resisting Trump's push to spend $5.7 billion on new border wall, and are likely to agree to language that stops short of Trump's demand. Some are floating the idea of spending $1.6 billion on pedestrian fencing along the Rio Grande, for example.
Trump has no direct say in the talks, but has pushed Republicans for weeks to get him his border wall. If negotiators fail to agree to any new wall, or not enough, Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency to start building parts of the wall on the southern U.S. border.
Trump has also threatened not to sign any final agreement that Congress negotiates, which could start another shutdown. Schumer warned Trump against another funding lapse.
"I hope this serves as a lesson to President Trump and all of my Republican colleagues: no more shutdown," he said. "President Trump touched a hot, hot stove, and hopefully he won't do it again."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/schumer-tells-trump-to-butt-out-of-border-talks