WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump turned to Democrats for a second straight day on Thursday to try to resolve the fate of so-called Dreamers brought illegally into the United States as children, a day after stunning his fellow Republicans by striking a deal with the opposition party on US debt and federal spending.
The Senate was expected to vote on Thursday afternoon on the deal Trump hammered out with Democrats on Wednesday. The bill included raising the limit on federal borrowing, extending current government funding and providing disaster relief for hurricane victims.
But any bill passed by the Senate would have to go back to the House of Representatives for final approval, and the measure faced stiff opposition from House conservatives who traditionally favor strict curbs on federal spending.
The leadership of the largest group of House Republican conservatives came out against it on Thursday, saying it meant more federal spending without fiscal reforms.
After blindsiding Republican leaders with the deal with Democrats on fiscal issues, Trump called top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer on Thursday morning, along with the Republican congressional leaders, the White House said.
The Washington Post said that he, Schumer and Pelosi had agreed to work toward a permanent repeal of the requirement for Congress to repeatedly raise the debt ceiling.
Any measure would still have to pass the House and the Senate, both controlled by Republicans. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he opposes any effort to do away with the role of Congress in approving increases to the debt limit.
Dreamers and Democrats
On the issue of the 800,000 so-called Dreamers, Pelosi said Trump made clear he wants Congress to act to address what happens to them.
On Tuesday, the president rescinded a program created by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that protected them from deportation and provided them work permits. But Trump gave Congress six months to work on an alternative by delaying implementation until March.
Democrats want Congress to pass legislation addressing the Dreamers without other issues attached, but Pelosi did not rule out including border security measures that Trump and Ryan want included.
“I am praying that the president really cares about the Dreamers, or knows that he should care about the Dreamers, and that we’re going to pass this bill. And we want to do it as soon as possible to strike while the iron is hot, because public opinion is so much in favor,” Pelosi told reporters.
Pelosi added that Trump “probably wants some border enforcement and we have a responsibility to secure our borders,” but said that does not include his planned wall along the US-Mexico border, which is opposed by many Democrats.
Pelosi said she told Trump the Dreamers needed his assurance his action did not set up a six-month period of roundup for deportation. Trump subsequently wrote on Twitter, “For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about — No action!“
Schumer said he hoped Wednesday’s agreement with Trump was “a ray of hope for both parties coming together on the big issues,” and said Congress should turn to resolving the Dreamers issue and fixing the health care system.
No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn was dismissive of Schumer’s demand that a Dreamers measure with nothing attached be put on the Senate floor.
Disaster relief
The House approved a $7.8 billion disaster relief measure on Wednesday to help rebuild Texas and Louisiana from the destruction of Hurricane Harvey. Senate negotiators, eyeing urgent requests from Florida officials who are expecting heavy damage from Hurricane Irma, nearly doubled that sum, cobbling together a $15.2 billion emergency spending bill.
Additionally, the Senate bill would continue current government funding, which otherwise would expire on Sept. 30 at the end of the fiscal year, until Dec. 8. This move would avoid a possible government shutdown as the next fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.
The measure would also give the US Treasury Department renewed ability to borrow money, with an extension of the statutory debt limit until Dec. 8.
With Democrats typically united against him, Trump has failed to win passage of any major legislation since taking office in January, despite Republican control of Congress. His deal with Pelosi and Schumer on Wednesday drew the ire of some conservative groups and Republican hard-liners.
Some conservative groups have objected to coupling a debt-limit increase with the emergency funds, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, moved ahead with the bill at Trump’s urging.
“The recovery effort for a record-setting storm like Harvey has strained resources to the limit already. The advance of another historic storm now makes the need for action even more urgent. So let’s work together and act on this legislation very quickly,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.