House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) tried to downplay President Donald Trump’s Wednesday night discussion with Democrats on immigration and made clear that Trump will have to work with Republicans on any legislation to restore the protections of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“I think the President understands he’s going to have to work with the legislative majority,” Ryan told reporters Thursday afternoon when asked if he would consider bringing a deal between Trump and Democrats on DACA to a vote.
Trump dined with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Wednesday night, where they discussed a legislative fix for DACA. Following the meeting, Schumer and Pelosi announced that they had reached a tentative agreement with Trump that would not include funding for the border wall. Trump appeared to confirm this Thursday morning, telling reporters that “the wall will come later” and that he was “fairly close” to a deal on DACA.
Despite the enthusiasm from Trump and Democrats about the dinner, Ryan pushed back on the notion that any kind of deal was made. He said that Trump called him from Air Force One Thursday morning, after the President told reporters about his meeting with Democratic leaders.
“It was a discussion, not an agreement or a negotiation,” Ryan said, describing Trump’s meeting with the Democrats.
The speaker said that any legislation restoring DACA’s protections would also need to include border security measures, though he would not go into detail. Ryan told reporters that he will “get consensus with our members” and won’t “negotiate through the media.”
