After Democratic leaders Wednesday night announced that they had reached a tentative agreement with President Donald Trump to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program’s protections through legislation, Trump pushed back on that claim in a series of tweets early Thursday morning.
No deal was made last night on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2017
Trump dined with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at the White House on Wednesday night, where the leaders discussed several issues, including DACA. After the dinner, Schumer and Pelosi released a joint statement claiming they agreed with Trump to move forward with a bill to restore DACA’s protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors.
“We had a very productive meeting at the White House with the President. The discussion focused on DACA. We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides,” Schumer and Pelosi said in the statement.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders quickly disputed the Democrats’ claim that Trump agreed that funding for the border wall would not need to be included in a DACA bill.
While DACA and border security were both discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 14, 2017
Matt House, Schumer’s spokesman, then pushed back on Sanders’ tweet, claiming that Trump told Democratic leaders Wednesday night he would not push for border wall funding to be included in a DACA bill.
The President made clear he would continue pushing the wall, just not as part of this agreement. https://t.co/KD1SdLAnIF
— Matt House (@mattwhouse) September 14, 2017
The White House has been signaling that it will not necessarily demand Congress fund the border wall in the same bill restoring DACA protections. During a Tuesday breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Marc Short, the White House director of legislative affairs, indicated that border wall funding was not a hard demand for a bill enacting DACA protections.
In his tweets Thursday morning, Trump did not definitively say that funding for the wall would have to be included in a DACA bill. He only mentioned the need for border security measures. He also said that his administration has already begun work on a wall, referring to restoration work on existing barriers and defended his support for helping undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children.
The WALL, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2017
Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2017
…They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own – brought in by parents at young age. Plus BIG border security
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2017
Trump also reportedly told lawmakers earlier on Wednesday that he would not need border wall funding to be included in a bill restoring DACA.
“He said, the wall doesn’t have to be necessary,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.) told reporters Wednesday following a meeting between Trump and House members from both parties, according to the Washington Post. “He said we’re going to add [wall funding] somewhere else.”
“He said, ‘DACA, we’re going to do it early. We’re going to do some kind of border security.’ He brought up the wall. He said that doesn’t have to be on this DACA bill,” Cuellar added, per the Washington Post.
Following Democrats’ statement on the dinner, Trump faced some pushback from Republicans for discussing the issue with Democrats.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted at Trump Thursday morning indicating he was frustrated that Trump “undercut” his committee to reach a deal with Democrats.
@realDonaldTrump Morn news says u made deal w Schumer on DACA/hv ur staff brief me/ I know u undercut JudiCimm effort 4 biparty agreement
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 14, 2017
Immigration hardliner Rep. Steve King (R-IA) also let Trump know on Twitter that he was unhappy with reports on the agreement between Democrats and the President.
@RealDonaldTrump If AP is correct, Trump base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair. No promise is credible. https://t.co/uJjxk6uX5g
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) September 14, 2017
Steve King:
He´s certainly about the last sentence. If he´s right about the first sentence, I´d be pleasantly surprised. But I have my doubts.
This deal would be a smart move on Trump’s part, given the very strong support for Dreamers among the public. That’s why it’s hard to believe he made it. But we shall see.
Watching Morning Joe this morning you’d think Trump was the 2nd Coming oh he’s a deal maker, he gave the Repubs 7 months and now he’s out there taking charge and making deals with the Dems.
WTF?!
To paraphrase Lawrence O’Donnell last night, it’s not a deal if you just agree to whatever the other side demands/asks.
I agree with the poster here, who always says that, Trump will sign anything that is put in front of him as long as he gets to declare himself a winner.
Wait a damned minute!! Are you telling me that you can’t take Trump at his word? Holy crap!!
Hmmmmm…is it just me or does “massive border security” not necessarily equate to “wall”??
Someone is weaseling and if I had to point a finger to whom I’d point toward 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
(And, why, yes, you can repair an old fence and rename it “a grand glorious wall,” according to Donnie & Co.)