Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-UT) said Wednesday that President Donald Trump would have to find a “win-win” in order to end the government shutdown the President began by insisting on $5 billion in funds for a border wall.
“There’s the substance and then there’s the symbolism,” Romney told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview. “And clearly, if the President were able to get a $5 billion check to build the wall, that would look like a huge win for Republicans and a big loss for Democrats. And it’s very hard to get Democrats to vote for something like that. So there has to be some kind of deal done, where the Democrats get something and the Republicans get something.”
“Or,” Romney added, Democrats and Republicans in Congress could “find some other way to get things open again, and then look for some kind of a deal, where, again, both sides get something.”
Democrats in Congress have steadfastly refused to consider funding Trump’s proposed border wall, though they have offered support for funding more general border security measures.
“It has to be a win-win. You have a hard time getting a win-lose going to the Senate where you need a number of Democrat votes to get something to become law,” the incoming senator said.
Earlier in the interview, Romney said that “with regards to the shutdown, I’ll be with Republicans on that front, which is I think it’s important for us to secure the border.” He said later: “I would vote for the border wall. I have made that part of my platform for many, many years.”
Democrats have refused to accede to Trump’s demands, and with Democrats in control of the incoming House of Representatives, Trump faces an even steeper climb toward ending the shutdown that he once claimed he would proudly take credit for starting.
Watch below:
Romney on re-opening the government: "It has to be a win-win." pic.twitter.com/RRzivZdJI0
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 2, 2019
