Tuesday, February 12, 2019

They May Have A Deal

The Washington Post reports that congressional negotiators have reached a deal to avoid another shutdown.

Key lawmakers announced a tentative deal late Monday that would avert another government shutdown at the end of the week while denying President Trump much of the money he’s sought to build new walls along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The agreement came together during intense hours of closed-door negotiations at the Capitol, as lawmakers resurrected talks that had fallen apart over the weekend in a dispute over new Democratic demands to limit immigrant detention. Democrats ultimately dropped some of those demands, which had come under fire from Republicans, clearing the way for a deal.

Hurdles remained, and Trump’s ultimate backing was in doubt after quick opposition emerged from conservatives. But lawmakers on both sides said they were motivated to find agreement by the looming specter of another government shutdown Friday night, three weeks after the last one ended.

“What brought us back together I thought, tonight, was we didn’t want that to happen,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), the lead Republican in the talks.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), who was in Monday’s meetings, said she hoped the negotiators would have a finished product by Wednesday. She said she ran the proposal by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and she signed off on it.

“Some may be happy, some may not be happy,” said Lowey, assessing how Democrats would receive the deal and saying she hoped the agreement would have the votes needed to pass the House. “We did the best we could.”

In other words, both sides gave some and got some.  It’s called “compromise,” and while it’s considered “losing” by Trump and his minions, it’s basically how the world works, and if Congress approves it and he vetoes it, the turd is in his lap.