Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. (CNN) — Border security negotiations, for days considered on the path to a weekend agreement, have not progressed, and members on both sides have started to discuss whether backstop alternatives to prevent another government shutdown are necessary, three sources involved told CNN. Two of the sources said the talks were ongoing and had not completely fallen apart, but both sides of the talks were considering whether there was a path forward to a broader deal. The outstanding issues – the level of funding for border barriers as well as funding increases for detention facilities and personnel – were not new and have long been the sticking points in the talks. But negotiators on both sides told reporters late last week that they believed they were on the path to resolving the issues. Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, one of the key figures in the talks, was pessimistic on Sunday morning, telling Fox News that the talks were “stalled.” “We’re hoping we can get there,” Shelby said, adding he was “not confident” a deal could be reached by Monday. President Donald Trump signed a short-term spending bill last month to end the longest federal government shutdown on record, putting into place a three-week stopgap bill that would fund the closed aspects of the government through February 15 without funding his border wall with Mexico. He said at the time that bipartisan congressional negotiators would discuss border security and reserved the possibility he would declare a national emergency to build the border wall. Congressional negotiators have met to discuss border security since Trump signed the stopgap measure, and as the coming deadline neared, key figures appeared optimistic that a deal could be reached, as CNN previously reported. That optimism waned through the weekend, and Democratic conferees were expected to meet Sunday morning to discuss next steps as the border negotiations floundered. Two sources involved said if the bipartisan talks continued at an impasse, House Democrats were considering moving a package that would include a continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security through September along with six other outstanding funding measures at full year levels. Dispute over ICE beds A Democratic aide briefed on talks said the discussions “broke down” on Saturday after the Senate GOP rejected their position on limits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention beds in the interior of the country. The source said there was progress on border barriers and detention beds, but that Democrats “cannot agree to physical barrier spending above the level we want without GOP concessions on ICE.” Another aide told CNN they would be “very surprised” if anything came together Sunday. Two senior Republican aides told CNN Sunday morning that negotiations fell apart because the Democratic ask on internal enforcement caps was a non-starter. The cap Democrats wanted was far too low for them and Republicans argue would force ICE officials to make impossible decisions about which immigrants, including those who might have prior felony records, to detain. The aides said the White House was read in on how and why the talks have stalled. “They are aware of what happened and why it happened,” one aide said. “Any kind of artificial cap on internal enforcement as it relates to criminals is a non-starter.” Asked if they were close to finding a compromise on the amount of money for barriers at the southern border, one aide said they were “trading offers,” but no final agreement had been made. Trump seized on the stall in a pair of tweets on Sunday, saying Democrats were “offering very little money” for the wall and claiming Democrats actually wanted a shutdown for political purposes. “It was a very bad week for the Democrats, with the GREAT economic numbers, The Virginia disaster and the State of the Union address. Now, with the terrible offers being made by them to the Border Committee, I actually believe they want a Shutdown. They want a new subject!” he tweeted. Later Sunday, a House Democratic aide provided CNN with a statement regarding the position the Senate GOP had rejected. The statement said the Trump administration was “pursuing an out-of-control deportation policy,” and said it was false to claim that the “proposal would allow violent criminals to be released.” “To enhance national security and encourage more efficient immigration enforcement, Democrats have proposed a cap on the number of ICE detention beds associated with interior enforcement,” the statement said. “This cap will force the Trump administration to prioritize arresting and deporting serious criminals, not law-abiding immigrants.” Differences set in with days remaining before deadline In addition to Shelby, the Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, other lawmakers and key officials took to the airwaves over the weekend where they underscored the differences that remained.<doc-sep>“Now, apparently, not only is it enough they want to abolish ICE. They want to abolish the bed spaces available to the country to house violent offenders so they can be held and deported,” Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said on Fox News. “I promise you this. Donald Trump is not going to sign any bill that reduces the number of bed spaces available to hold violent offenders who come across our border. He can’t do that. He won’t do that, and you can take that to the bank.”<doc-sep>“The wall or the steel barrier. They can have any name they want. But we have to have it.” President Trump often repeats the same things when talking about why he wants a southern border wall. “The crime.” “Drugs.” “American jobs.” While there is little evidence these problems are caused by unauthorized immigration or that any of this will be helped by a wall, he has remained steadfast. “I will build a great, great wall.” “You need that wall.” “We can do without a wall.” But as the fight over border security has dragged on, here’s how he’s expanded his argument. He’s always said it was about securing the border. But recently, Trump has emphasized that he believes building the wall is the moral and compassionate thing to do. “This is the cycle of human suffering that I am determined to end. ” And he says a wall will benefit people on both sides of the border, addressing what he is calling — “This is a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.” But Democrats say the current situation at the border was escalated by Trump’s policies. “A challenge that President Trump’s own cruel and counterproductive policies have only deepened.” So who does Trump think will benefit? Over time, Trump has named many groups that he says will benefit from a wall. It started as the — “American worker.” And then expanded to — “Legal residents.” And — “And our vets.” “Our immigrant communities.” “Asian-Americans.” “Hispanic-American communities.” “African-American workers.” “It’s also what our professionals at the border want and need.” How will Trump pay for the wall? After some discrepancies regarding the wall’s price tag — “$6 billion.” “Probably $8 billion.” “Maybe $10 or $12 billion.” “$18 billion.” “$5.7 billion for a physical barrier.” Trump has modified his claim that Mexico is going to pay for the wall. “Mexico —” “will pay —” “for the wall. 100 percent.” It’s gone from — “They don’t know it yet, but they’re paying for it.” To — “It may be through reimbursement, but one way or the other Mexico will pay for the wall.” And — “The border wall would very quickly pay for itself.” And finally, what will Trump’s wall look like? Trump’s vision for the wall itself has also changed over time. Early on, Trump said the wall would be — “It’s going to be a Trump wall. It’s going to be a real wall.” “An impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, beautiful —” “A serious wall.” “This is a wall that’s a heck of a lot higher than the ceiling.” “It’s going to be made of hardened concrete and it’s going to be made out of rebar and steel.” Now, it’s sounding more like this: “I never said I’m going to build a concrete — I said I’m going to build a wall. Just so you know, because I know you’re not into the construction business.” “Steel is stronger than concrete.” “It’s a new design, highest technology.” “Walls that you can see through.” “It will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall.” So, will his latest push end with a wall? There’s still a tough political fight ahead.<doc-sep>With less than a week to go until another potential partial federal government shutdown begins on Friday, bipartisan compromise talks on funding for President Trump's proposed border wall have completely broken down, sources tell Fox News. The sudden development again raised the possibility that Trump will declare a national emergency to access previously appropriated funds to initiate construction on a border wall. The White House agreed to a temporary spending bill late last month to end a historic 35-day government shutdown, although Trump said at the time that the move was not a "concession" and that he would not relent on his demands for a wall. "Talks have broken down because Senate Republicans are refusing to compromise on limits to the Trump administration’s cruel immigration policies," a senior Democratic aide told Fox News on Sunday. "A deal that includes new physical barriers must also include limits on the number of ICE detention beds. If Senate Republicans won’t compromise with us on both, we can’t reach a deal.” Added a GOP source: "The wall is a red herring for the Democrats. We got stuck on an interior enforcement cap." Such a cap would effectively limit ICE's ability to house illegal immigrants caught domestically by reducing the number of available beds in detention centers. The goal, Democrats say, is to force the Trump administration to prioritize arresting and deporting only violent criminals and dangerous offenders. Fox News is told if negotiators can’t resolve the situation soon, they are likely looking at trying to pass another temporary continuing resolution to try to avoid a shutdown. Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who is leading negotiations on border wall funding, said Republicans don't want to offer concessions on ICE enforcement. “I think the talks are stalled right now. I’m hoping we can get off the dime later today or in the morning, because time is ticking away, but we’ve got some problems with the Democrats dealing with ICE, that is detaining criminals that come into the U.S. and they want a cap on them," Shelby said. "We don’t want a cap on that." In response to the news, Trump suggested on Sunday that Democrats are hoping to force another shutdown. "I don’t think the Dems on the Border Committee are being allowed by their leaders to make a deal," Trump wrote, referring to the bipartisan congressional committee working on a compromise. "They are offering very little money for the desperately needed Border Wall & now, out of the blue, want a cap on convicted violent felons to be held in detention!" Trump added: "It was a very bad week for the Democrats, with the GREAT economic numbers, The Virginia disaster and the State of the Union address. Now, with the terrible offers being made by them to the Border Committee, I actually believe they want a Shutdown. They want a new subject!" As recently as last Friday, congressional negotiators said they expected a deal to be made, although some key players were pessimistic and Democrats indicated that money for physical barriers would likely end up well below the $5.7 billion that Trump has sought to begin construction of the wall. DEMS PREVIOUSLY SUPPORTED FAR MORE EXPENSIVE SECURE FENCE ACT -- WHAT CHANGED? The amount discussed hovered much closer to $1.6 billion, participants in the negotiations said, a figure that was in a bipartisan Senate bill last year. "That's what we're working toward," said California Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard. Speaking separately to "Fox News Sunday," Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said that an emergency declaration might not be required. "There are other funds of money that are available to [Trump] through something called reprogramming, there is money he can get at and is legally allowed to spend," Mulvaney said, noting that some funds were available even without declaring an emergency. "And I think it needs to be said again and again this is going to be legal --- there are statutes on the book as to how any president can do this." Still, Mulvaney asserted that a national emergency was "absolutely on the table" and said that a wall will be built, one way or another. "The president is going to build the wall," Mulvaney said. "You saw what the Vice President said there, and that’s our attitude at this point ,is we will take as much money as you can give us and then we will go find money someplace else legally in order to secure that southern barrier. But this is going to get built with or without Congress." Earlier this weekend, Democrats seemed to draw a firm line on spending. "Throughout the talks, Democrats have insisted that a border security compromise not be overly reliant on physical barriers," said Evan Hollander, spokesman for Democrats who control the House Appropriations Committee. "We will not agree to $2 billion in funding for barriers." The White House has previously offered a three-year extension of protections for 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, in exchange for the $5.7 billion Trump has been seeking for a barrier along the nation's southern border with Mexico. The offered deal would also extend protections for 300,000 recipients of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program -- which protects immigrants from designated countries with conditions that prevent nationals from returning safely. But Democrats have called the border wall nothing more than a political stunt that they will never agree to fund, while Republicans point to what they have called a "crisis" at the border. Central Americans are increasingly entering the United States illegally in groups of at least 100 people in rugged, remote stretches of the Mexican border, authorities said Friday upon releasing January figures that show total arrests fell for a second straight month. TRUMP TO PELOSI: IF WALLS ARE IMMORAL, WHY NOT TEAR DOWN EXISTING WALLS TOO? "The president is going to build the wall." — Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney A group of 325 Central Americans surrendered to agents Thursday near Lukeville, Ariz., according to Customs and Border Protection.<doc-sep>
Negotiations over a bipartisan deal for border-security funding have stalled, aides familiar with the talks and other officials said, raising the specter of another government shutdown at the end of this week. The snag in talks heightened prospects that President Trump will declare a national emergency and seek to divert funds into constructing a wall along the Mexican border. Mick Mulvaney, Mr. Trump’s interim chief of staff, on Sunday said the possibility of the second lapse in government operations couldn’t be ruled out. “Is a shutdown entirely off the table? The answer is ‘no,’ ” Mr. Mulvaney said on NBC. A presidential emergency declaration to build the border wall is “absolutely on the table,” he said. Such a declaration, to which lawmakers from both parties have expressed opposition, would likely face an immediate court battle. The government’s funding expires at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Aides said they expected the talks to resume well before then. Lawmakers often haggle up until the last minute in an effort to cut the most advantageous deal possible. President Trump made the case in his State of the Union address for the construction of a wall along the southern U.S. border, calling it a “moral issue." Photo: Getty The impasse, which occurred before participants had finalized border-security funding levels, pointed to the likely difficulty of talks over the coming five days. Adding to this week’s task, lawmakers also need to wrap up details of a broader budget agreement to fund nine of 15 federal agencies through the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Those agencies, including the Justice, State, Treasury and Interior departments, are currently being funded by a short-term spending bill that lawmakers agreed to in January to end a 35-day government shutdown. If Congress doesn’t reach agreement by the end of the day on Friday, those agencies likely would shut down again, triggering a new round of furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and disrupting services across the government. Mr. Trump, who had said publicly he would accept political responsibility before the 35-day partial government shutdown began in December, blamed Democrats for the prospect of another one. He wrote in a Twitter post that last week was “a very bad week for Democrats,” pointing to strong economic data, his State of the Union address and the controversy surrounding Democratic officials in Virginia. “I actually believe they want a Shutdown. They want a new subject!” The talks this weekend snagged over the issue of how many detention beds would be provided at the border for people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Democrats have been seeking to limit the number of beds in exchange for meeting GOP demands to build more physical barriers along the border. Republicans, however, wanted exceptions to the limits. Democrats had proposed establishing a new limit on detention beds used by ICE officials when apprehending people for violations within the U.S., known as interior enforcement. Those beds would be capped at 16,500, within the existing overall cap of 40,520 beds funded in the fiscal year 2018 spending bill. “A cap on ICE detention beds will force the Trump administration to prioritize deportation for criminals and people who pose real security threats, not law-abiding immigrants who are contributing to our country,” said Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D., Calif.), who leads the House Appropriations Homeland Security panel. Republicans objected, wanting to exclude violent criminals from that cap. Without an agreement on ICE beds, talks on funding levels and physical barriers stalled. It wasn’t clear when the discussions would resume, a senior GOP aide said. The stall in the talks also meant negotiators hadn’t reached any agreement on funding for the barrier along the Southern border. “We hit a snag here that prevented us from even getting to that,” the senior GOP aide said. On Sunday, Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who is involved in the talks, said on Fox News, “Negotiations seldom go smooth, all the way through. It’s give and take. It’s compromise.” He said he wasn’t certain negotiators would reach a deal.