Post-shutdown negotiations look brutal for Trump

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill

Lawmakers in both parties are skeptical about President Trump’s chances of securing funding for his wall on the Mexican border after a 35-day partial government shutdown that bruised the White House’s political standing. 

The deal reached last week gives Trump and Congress until Feb. 15 to reach a new deal to prevent another partial shutdown, and the president is demanding new legislation again that would fund his signature campaign issue. 

Democrats seem unlikely to budget any money for a border wall, and even if they did, lawmakers say such a deal would likely require Trump to include significant immigration reforms, such as giving immigrants known as Dreamers a pathway to citizenship or permanent residency. 

That would be a tough nut to crack in only three weeks, and the concessions could also damage Trump with his base. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set the tone immediately after Trump agreed to reopen the government by declaring Friday that she will not change her stance on opposing money for a border wall, which she had previously called “immoral.”  

“Have I not been clear on a wall? I’ve been very clear on the wall,” she told reporters Friday when asked whether her position had changed at all because of the decision to reopen government agencies. 

Her staunch opposition to funding the wall leaves some lawmakers wondering whether the political dynamic has changed. 

“There’s a chance we’re in the same soup in three weeks,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) acknowledged moments after Trump announced he would support funding the government for three weeks to give negotiators space to reach a deal. 

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Shutdown standoff Round Two?