Coons: A Government Shutdown During One-Party Control Has Never Happened

‘I hope in the time we still have, the days between now and Friday, that Republican and democratic leaders will sit down and hammer out the framework of a deal the president will sign off on’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
BLITZER: "Pretty extraordinary, the White House chief of staff John Kelly telling democratic lawmakers in the house today that some of President Trump's campaign promises on immigration, a border wall during the campaign were simply uninformed, what's that tell you?"
COONS: "That's a gracious way for general Kelly, the chief of staff, to say what trump was getting people to chant at his campaign rallies was unrealistic. The idea we would build a concrete wall that stretches 2,000 miles from the gulf of Mexico to the pacific ocean and get Mexico to pay for it was an implausible campaign promise at best. He's also now saying it's unworkable. That's not a credible solution to securing the border. There is a bipartisan bill that's been hammered out by six senators, Democrat and Republican, that makes the investments in controlling the border and border security, that the Trump Administration asked for this year and that would solve DACA the dreamer problem. I think if that gets on the floor, it gets 60 votes. The question is whether the president can hear yes when he's the one who invited this group into the White House a week ago Tuesday and asked them to come up with a deal.
BLITZER: "In the router interview, the president said that's a terrible deal, and he's ready to blame Democrats if there is Friday night government shutdown. What do you say to that?
COONS: "It's never happened that the government is shut down when it's controlled by one party. When one party has the house, the Senate and the White House. And your earlier reporting made it clear House Republicans who have the majority are struggling to get enough votes to pass their preferred version of a temporary funding bill. Even that version doesn't address things that all of us are looking to solve, community health centers, disaster relief funding and DACA. I hope in the time we still have, the days between now and Friday, that Republican and democratic leaders will sit down and hammer out the framework of a deal the president will sign off on. If not, the shutdown will be on him."
 

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