Marc Short: We’re Willing to Expand DACA, So It’s ‘Befuddling’ Dems Shutting Down the Gov’t
STEPHANOPOULOS: On Capitol Hill, Marc Short joins us right now. I know (ph) you’ve been burning the midnight oil. Marc, thank you for joining us this morning. Let’s start out with what Jon Karl was just talking about, right there, that meeting Friday between President Trump and Senator Schumer where they had the outline of an agreement. Are we close?
MARC SHORT, WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS: George, thanks for having me back. But George, I think that honestly, what’s befuddling to us is we do think we’re making progress. What the president outlined was four issue priorities. The Jon went through. (ph) And helping to solve the DACA issue, which we want to do, too.
Keep in mind these are people age 16 to age 36 with work permits, which means they do not have any criminal background, they’re here being productive to our country. We want to solve border security, we want to end the chain — chain migration, we want to end the visa lottery program. In two of those main functions, we are seeing Democrats lose (ph) on the border security issue, which is one that our border patrol agents have said this is what we need to secure our southern border.
I think you’ve seen the White House show an openness to expand that population where Democrats have said there are other people who should be part of the DACA population because either they were afraid (ph) or didn’t apply to the program. We’ve shown you (ph) the willingness to consider that. So we feel like we’re making progress on multiple areas. What’s befuddling, then, is why are we shutting down the government.
Everything that’s in the bill is things that Democrats have added (ph) for. Which, on — on the specifics of that deal, what I — our understand was that Senator Schumer offered — you know, the $20 billion over several years on the border wall planning but in return for no changes on the chain migration and visa lottery. Is that acceptable to president (ph), is that something he would sell (ph) Republicans in the Congress?
George, I think the problem with that construct is we’re going to be (ph) back here in the exact same position in a few years. If we don’t solve the chain migration visa lottery programs, we will be back here in a few years debating over a new population. Let’s keep in mind that two terror attacks, most recently that happened in the United States, the pipe bomber came in through chain migration. The — the one — the terrorist who ran individuals in New York and killed several people, he came in through the visa lottery program.
These are programs that Americans want ended. Why are we — why are delaying ending those programs for a future debate? We need to make sure that we don’t end up back at the same table in a couple years having the same debate on immigration. So we want all these issues solved right now.
