Connecticut’s U.S. Senators are calling on President Donald Trump to stay out of the way of the members of Congress who are negotiating a bipartisan deal on board security.
They each say they are confident that such an agreement could lead to the government staying open for the next several months, if the president agrees to sign it into law.
“His tweets and interference are the main reason that a successful negotiation would not happen,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D – Connecticut).
The 35-day shutdown that spanned from December into January was a result of an impasse of more than $5 billion in funding the president demanded to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump was unsuccessful in securing those funds while Republicans controlled Congress for the first two years of his presidency, and threatened to shut the government down over the issue once Democrats won control of the House of Representatives.
He later relented to demands from both Democrats and Republicans, and agreed to reopen the government while a deal over border funding was hammered out. In recent days, the president and his staff have said second shutdown remains possible.
White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd over the weekend, “is a shutdown entirely off the table? The answer is no.”
Blumenthal and Murphy both back border funding, but not for a wall, which they each describe as, “medieval.”
Local
They said they want Congress to authorize more investment in drones, border patrols, and improving security at established entry points.
Murphy says if the president stays true to his campaign promise and demands from December and January before agreeing to open the government, then the political fallout will be his and Republicans’.
“If the president doesn’t substantially move the ball, I think tonight or over the next 48 hours I think we get an agreement,” Murphy said.
