The NPR Politics Podcast - Lawmakers Reach Deal On Border Security, But Trump Says He Isn't Happy

Episode Date: February 12, 2019

President Trump said Tuesday he's not "happy" with a potential budget deal being worked out by congressional negotiators but added that he doesn't think there will be another partial government shutdown. This episode: political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and Congressional correspondent Susan Davis. Email the show at [e-mail]. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This is Micah calling in from snowy Seattle, where the NPR Politics Podcast will be keeping me company as I work from home during this abnormal winter weather. It never snows here, let alone three times in a week. This podcast was recorded at 3 11 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12th. Things may have changed by the time you hear it. Like, hopefully, there won't be any more snow here in Seattle. Now, here's the show. Hey there, it is the NPR Politics Podcast. Congressional negotiators have reached a deal on border security, meaning we may be averting yet another government shutdown.

But the question is, will President Trump sign it? I'm Danielle Kurtzleben, political reporter. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House. And I'm Susan Davis. I cover Congress. OK, we do have a deal on the table. Let's get to this. The question is whether it's a win-win-win kind of situation for Democrats, Republicans, and the White House. Who compromised and how much? So this deal was announced. Let's first start with the very basics. What exactly was in it?

Ultimately, this bill is seven of the remaining 12 spending bills for the fiscal year. The total value of it is $320 billion. The one bill contained in it that funds the Department of Homeland Security is what this entire fight has375 billion for, quote, physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, including 55 new miles of wall, not just repairing existing structures. There's also language in there regarding detention beds and that it would essentially lower the number that's about 49,000 beds right now. It would bring it down to about 40,000 by the end of the fiscal year, which is September 30th. That is also less than the president wanted. He was seeking 52,000 beds. Although our understanding is that there is language in this deal that would allow the number of beds to increase if there was a demand for it.

The president had been asking for five point.7 billion in wall funding, that would have given them 234 miles of wall or barrier or steel slats or peaches. Whatever it might be. Whatever you call it. And instead, now it is in this compromise, 55 miles. So that's a pretty big haircut. And do we know what exactly, what does it mean by physical barrier? Is that laid out at all? I think it's important to remember that we have not seen legislative text for this actual deal. It's just been outlined in principle by the four legislators who cut the deal. One of the things we are looking for are those possible restrictions. Do they define what a physical barrier is? Where does it limit them and what kind of restrictions it is on how and where they are made?

There is an understanding that it will not be a concrete wall, which is one of the original things that the White House and the president had supported. There is also a sense that this is the kind of physical barrier that already exists along the U.S.-Mexico border. So in a way, it's Congress just agreeing to the things that it has already agreed to in the past. Okay, so the president didn't get close to what he wanted in all of this. Is he going to sign it? How is he feeling about it? I mean, that is the question of the hour. I just spent the afternoon talking to a lot of senators about that. I think that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy are doing their part to encourage the president to sign this bill, to tell him it's a good deal, to say he might have other options to continue to seek funding for fencing along the border and to sign it. Whether he will or whether he will not is just something that I don't think anybody up here is willing to predict. And as for the president himself, he seems to be saying, though not directly saying it, but he really seems to be saying that

he's probably going to sign it even though he doesn't like it. He had this cabinet meeting at the White House today. And first, he says he doesn't like it. I can't say I'm happy. I can't say I'm thrilled. But the wall's getting built. Regardless, it doesn't like it. I can't say I'm happy. I can't say I'm thrilled. But the wall's getting built. Regardless, it doesn't matter because we're doing other things beyond what we're talking about here. But then he's asked, will there be another government shutdown? I don't think you're going to see a shutdown. I wouldn't want to go to a shutdown.

If you did have it, it's a Democrat's fault. And I accepted the first one. And I'm proud of what we've accomplished because people learned during that shutdown all about the problems coming in from the southern border. I accept I've always accepted it. But this one, I would never accept if it happens. But I don't think it's going to happen. But this would be totally on the Democrats. So here's the thing. If Mitch McConnell in the Senate is saying, I sure hope the president signs it, we're going to pass it. Right. And Democrats in the House are saying, we're going to pass it.

Then the only way there could be a government shutdown is if the president doesn't sign it. And the president is saying, I don't think there's going to be a government shutdown. Also, politically speaking, I think the White House, you know, they might not acknowledge it publicly, but privately, the shutdown was a loser for the president. Oh, absolutely. He saw his approval numbers fall. The party was hurt by it. He didn't really gain anything out of it. I think he's kind of posturing to see where he can claim a victory here. But forcing another shutdown, I don't think they see any political upside to that. OK, so we've heard what's in the deal. We've heard what Trump thinks of it. He's not happy. But could he spin this into a win? We're going to get into that

after this break. The U.S. and Iran have been at odds for a long time, and we tend to think it all started with the Iranian revolution in 1979. But that's not the whole story. This week on ThruLine, we'll take you back to four days in 1953 that changed the U.S.-Iran relationship forever. ThruLine, where we go back in time to understand the present. And we're back. And let's talk about victory. Trump isn't getting all of the money that he wanted, but he is getting some. And this is something that Senate Republicans were kind of trying to spin today. He's going to get to build some of the wall. So could he, if he wants, frame this as a win after this, at least to some degree?

He frames everything as a win. OK, yeah. So, yes. But he's not today. I mean, he's saying he's not happy. He's saying he's not happy. But then in the same breath, he's saying, but we're building the wall and we're going to get the wall built. And here's how he frames it as a win. He says and we're going to get the wall built. And here's how he frames it as a win. He says, we're going to find the money elsewhere. I also think it was fascinating at the president's rally last night in El Paso, the banner signs that were hanging there and the new phrase is finish the wall. Right.

Right. The president's ability to rebrand and resell this as we're already almost there and now we just have to finish it. I mean, they have barely constructed any new physical structures along the border in his presidency. They have repaired significant numbers of fencing that already existed. But the idea that this administration has made great advancements along the U.S. border is just false. You know, here's the thing. Like the president can go stand next to a steel bollard fence thing that will be very, very tall. And as far as the eye can see, it will be in the shot that there is a steel bollard fence. And so there's there to what comes next. The deal isn't actually final, as Sue told us. We don't know the exact nuts and bolts of it. So what's the next step? Them and they'll get it over to the Senate, where presumably they'll pass it, too. And then the question is, will the president sign it? The deadline for another shutdown is midnight on Friday.

It is possible if everything's moving along, but they just need more time. There could be a stopgap funding bill to get them through the weekend into the early part of next week, just protectively. But on the congressional side of things, it seems to be on a pretty smooth glide path up until the president actually signs this bill. And he has shown he has the capacity to surprise us. More than once. Right. Yeah. So whether or not he signs it, there's also that question, Tam, of whether he could call a national emergency, right? Because today in his remarks, he kind of hinted at being able to do other things. He was kind of cagey on that. The bottom line is on the wall. We're building the wall and we're using other methods other than this.

And in addition to this, we have a lot of things going. We have a lot of money in this country. And we're using some of that money, a small percentage of that money, to build the wall, which we desperately need. I've asked numerous White House officials and other people in the administration, what exactly are you guys planning to do? The president says there's a lot of money in this government. We can move a little bit of it to the wall. But how they plan to do that is not totally clear. There are some options. One is declaring an emergency. And then there are a couple of statutes that would free up funds for the military to potentially build the wall. Another option

is a section of U.S. code that would allow the Defense Department to build some barriers in drug smuggling corridors. But we don't know if that's the way the White House is going or not. And we also don't know if these types of ideas will really work. Like if the president tries to move money, Congress has to, generally speaking, approve of money being moved because Congress controls the purse strings. Will Congress do that? Seems kind of like, I don't know how many Democrats who just fought this fight with the president about this are going to be eager to do that. So there are options. There are fights to be had. And we might all get a civics lesson very soon in checks and balances.

Exactly. Yeah. All right. Well, this could be a fast-moving situation, so we will be back as soon as there is political news, including on the border wall or a potential shutdown or not, that you need to know about. Until then, head to Twitter, Facebook, wherever, and search NPR Politics. You can follow us there for the latest breaking news. I'm Danielle Kurtzleben, political reporter. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House. And I'm Susan Davis. I cover Congress. And thank you for'm Susan Davis. I cover Congress.

And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics Podcast.