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Conservative leader says Dem plan to end shutdown a ‘non-starter’

by Niv Elis - 12/31/18 1:57 PM ET

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is calling the Democratic plan to end a partial government shutdown a “non-starter.”

“Nancy Pelosi’s newest funding proposal doesn’t represent any serious attempt to secure our border or find a compromise,” Meadows said in a tweet shortly after House Democrats’ plans to try to end the shutdown became public.

“A $1.3 billion Democrat wish list that includes zero money for a border barrier is a non-starter and will not be a legitimate answer to this impasse,” Meadows wrote on Twitter.

{mosads}A partial shutdown began last Saturday after President Trump said he would not sign funding bills if they did not include $5 billion for his proposed wall on the Mexican border.

Democrats, who oppose the wall and will take over the House majority on Thursday, have favored simply extending 2018 funding levels for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the fiscal year, which would provide $1.3 billion in funds for fencing along the border.

Democrats presented a plan on Monday to end the shutdown by passing a short-term DHS extension through Feb. 8, while also passing a package of six other spending bills to fully fund the rest of the government through the end of the fiscal year.

The Meadows tweet rejecting the proposal could be a bellwether.

Trump, who had been prepared to sign a short-term funding extension earlier in December, did a sharp about-face at the encouragement of House conservatives, including Meadows, as well as pressure from conservative television pundits such as Ann Coulter.

If Democrats pass their bills on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will have to decide whether he wants to bring them to a vote in the Senate.

McConnell has previously said he will not bring bills to the floor that Trump will not sign.

Tags Appropriations Border wall Budget Donald Trump Mark Meadows Mitch McConnell Nancy Pelosi Shutdown