Schumer to Trump: Don’t interfere in congressional border negotiations

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday that President Trump should take a hands-off approach to the ongoing border security negotiations to give lawmakers a better shot at reaching a deal.

“When the president has stayed out of it, when the president has given Congress room, we have been repeatedly able to forge bipartisan agreements,” Schumer said. “When the president injects … partisan demands negotiations tends to fall apart.”

He added that Trump should “allow the conference committee to proceed with good-faith negotiations.”

{mosads}The bipartisan, bicameral conference committee tasked with hashing out a deal on the Department of Homeland Security bill, including border funding, will meet for the first time on Wednesday.

Congress cleared a continuing resolution on Friday that funds roughly a quarter of the government through Feb. 15, setting up a second deadline for lawmakers and Trump to avoid a shutdown. The rest of the government is funded through Sept. 30 by way of previously passed spending bills.

Trump is demanding $5.7 billion for his proposed border wall. He also hasn’t ruled out declaring a national emergency to build his signature campaign issue if lawmakers can’t get a deal by the new deadline.

Schumer added on Monday that with both sides having “skin in the game,” the goal should be to “find areas where we agree and work on them together.”