January 19, 2019

Trump’s Plan to End the Shutdown Is Already Getting Terrible Reviews

Democrats push back against an expected proposal that would fund a border wall.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

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This afternoon, President Donald Trump is expected to propose an deal that would exchange $5.7 billion in border wall funding for his support of the BRIDGE Act, which would extend protections to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and give temporary protective status for refugees. The proposal marks the latest attempt to end the partial government shutdown, which is entering its fifth week. But even before Trump has officially proposed the plan, it’s getting a rocky response, especially from Democrats.

Congressional aides told the New York Times that House Democrats haven’t been consulted on the plan and would only negotiate with Trump once the government is reopened.

Others noted that under the current law, Dreamers who renew their DACA permits in nine months already get two more years of protection. 

The expected proposal also got pushback from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an anti-immigrant group, which seemed to equate the extension of DACA protections as “amnesty”:

Trump’s speech, which was originally scheduled for 3p.m. Eastern, has been bumped back to 4p.m.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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