SCHUMER: I put 'the wall' on the table in my meeting with Trump, but he backed out of the deal
- The federal government entered a partial shutdown at midnight.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Donald Trump agreed to a deal on immigration, healthcare, and spending levels during a White House meeting Friday but went back on the deal later in the day.
- According to Schumer, Democrats offered to give Trump funding for his long-promised wall along the Mexican border in a deal including a solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
- Schumer said Trump rejected the deal.
Senate Minority Chuck Schumer said Friday that he offered to include funding for President Donald Trump's wall along the Mexican border as part of a deal to avoid a government shutdown.
During a speech on the Senate floor after the government officially hit a funding lapse, Schumer told members that a deal he offered to Trump would have given the president some funding for the long-promised wall in exchange for codification of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program.
The president rejected the offer, according to Schumer.
"In exchange for strong DACA protections, I reluctantly put the border wall on the table for discussion," Schumer said. "Even that was not enough to entice the president to finish the deal."
Schumer said the meeting with Trump concluded with a rough outline of a deal on immigration, healthcare, and government funding. Multiple reports also indicated that Schumer offered not just wall funding, but the full amount of funding requested by the White House for defense spending.
That was not enough, Schumer said. Later in the day, he said, Trump and Republicans reneged on the deal. Schumer blamed Trump for "backing down" on the immigration agreement.
"Republican leadership can't get to yes because President Trump refuses to," Schumer said. "Mr. President, President Trump, if you are listening, I am urging you, please take yes for an answer."
While Schumer placed the blame at Trump's feet, the White House fired back and pinned the shutdown on the Democrats.
"Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.