Pelosi for President 2020
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/ ... ht-1125033
Trump White House grows eager to escape losing shutdown fight
Now that the Senate has shot down President Donald Trump’s compromise offer to end the month-long government shutdown, White House officials aren’t sure of their next move.
But they do know one thing: they’re losing, and they want to cut a deal.
The president is weighing the idea of a three-week continuing resolution to fund the government, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revealed Thursday afternoon, reviving a prospect the president has previously ruled out. Trump acknowledged the proposal in an afternoon meeting with lawmakers, saying that Democrats would have to offer “some sort of pro-rated down payment” on the Mexican border wall he is demanding. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly shot down Graham's idea, however, telling reporters late Thursday “that is not a reasonable agreement.”
The White House's new appetite for a negotiated resolution came after the administration managed to peel off just one Democratic vote — that of Sen. Joe Manchin (D, W.V.) — a fact that came as a particular surprise to Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who has touted his relationships with Democratic lawmakers but lacks deep experience on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile several Republicans abandoned their party to vote for a Democratic counter proposal offered by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that would have funded the entire government through March 8 without providing any additional money for the wall. That was a grim sign for Trump and his aides looking for a way to end the partial shutdown.
Trump’s next move remained a mystery to many West Wing aides even as the White House considered Graham’s proposal Thursday. But with Trump’s approval rating dropping to its lowest point in a year and advisers warning of a rising economic toll from the enduring stalemate, the president and his team are more eager than ever to strike a deal, according to a half dozen sources familiar with the situation.
While the president has previously dangled the threat of a national emergency declaration, he now considers the move a “last resort,” according to a source familiar with his thinking.
“Conversations that I’ve had with my colleagues have indicated the president has told them he is willing to have negotiations occur and look at additional ideas,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who along with the rest of the caucus chewed over the next steps with Pence at lunch on Thursday ahead of the vote.
White House aides said Thursday that the president would wait and see what sort of a proposal House Democrats outline in a planned press conference Friday morning, and determine then whether to make a counteroffer that would reopen the government.
House Democrats themselves were still debating on Thursday what to put in the proposal — which they insisted was not a counteroffer to Trump. Some members were open to the idea of funding for new fencing along the border while others remain adamantly opposed. Most agreed however that, even if they only offer money for border security measures that don’t involve building a physical barrier— including surveillance technology like drones — they will need to meet or surpass Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion in wall funding.
Trump’s apparent new desire for a negotiated exit to the shutdown was evident on Wednesday night, when he unexpectedly bowed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s demand that he postpone his planned Tuesday State of the Union address until after the government reopens. “This is her prerogative — I will do the address when the shutdown is over,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “I am not looking for an alternative venue for the SOTU address because no venue can compete with the history, tradition, and importance of the House Chamber. I look forward to giving a ‘great’ State of the Union address in the near future!”
