Republicans Not Happy With Border Deal But Have Few Options

Congressional negotiators announced a tentative agreement in the talks to fund the government to prevent another shutdown last night. The agreement reportedly reduces the amount of funding for President Trump’s pet wall project, which leaves open the possibility that the president will refuse to sign off on the agreement. Immigration hardliners have already begun to attack the deal.

The agreement reportedly includes no money for a wall, but $1.375 billion for enhancements such as steel slats for existing barriers and funding for 55 miles of new barriers, per NBC News. The new fencing would be subject to geographical restrictions on its placement. Republicans would also get $1.7 billion for other border security projects such as new technology for ports of entry, additional customs officers, humanitarian aid, and funding for more than 40,000 new beds in immigrant detention facilities. Democrats reportedly gave up their demand for a cap on the number of beds that can be used for detaining illegal immigrants.

Sean Hannity immediately attacked the agreement, calling it a “garbage compromise.”

“By the way, on this new so-called compromise,” Hannity said. “I’m getting details. $1.3 billion? That’s not even a wall, a barrier… We will get back into this tomorrow. Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain—look at this crowd, look at the country.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, tweeted that Congress had created “a bad deal on immigration.”
https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1095169524972900353

Few other prominent Republicans have spoken out publicly on the deal so far.

Word of the deal came just as President Trump was about to take the stage at a rally in El Paso. The president said that he was aware of the deal but not the details.

"I could have stayed out there and listened or I could have come out there to the people of El Paso in Texas. I chose you," Trump said. "Maybe progress has been made, maybe not."

President Trump has not commented publicly on the deal, but the $1.3 billion currently being offered by Democrats is less than the $1.6 billion that was on the table in December prior to the shutdown. Just over a year ago, in January 2018, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had offered $25 billion for the wall. That was before the blue wave in the midterm elections gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives.

If the president sticks to his previous position, he may well reject the current offer and force another government shutdown. It isn’t clear how another shutdown would allow Republicans to increase funding for the wall. Democrats held firm for 35 days beginning in December. President Trump relented and reopened the government when his approval began to fall precipitously in January.

Another possible option is for the president to accept the deal and then proceed with his idea of using executive actions to fund the wall. CNN political analyst Eliana Johnson tweeted this morning that the White House is seriously considering this strategy.

https://twitter.com/elianayjohnson/status/1095301116647096320

Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on “Meet the Press” Sunday that the president can shift money from various accounts into a fund to pay for the wall. Moving money from these accounts would not require congressional approval or a declaration of emergency, Mulvaney said.

“There are certain sums of money that are available to the president, to any president,” Mulvaney said. “So, you comb through the law at the president's request ... And there's pots of money where presidents, all presidents, have access to without a national emergency.”

If President Trump and Republicans reject the current compromise deal, it isn’t clear what the path forward would be. Executive actions to fund the wall, whether with or without an emergency declaration, would almost certainly face legal challenges that could delay construction until after President Trump’s term is over.

With Nancy Pelosi now in charge of the House of Representatives and public opinion divided on the wall, it is unlikely that Congress will be willing to allocate more funds. If he truly wanted a wall, the president’s best opportunity was last year, but that chance is gone forever. Republicans are now forced to choose between a bad deal or no deal at all.

Originally published on The Resurgent

Is Roy Barnes' rape shield ad true?

Roy Barnes recently released one of the most scandalous television ads of this year's Georgia elections. The ad accuses Republican candidate Nathan Deal of attempting to weaken Georgia's rape shield law. The ad alleges that, under the law, rape victims would have had to "take the stand" to prove that they "didn't deserve to be raped."

To read the rest of this article, please click the link below:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5943578/roy_barnes_rape_shield_ad.html?cat=8

This election affects everyone

It is hard to find anyone who has not been impacted by the recession. Because almost everyone has felt some sort of financial pinch, the upcoming elections are generating a high level of interest around the country.

One thing that has affected almost everyone is the high unemployment rate. Georgia has an unemployment rate of 10.0%, which is slightly higher than the national rate of 9.6%. While I have been fortunate enough to keep my job, I have several acquaintances that have been out of work for long periods of time. One man that I know has not worked full time since shortly after the economic crash in late 2008.

To read the rest of this article, please click the link below:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5847336/this_election_affects_everyone.html?cat=9

Dueling Curmudgeons for Georgia Governor Candidates

Just over a month prior to the general election, most of the buzz in Georgia surrounds two dueling ads from gubernatorial candidates Nathan Deal and Roy Barnes. Both ads feature gray-haired grandfatherly men who fifty years ago would likely be seen sitting on a bench outside the local filling station. The modern versions have the men sitting it a café with red-checked tablecloths.

The first ad was released by the Republican Governors Association on behalf of Nathan Deal. The ad attacks Barnes record as governor on the issues of education and jobs. The ad makes the claims that Georgia was “dead last” on education and “led the nation in job losses.” Politifact.com analyzed the claims in the ad and found that while Georgia was near the bottom when comparing graduation rates and SAT scores for 2002, the end of Barnes’ term as governor, it probably wasn’t dead last. With respect to job losses, there is evidence that Georgia lost almost 80,000 jobs after 9/11, which was more than any other state.

To read the rest of this article, please click the link below:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5848318/dueling_curmudgeons_for_georgia_governor.html?singlepage=true&cat=8