02/13/2019
There may be a deal on border security. FOX’s Chad Pergram has more in today’s “Speaker’s Lobby.”
I’m Chad Pergram with the Speaker’s Lobby.
What changed to get lawmakers to forge an agreement on border security?
Senior members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees stared into the abyss and saw the very real prospects of a second government shutdown.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby confided that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told him to “get it done.”
Senate Republicans were particularly worried about a second shutdown.
Moreover, there was nearly a jailbreak of Senate Republicans jumping ship and voting to end the first shutdown a few weeks ago.
McConnell was trying to protect the President from GOP defections and simultaneously protect Republican senators who feared they would be blamed for backing the President with a losing cause.
So, the sides were willing to deal.
The scramble is now on to forge the ideas into concrete legislation.
House Democrats just implemented their new, hard 72 hour rule which requires the text of legislation be posted a full three days before voting.
But such a provision can be waived.
It is nearly a foregone conclusion that House Democrats will ignore that provision so they can move the bill expeditiously this week and send it to the Senate.
With the Speaker’s Lobby, Chad Pergram. Fox News.
