[ad_1]
But the big question mark is whether Trump will sign what the negotiators agree or whether a potential deal will be scuttled and will execute its threat to declare a national emergency and build the wall without congressional consent.
"The gap is narrowing, so I would say things are going down and things are going up," said Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia and a member of the bargaining committee, suggesting that Democrats and Republicans were coming out from their hardened position.
Asked if the Democrats were mounting their initial bid on border security and that the two sides were getting closer to meet in the middle, Senator Jon Tester, a Democratic negotiator from Montana, replied, "That's right."
This optimistic badessment took place shortly before Trump planned to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress, where he would have to comment on the talks that could determine whether he could hold his election promise to build the wall to stem illegal immigration, drugs and other crime.
It was also a day before negotiators were ready to hear testimony of what Republicans described as non-political experts on border security during an in camera hearing on Capitol Hill.
Senator Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican who chairs the credit committee and leads the talks, spoke to Vice President Mike Pence to update him on the progress.
"I told him that the environment had improved, that the tone was improving, but we are far from achieving that goal," Shelby said. "I think (Wednesday) will be important, how will tomorrow's meeting be, what people get out of the meeting and how we act on what we have learned."
When asked if he agreed with the others' badessment that the talks were shrinking, Shelby replied, "I'm not free to say, I'm just saying that the tone is improved. let's talk about substance. "
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic Party's second leader, did not tell reporters whether he was willing to give Trump more money for the border.
"I'm not going to negotiate with you here, but I'll just say that the conversation is going on and that it should be." At this point, I still have hope, unlike the president, "he said.
Earlier, Durbin had declared that he did not believe that Democrats would agree to earn more money for border security.
"I have no other reason to believe otherwise," he said to the question of whether the wall's money would not figure in a final deal. He added that the discussions were unresolved because they did not know what Trump would say Tuesday night.
"We are waiting until the end of the speech."
Shelby argued that anonymous border security experts are testifying out of public view, saying that they must be free to be "frank."
"And we want them to be free to tell us unambiguously what they need, why they need it and why it's important," Shelby said.
CNN's Margo Snipe contributed to this report.
[ad_2]Source link
