Mitch McConnell Tells Dems They Can Either “Get Serious About Border Security” Or Watch Their Partisan Bills Fail

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel isn’t playing games with the Democrats and has warned them that they can either get on board with helping fund border security or watch all of their partisan bills fail outside of the House.

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According to the Daily Caller, McConnell told the Democrats during a floor speech that their government funding proposals are “non-starters” and that they need to “get serious about border security.” The Kentucky Senator reminded the left that even if they did get a bill out of the House, it would still have the Republican lead Senate, as well as the President’s desk to contend with.

“All three of these things are needed. One partisan vote in the House tomorrow won’t solve anything. The legislation that House Democrats are reportedly planning to introduce would not be a serious contribution to these negotiations,” he said.

McConnell then slammed the Democrat’s funding bill, which he called a “political sideshow.”

“It isn’t comprehensive,” said McConnell. “It ignores the needs of border security. It’s exactly the kind of proposal you’d expect if the incoming House Democrats were choosing to stage a political sideshow rather than do the hard work of helping to govern the country. A total non-starter.”

At this time, Democrats are outright refusing to hear any talk about border security, and instead, attempting to paint the government shutdown as solely a Republican affair.

Republicans are not likely to back down, however. Not only are Republicans overwhelmingly in support of the government shutdown, the Republicans feel that both Trump’s presidency and Republican support now lie in the success over the fight for border security. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) noted that should Trump fail to get his funding for the border wall, his Presidency will become irrelevant, and likely hurt him dearly in 2020.

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In an op-ed for Fox News on Wednesday, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise noted that Democrats have asked for 10 times the amount of money Trump is for border fencing and that the reason Democrats are in sudden opposition now is all about resistance to Trump, and nothing else:

No, that statement wasn’t made by a Republican. It was a speech given by then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in 2006, when 26 Senate Democrats – including Obama and Sens. Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer of New York – voted for The Secure Fence Act, which allocated $50 billion over 25 years for 700 miles of fencing along the border.

That’s right. Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer voted for 10 times more funding than President Trump is requesting now to secure our border. What has changed Democrats’ recognition that our southern border needs to be secured? Two words: President Trump.

This may very well be true. Schumer himself is on camera during the Obama era speaking about the importance of keeping the border safe and the dangers of illegal immigration, noting that a border barrier is important to our border security.

 

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