Hopes rise for border funding deal – if Trump will go along

WASHINGTON» Capitol Hill talks to resolve an impasse over President Donald Trump’s demands for billions of dollars for his long-sought border wall are inching forward, with lawmakers focused first on forging agreement among themselves — and less on satisfying Trump’s shifting demands.

One such sign came Tuesday from Capitol Hill’s most powerful Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who says he’s not seeking Trump’s blessing in advance of striking a deal on border security funding, a move that appears to remove a significant potential hurdle confronting the talks.

McConnell told reporters that negotiators “ought to reach an agreement, and then we’ll hope that the president finds it worth signing.”

That’s a break from his stance during the recent 35-day partial federal shutdown, when McConnell, R-Ky., insisted for weeks that Trump’s buyin would be needed before any agreement could be reached. Trump is seeking $5.7 billion for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, but it’s clear that the House-Senate negotiations won’t approve nearly that much.

The Senate put a $1.6 billion plan on the table last year, though many House liberals think even that amount is too high. Government funding is set to expire on Feb. 16.

At the same time, negotiators on the House-Senate panel sounded increasingly optimistic of reaching an agreement. The lead Senate GOP negotiator, Richard Shelby of Alabama, said he had a good conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and that staff is making progress in behind-the-scenes talks.

“Both sides have moved,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. “And hopefully we’re going to continue to see movement.”

But if Tuesday’s developments increase the likelihood of an agreement among the pragmatic lawmakers dominating the talks — who are drawn from the deal-making appropriations committees — it could increase the risk that Trump might scuttle the entire effort if he’s not satisfied with the border-security package.

Meanwhile, negotiators are leaning on bordersecurity experts to sort through their options. While Trump is insisting on physical structures such as walls, fences and vehicular barriers, Democrats are focused more on next-generation scanners, additional manpower and help for detained migrants.

“We’re looking to see if there’s a way to get together in a comprehensive way — whether it’s a barrier, whether it’s a fence, whether it’s technology, whether it’s more personnel. I think it might be all of that,” Shelby said.