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The United States is currently in a government shutdown, because Democrats won't vote for an appropriations bill without a deal on DACA, and President Trump won't agree to a deal on DACA without funding for the Wall (among other things). But NBC reporter Katie Hunt just tweeted this:

Chuck Schumer had an outline of a deal with the president after lunch on Friday. It included all the money the president asked for for the wall, around $20 billion. But hours later--the Kelly call came. The White House couldn't agree to what was on the table.

My question is, is this just Kasie Hunt's reporting, or did Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly reveal that he offered President Trump a deal that included money for the border wall, and that President Trump turned it down?

I find it surprising that such a deal would be offered, and even more surprising that the deal would be turned down. But perhaps President Trump turned it down because he insisted on ending "chain migration" and the Diversity Visa Lottery Program.

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Yes, Schumer did indeed say this. Here is a video, the relevant quote is this:

In exchange for strong DACA protections, I reluctantly put the border wall on the table for discussion. Even that was not enough to entice the President to finish the deal

This also explains why the deal was offered. Schumer wants DACA, and is willing to compromise on other parts of immigration and border security policy. Trump rejected the offer because he doesn't want DACA.

Additionally, the White House says that Schumer didn't agree to the 20 billion dollars the Republicans want to spend on a wall, but only to 1.6 billion. Schumer's spokesperson disagrees with that characterization.

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  • i doubt it's true that Trump rejected the deal simply ecause it contained DACA. Trump is holding DACA hostage so he can get other things, but I don't think he would reject all bills that contain DACA. If I were to guess I think the cause was either some miscommunication over $1.5 billion vs $20 billion, or Trump refusing to give in on the "chain migration" and Diversity Visa Lottery Program issues.
    – Keshav Srinivasan
    Jan 21, 2018 at 19:54
  • But yes, the fact that Schumer was willing to give Trump a wall, something which I thought was an absolute non-starter for the Democrats, shows that he values DACA far, far more than Trump.
    – Keshav Srinivasan
    Jan 21, 2018 at 19:55
  • @KeshavSrinivasan that implies Trump has a strategy and, alas, it does not appear he always does. He often makes decisions on a whim.
    – user1530
    Jan 22, 2018 at 20:35

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