WASHINGTON: A bipartisan immigration deal between President Donald Trump and Congress is nowhere in sight.
Democrats are disparaging Trump’s State of the Union remarks as racially divisive, boosting partisan distrust. Trump’s offer of “a down-the-middle compromise” stands no chance of passing the Republican-led Congress, with even GOP lawmakers demanding changes.
It’s unclear whether the two parties can reach an election-year pact protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation and sharpening border security.
Even the timetable for resolving the dispute is slipping. There are only faint hopes that an agreement can be reached by Feb. 8, when a potential government shutdown would occur unless lawmakers approve spending legislation.
No. 2 House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer says, “If the deadline is Feb. 8, we’re not going to make it.” -AP
