WASHINGTON (NBC News) — Republican Sen. Tom Cotton said Sunday he would not agree to an immigration deal simply because it has President Donald Trump’s support, as the government shutdown enters its second day with no end in sight.
“I can’t make that commitment,” Cotton said on Sunday’s “Meet The Press,” adding he would “evaluate any deal on its merits.”
By Sunday, top lawmakers appeared no closer to reaching a compromise that would re-open the government, and members of both parties continued to hurl blame at the opposite side.
Many Democrats and some Republicans have remained adamant that they don’t want to continue to support short-term government spending bills if an immigration compromise offering protections for recipients of DACA can’t be reached. Protections under that program are set to expire on March 5.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. orchestrated a bipartisan immigration deal that they felt could offer safety for DACA recipients while addressing border security concerns, but White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short on Sunday called the offer “woefully insufficient” in addressing the concerns of the Trump administration.
Durbin, the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, said on “Meet The Press” that he still remains optimistic, but would not predict that the government could re-open by close of business on Monday.
A compromise could be reached, he said, “if and when the president shows the leadership that we expect of him as president.”
