Senator Cornyn On Government Shutdown: 'This Needs To Come To An End'
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - While visiting Dallas Tuesday, Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn called for action to end the government shutdown and reopen the government
"This needs to come to an end. Good people are being hurt. This needs to stop. The political gamesmanship, the gotcha politics, that hurts people," Sen. Cornyn said.
The state's senior Senator spoke Tuesday morning after taking part in a roundtable discussion about a new federal law aimed at cracking down on human traffickers and helping victims.
Cornyn said both parties are still far apart, but that he hopes Thursday's scheduled vote will lead to Republicans and Democrats working together to settle their differences. "It's going to require those of us who were elected Senators and Congressmen stepping up and sometimes doing things that are a little uncomfortable, but compromise is not a dirty word."
President Trump's proposal on Saturday offers a good start according to Cornyn.
In exchange for receiving $5.7 billion to expand the border wall or barrier, the President would end the threat of deportation for three years for 700,000 DACA recipients, those who were brought here to the U.S. illegally by their parents when they were young, and more than 300,000 people who have temporary protected status to be in the U.S.
Cornyn says some terms can be negotiated, but not everything. "My view in terms of border security is it's not a negotiable item. We need to secure the border. But it's a combination of three things: technology, infrastructure, and it's people."
Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Carol Donovan said she was happy to hear about potential movement in the Senate. "Thank heavens the Senate is now moving because for the past three weeks, Senator Mitch McConnell has refused to put anything to a vote."
McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, has said he would only bring a bill forward if it's backed by President Trump.
Donovan and Cornyn agree federal employees, who will miss their second paycheck later this week, are caught in the middle.
"I don't know how many people can afford to live without a paycheck, much less two paychecks," said Sen. Cornyn.
"The Congressmen, the Senators and the President need to understand they are wrecking lives," said Donovan.
She said Democrats are also to blame, not just Republicans.
Senator Cornyn said the first vote in the Senate on Thursday would allow them to start debate on a bill.
If that fails, then he said the month-long stalemate will just drag on.