In encouraging Congress to accept President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the government shutdown by providing funding for a southern border wall while giving extending temporary protections for certain immigrants, Vice President Pence cited Martin Luther King Jr. on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday.
Pence said what “the American people saw the president do [in his speech Saturday] was… set the table for us resolving this issue in a way that achieves his objectives to secure the border, end the humanitarian security crisis, end the government shutdown, but also to bring together the Democrats' priorities to accomplish that. That's what the American people expect us to do.”
The vice president, recognizing the upcoming Martin Luther King Day, said that “one of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.’ You think of how he changed America. He inspired us to change through the legislative process to become a more perfect union. That's exactly what President Trump is calling on the Congress to do. Come to the table in a spirit of good faith."
Trump’s proposal includes more than $5 billion in funding for a border wall, a three-year extension of protections for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and Temporary Protected Status holders, and funding for more immigration judges and other border security measures, The Hill reported.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would bring the president’s proposal up for a vote this week.
Democratic leaders slammed Trump’s proposal as a "non-starter," with others in the party saying protections for immigrants should be permanent and expressed doubt that the president can, in any case, be trusted to keep the agreement.
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