3-week funding for Government but no resolution over young undocumented immigrants

Developments on Day 368:

See also Podcasts: Republicans Claim Shutdown Victory But Have They Lost the War?

Trump Indicates No Compromise Over Dreamers

A Federal Government shutdown has ended after three days, but Donald Trump and hardline Republicans are pointing to an even bigger confrontation in three weeks, refusing to compromise over the threatened deportation of almost 800,000 young undocumented “Dreamer” immigrants.

After both houses of Congress approved an extension of supplementary funding to February 8, Trump signed the bill on Monday night ending the shutdown.

The Trump Administration immediately sent out an ad that Democrats “caved” by agreeing to the funding, and some Democratic activists criticized the leadership for accepting the extension.

However, the Democrats won the reinstatement of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, suspended by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans in September, for six years. They also have put the future of the Dreamers at the forefront of discussion as the next deadline approaches.

Over the weekend, a group of 20 “moderate” Republican and Democratic senators worked on a deal for the 3-week funding extension in return for consideration of a bill on immigration. Under pressure from Repoublican hardliners, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped short of a full commitment on Monday, saying that it is his “intention” to bring a bill forward.

Republicans won another little-noticed victory in the extension with an additional $31 billion in tax cuts, on top of the $1.5 trillion tax change in December.

With no indication of its budget coming forward for final approval, the Trump Administration has yet to explain how it will pay for the tax cuts through reduction of services or if it will accept an estimated addition of $1.4 trillion to the Government deficit.

The Congressional Budget Office said this month that the budget deficit was $228 billion from October to December — $18 billion more than the deficit in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 — despite strong economic growth and before any tax cuts took effect.

Meanwhile, Trump served immediate notice that he will not accept a resolution over the Dreamers — covered under a 2012 order by President Obama known as Deferred Actdion for Childhood Arrivals — without hardline moves against immigration:

Trump was reportedly close to a deal with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last Friday to avert a shutdown. However, hardliners in the White House and Congress vetoed the arrangement for a four-day extension of funding and a guaranteed consideration of the future of the Dreamers.

The hardliners are insisting on full funding of The Wall on the Mexican border, an end to immigrants bringing relatives to the US, a sharp reduction in admissions of immigrants and refugees, and more border security and enforcement measures.

Two weeks ago, GOP Senators such as David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas shot down attempted bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by the GOP’s Lindsey Graham and Democrat Dick Durbin, to resolve the issues. Their effort, in a meeting on January 11, was overshadowed by controversy over Trump’s criticism of people from “shithole countries”.

Sessions Questioned in Trump-Russia Investigation

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been questioned for several hours by the team of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Trump-Russia investigation.

The interview took place last Wednesday. A “source familiar with the discussion” said Sessions was not under subpoena.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores confirmed the meeting.

Sessions met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on several occasions in 2016. However, when questioned during his confirmation hearings in January, he said he had never had discussions with Russian officials, but later had to alter the statement. He recused himself from oversight of the Justice Department’s investigation in March.

Sessions is the 15th member of the Trump Administration known to have been questioned in the inquiry.

Report: FBI Head Threatened Resignation After Sessions Pressed Him to Fire Deputy Director

Axios reported on Monday that FBI Director Christopher Wray threatened to resign after Attorney General Jeff Sessions pressed him to remove Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Sessions allegedly told White House counsel Don McGahn about Wray’s response. McGahn then told the Attorney General that McCabe was not worth the loss of Wray.

Some Republican legislators and Donald Trump have declared that McCabe is compromised because former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, an ally of Hillary Clinton, donated to a failed campaign for stte office by the Deputy Director’s wife Jill McCabe.

The FBI ruled that McCabe did not have any role in the probe into Clinton’s use of a private server for e-mails.

McCabe is reportedly planning on retirement in March, when he will be eligible for full pension benefits.