On Monday’s “MSNBC Live,” House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-KY) said there’s “very little support, on either end of the Capitol, or either party, for the kind of spending levels, on non-defense discretionary spending, that the president’s proposing.”
Yarmuth said, “I think the message that the president’s trying to send is that he doesn’t believe that the federal government has an important role to play in areas such as health care and education and even in medical research. Because he’s made — this budget makes draconian cuts in all of those areas. … He wants this discussion to be about the wall. Because he knows he’s on solid ground with his base, but he knows also that the other cuts he’s recommended are things that his base probably wouldn’t like.”
Host Katy Tur then asked if Democrats are willing to trade anything for part of the wall.
Yarmuth responded, “Well, of course, one of the deals that was discussed way back was a solution to the DREAMers and comprehensive immigration reform. I don’t think that’s going to happen. No, I think, you know, we’ve had this battle once. I think we won that battle. I don’t think we want to have it again. We’re going to proceed with the priorities that we have.”
Yarmuth further stated that there is “very little support, on either end of the Capitol, or either party, for the kind of spending levels, on non-defense discretionary spending, that the president’s proposing.”
Tur then asked if there is a way to negotiate healthcare policy in exchange for building part of a wall.
Yarmuth answered, “Senator McConnell (R-KY) hasn’t been very successful in trying to negotiate with the president on this. So, I’m not sure that there’s any opportunity to do that.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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