Conservatives balk at GOP border deal 'cave' to keep government open

After Republicans and Democrats reached an agreement in principle on border security, details of the bipartisan budget deal to keep the government open Friday have begun to surface, and conservatives are calling it a "cave."

“We’ve had a good evening. We’ve reached an agreement in principle between us on the Homeland Security and the other six bills,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told reporters Monday night. According to The Hill, the budget deal will include $1.375 billion for physical barriers and 55 new miles of fencing, but specifically prohibits the construction of concrete wall. Democrats reportedly gave up on their demand to cap the number of ICE detention beds in the interior of the country to limit the number of illegal immigrants the Trump administration could detain and force law enforcement to focus on the worst violent criminals. But the overall cap on detention beds will drop, according to Washington Post reporter Erica Werner.

These are the tentative details, the AP reports. The deal will be officially released Tuesday after congressional aides finish writing the legislation behind closed doors. But the compromise is already meeting opposition from influential conservatives.

"Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain," Fox News host Sean Hannity said Monday on his evening program.

Other prominent conservative personalities have called the details a "cave."

And the leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are critical of the deal as well.

So what will President Trump do with this deal as he's briefed on it today? If his Monday night rally is any indication, he may intend to go ahead to build the wall with or without Congress.

“As I was walking up to this stage, I was told, 'Progress is being made with this committee.' Just so you know, we're building the wall anyway,” Trump said in El Paso, Texas.

That could mean Trump intends to use the National Emergencies Act to requisition the funding for the wall from the Defense Department. Or, as White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is pushing, the president can use an executive order to redirect funds from different government accounts toward a border wall. Both actions are likely to be challenged in court.

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