Border Wall Negotiations: An Unlikely Settlement

By Julianne Holmquist

After weeks of negotiation, two bills that called to end the shutdown failed to pass. The Republican bill included funding for the border wall and heavier asylum restrictions in exchange for a temporary extension for the DACA dreamers and TPS holders. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, found this deal to be an insubstantial compromise. Schumer stated that the bill is “one-sided, harshly partisan, and was made in bad faith.”

The Democratic bill called to temporarily end the shutdown by funding the federal government through Feb. 8th while negotiations continue. Six Republicans crossed party lines to vote for this bill, yet it too failed to pass.

Luckily, a bipartisan bill passed to end the shutdown. This revolutionary bill that is definitely not a direct copy of the Democrats original bill called to temporarily end the shutdown by funding the federal government through Feb. 15th while negotiations continue. You hear that? 15. Not 8. Totally different.

Realizing that it will be extremely difficult to appease President Trump without including a border wall in their plans, Democrats have shifted their tactics. In further attempts to work across the aisle, Democrats will consider a wall in their next set of terms for border security.

This wall, which is gaining favor from both Republicans and Democrats, will rest on the northern border of the United States, and it will span from the west to the east coast.

Descriptions of the border wall have shifted since President Trump included the promise of a wall in his 2016 campaign. Early conceptions of the wall described it as 50 feet of concrete spanning about a thousand miles. Recently, President Trump has been describing a steel, fence-like structure that will border key areas. Both of these plans for the wall have since been scrapped. The US-Canada border wall will be composed of a pleasant looking 4ft. tall white-picket fence.

This unimposing fence (I mean wall) will not run across any Native lands or obstruct any pretty views of Canada. The Canadian side of the fence will have intermittent flower beds and welcome signs. The US side of the fence (I mean wall) will increase what Pelosi refers to as “border security and ego security.” Trump will be able to tell his supporters that he has built their wall, and the fence (I mean wall) will include several signs which contain phrases such as “Trump is a winner, you are a loser,” “Trump is more attractive than your Prime Minister,” and a classic, “Trump was here.”

This fence (dammit. wall) will stand for years to come as a symbol of party cooperation and compromise. Americans should be proud of all the progress their leaders have made during this brief five week shutdown.