After President Donald Trump offered a compromise to potentially end the government shutdown, Floridians pols reactions varied.
Trump said he would settle for $5.7 billion for a border wall in exchange for extending protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and supporting legislation for Temporary Protected Status holders.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in charge of the newly-Democratic controlled chamber, called the deal a “non-starter.”
“Unfortunately, initial reports make clear that his proposal is a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives,” Pelosi said in a statement.
But how did Florida federal leaders react?
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said the deal was more than Trump’s critics have asked for.
“Media commentators & columnists love to bash @POTUS when he makes over the top claims & comments,” Rubio wrote on Twitter.
“But the offer he made today to end the #Shutdown goes beyond what many of them have been suggesting for weeks. Will they now bash Dem leadership for being unreasonable?”
Sen. Rick Scott, a newly elected Republican, released a statement praising the president and also stressing his support for DACA immigrants.
“I applaud President Trump for proposing a compromise that re-opens government, protects our borders and takes care of those brought to this country illegally through no fault of their own,” he said.
“Children should never be punished for the actions of their parents, and I’ve always supported protections for our DREAMers. Now it’s time for Democrats to decide if they want to negotiate in good faith and accept a compromise that secures our borders and protects DREAMers or if they want to continue playing politics. I hope they choose the former so we can get to work fixing problems for the American people.”
But U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat, said no deal can be considered so long as the federal government endures a partial shutdown.
“We cannot have a thoughtful, rational discussion on border security while the government remains closed and families are hurting,” she tweeted. “Reopen the government, Mr. President. Then let’s bring all sides together to find bipartisan solutions that keep us safe & stay true to our values.”
U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a Republican, quickly said Democrats should come to the table and support a deal.
“The American people are ready for a deal. @POTUS is showing true leadership offering an important deal that will #SecureOurBorder and protect DACA-TPS families,” he tweeted.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican, praised the president for offered…
