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Luzerne County Council members call for investigation of election director’s trips

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<p>WASHINGTON &#8212; House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday rejected the idea of paying for President Donald Trump&#8217;s border wall in exchange for helping hundreds of thousands of young immigrants avoid deportation. </p><p>Funding for the wall &#8212; a top Trump priority &#8212; and legal protections for so-called Dreamers, a key Democratic goal, should not be linked, Pelosi said.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re two different subjects,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Her comments came as the House and Senate approved a stopgap bill Thursday to keep the government funded through Dec. 21. The measure, approved by voice votes in near-empty chambers, now goes to the White House.</p><p>Trump has promised to sign the two-week extension to allow for ceremonies this week honoring former President George H.W. Bush, who died Nov. 30. But he wants the next funding package to include at least $5 billion for his proposed wall, something Democrats have rejected. Trump is set to meet Tuesday at the White House with Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.</p><p>Pelosi, who is seeking to become House speaker in January, said the lame-duck Congress should now pass a half-dozen government funding bills that key committees have already agreed on, along with a separate measure funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the border. Funding for the homeland agency should address border security and does not necessarily include a wall, Pelosi said.</p><p>Most Democrats consider the wall &#8220;immoral, ineffective, expensive,&#8221; Pelosi said, noting that Trump promised during the 2016 campaign that Mexico would pay for it, an idea Mexican leaders have repeatedly rejected.</p><p>Even if Mexico did pay for the wall, &#8220;it&#8217;s immoral still,&#8221; Pelosi said.</p><p>Protecting borders &#8220;is a responsibility we honor, but we do so by honoring our values as well,&#8221; she added.</p><p>Schumer said Thursday that a bipartisan Senate plan for $1.6 billion in border security funding does not include money for the 30-foot-high concrete wall Trump has envisioned. The money &#8220;can only be used for fencing&#8221; and technology that experts say is appropriate and makes sense as a security feature, Schumer said.</p><p>&#8220;This is something Democrats have always been for: smart, effective, appropriate border security,&#8221; he said on the Senate floor.</p><p>If Republicans object to the proposal because of pressure from Trump, Schumer said lawmakers should follow Pelosi&#8217;s advice and approve six appropriations bills and a separate measure extending current funding for Homeland Security.</p><p>Either option would avert a partial government shutdown, which lawmakers from both parties oppose, he said.</p><p>&#8220;The one and only way we approach a shutdown is if President Trump refuses both of our proposals and demands $5 billion or more for a border wall,&#8221; Schumer said. He called the wall &#8220;a nonstarter&#8221; for Democrats, who face increasing pressure from outside groups and liberal lawmakers to resist Trump&#8217;s continued push for the barrier, which Trump says is needed to stop an &#8220;invasion&#8221; of Central American migrants and others from crossing into the country illegally.</p><p>Schumer called the spat over the wall unnecessary, noting that the administration has not spent more than $1 billion approved for border security in the budget year that ended Sept. 30. &#8220;The idea that they haven&#8217;t spent last year&#8217;s money and they&#8217;re demanding such a huge amount this year makes no sense at all,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby said he prefers to include Homeland Security in an omnibus package containing seven unresolved spending bills for the current budget year.</p><p>&#8220;I believe the best route is to keep all seven together and pass them,&#8221; the Alabama Republican told reporters Thursday. Lawmakers have &#8220;made a lot of progress&#8221; in recent weeks on the seven spending bills. &#8220;I&#8217;d like to conclude it,&#8217;&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, of California, meets with reporters at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_121811538-49bf293d66bd46cfa46cfb29217404da.jpg</photo0><caption0>House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, of California, meets with reporters at her weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. </caption0><photoCredit0>AP Photo | J. Scott Applewhite </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Lawmakers, White House in funding fight</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Matthew Daly</p><p>Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Pelosi on border wall: ‘It’s immoral’