Transcript for Bipartisan border talks begin in House and Senate

And. Hey welcome to the briefing remind Devin Dwyer Washington thanks for joining us today joined by Jordan Phelps are White House reporter a lot of used to get to on this very frigid. Wednesday it is it's cold out there it's cold in the nation's capital but the wheels are turning up on Capitol Hill for those negotiations to avoid. Another government shut down the clock is ticking I think just about a dozen days. Or so. The lawmakers have to work out some sort of deal they get it to president trump our John Parkinson is up on Capitol Hill. Are tracking the developments today John bring us inside day today his first big meeting this is the first time that a bipartisan. Group of lawmakers this unit going are wrong close the door and hopefully come out with some sort of a plan and border security. What's a sense up there do you think they're actually going to be be able to work something out amongst themselves. Well done and that's the question that's on everybody's mind right now I think you look and it is a bipartisan bicameral. Conference committee which means that there's senate Republicans and Democrats and house Republicans and Democrats. And all of them have to come together in order to get this agreement he need a majority of senators to separately sign on and also a majority of house members to sign on. In order for any sort of a deal to be considered by the full house and senate. And even if we do get to that stage of say this conference committee comes up with. And he a narrow scope. Deal on border security. It's still unclear whether that's gonna come to the floor in the House of Representatives whether speaker Pelosi wouldn't allow a vote that perhaps had border wall funny and if that's what they come up with. Or whether I vote would even be allowed in the senate if it didn't have border wall funding. See saw the president today he said that it be a waste of time that the conferees were not discussing border wall money. And so far during today's opening statements we saw a couple of comments you know talk about. How odd they need to deliver results for border security and then a law in the eyes of Republicans. As part of that solution and Democrats there and Republicans are both agree and also on several other steps for border security that they can take. A lot of optimism on both sides though he's appropriators we heard from them yesterday here in a briefing room. Gotten in but did it everybody's talking about what president trump we'll do it ended the day here John's talking about what the house and the senate will do it. Ultimately this'll come down a president trump and Alex Malin is over the White House now. I he's been tracking the president's. Reaction today to kick off of these negotiations in sort of the markers that he's putting down as these talks get under way Alex. At one point the president said he's. He's willing to accept a wall or whatever you want equality. He also signaled that perhaps he doesn't have very much optimism that they'll come up with something you know why take. But what's he saying this is did today so far about the negotiations that are getting under way. Well the good thing that we've heard from the president today is a tweet this morning where he. He said if the committee of Republicans and Democrats now medium border security is not discussing or contemplating a wall or physical barrier. They are wasting their time. That's really need the the voice we've heard from this White House that is long it is these meetings are going on they have to include some type of discussion. Of building a wall or physical barrier be it the steel slats of the president. Has repeatedly talked about but really it's a wait and see here because we haven't heard from the president since Friday in the Rose Garden he's been you know. Basically huddled with aides were told in the Oval Office really not. Making any type of public appearances. This week and saving really all the public public reaction or appearances for his Twitter feed. He's certainly not any public diver John Parkinson as those negotiators get under way. And it does seem that the potential for a solution if there is one here is could could potentially come down to terminology right whether they can. Effect both sides can effectively claimed victory in the worrying. It's in this agreement having to do with the border security maybe they call it. Offense a wall slaps and barrier or something that they both can agree to right. Yeah we saw minority leader here in the house that Kevin McCarthy yesterday he was asked does the conference report need to include the word wall and he kind of laughed he said. You could call them bears that's you want the Republicans are making clear that they want some sort of money for a physical barrier physical Francis physical wall something to impede. Immigrants from coming across the southern border there. Richard Shelby the top Republican in senate Appropriations Committee. He also sent someone somewhere let last year when they the Appropriations Committee voted. On its DHS appropriations bill if voters like 25 to six to prove that bill and that included money for new barrier walls to. So he's saying you know what's changed really over the last year well what has changed his. Democrats have. Dug in deep against any wall funding they took the house majority last fall so I think the dynamics are changing here on Capitol Hill. And we have divided congress saw its just a whole new dynamic to address here 116 congress. And DeVon it's hard to see the president coming out victorious in these negotiations because after all Democrats winning in bold and it's the president who caved. Get to this point and over at the White House DeVon it seems almost an inevitability. That the president is. Preparing Ted declare a national emergency the president of course is also talked. About the fact that he could shut down the government again which he quoted. But the sources I talk to seemed to indicate that what's really realistic at this point is that national emergency option if these negotiations don't cause yet it's. Does seem like it's coming we've been hearing from both sides and that's a likelihood John Parkinson thanks so much for your reporting there meanwhile speaking of immigration. I a couple of big headlines in the past a couple of days have hit president trump regarding immigrants that work for him undocumented immigrants that is the Washington Post exposing. Both back in December and again just a bit too days ago that president trump is employed dozens of undocumented workers at his golf club some properties around the country. And because of their reports has recently done a purge of those workers and implemented. That's a tougher restrictions around hiring there even though the president promised during the campaign that he authority. Had those restrictions in place. And he let's bring him and Alex Mallon back in this Alex what's the White House saying about these stores has the president weighing yet about these. These workers that he has hired and is now. Laying off even as he's calling for a for a border wall he seems to be benefiting. From undocumented immigration. We'll Sarah Sanders was asked about this in her briefing on Monday and basically said that this is exactly why. As she said she when he comment on to Trump Organization in general but said this is exactly why. President trump has made these calls to quote fix the immigration system. And the president was actually interviewed by the Washington Post. For a separate interview that there they're doing and said yesterday in an interview even the echoed Sarah Sander saying this is why we have to fix our immigration. System but the president and the White House are trying to separate. Handler right now on what they activities that they're doing from the Trump Organization even though what we really have been studying how the president has failed to separate himself from the Trump Organization. And even threatened Howard Schultz notably on Monday. Two take the Starbucks out of trump tower but really this is a story they gets to the heart. Of of why president trump has the trouble with this immigration message because he himself and his company has benefited. From the system over the years and we've seen story after story of trump the golf courses requesting. You give bill the ability to. I get immigrants into their can dig into their golf courses for low low pay labor. And so this is something that kind of undercuts their entire argument. And many of those workers as we've been hearing as they come forward now have talked about presenting false papers. To the trump officials at those golf courses of though. And did. Golf clubs did not use the government system which is called. A number of those workers have come here to Washington now speaking out to lawmakers calling for an investigation. The trump administration's practices. We caught up with a little bit earlier here in DC here's a little bit of my interview with those former trump offer workers. Prompted you to speak out publicly. Steadily ever percent analysts and they couldn't we can't build that congress and to disseminate that to last for help because we. Kind of like we feel bad because we might begin to pour it. We can't we come just put out. Anibal you're representing. So many workers from the trump about family about properties who have been speaking out there urine candidate to seek. Protection from congress tell us a little bit about your conversations with lawmakers and and and how they're. What their reaction has been two to the possibility that. Folks like. Like Marbury to hear could could potentially face deportation. Share well they are absolutely concerned. Today are they understand that indeed. They are material witnesses if a federal crime. And any attempt to try to remove them from the United States could be considered obstruction of justice assistant to be clear you're supporting an FBI investigation of the trump. Family properties even if it means exposing. Exposing people like Gabriella and Marguerite and the hiring practices of the trumps well they are witnesses of a federal crime in the United States. Image even though you are undocumented the law protects. Undocumented immigrants when they are victims of a crime Gabriela what is your thought what is your feeling about the trump family and right now. Eric trump. Yesterday said that he finds the situation to be heartbreaking. I don't know anyway in he related because I've done salt room seeing Alison. Legs without him like nobody's without lake. Good don't look close. Just titles like. Garbage. What what you obviously. Some seem to be some parts chairman Eric trump giving an interview Washington Post Durban I we have some America Trump's comments he's overseeing the trump. Organization businesses including some of those golf properties are telling the Washington Post that he's heartbroken by the situation. He's personally of course he says the employees are like family. But when presented with fake documents the employer has little choice but to fire them he says we're now instituting. We're starting with the golf properties in going to be doing all of them but Alex Malin you've been covering the Trump Organization since the beginning of the campaign. Hot and you know better than anybody that this is something that president trump actually publicly repeated during the campaign that they were already doing this huge assured crowd after crowd. That as he was calling for tighter immigration controls his business is already we're hearing to the strictest standards. He had a president basically points to his company's as the model. And said other companies should follow suit and and I think that when that story first broke in the Washington are in the new York times of that undocumented worker who. Was literally scrubbing the president's toilets was you'd be attending to his bed chambers and it is bad mr. golf club. That was stunning story any but it. I think that. The question was was it's stunning to the people in the Trump Organization wasn't stunning to the president did he have any knowledge that these undocumented workers. Or working for him in in in directly interacting with him. And that's something that we really have not been able to nail down at this point and and for instance Eric trump. Reacted and again in another an au over Twitter and basically pointed to Amazon and said that they also don't have. That up you know you can look up online to see which employers actually use the and we always happened we basically know that the Trump Organization their golf clubs. Do not. Or Allentown thanks for that at the White House for your reporting get inside stay warm air Jordan we should say that the Trump Organization did not respond. To our request for comment on the reports but it's certainly does highlights and hypocrisy from from the president from his family as they do push to. Require other employers to adhere to stricter policy. Absolutely that's huge hypocrisy flag but of course that this is you know dead. Their talents as the president undertook when he put his the only. In the middle of presidential campaign you know when you're gonna go to the very top gaffe to make sure that everything is crystal clean. And as we've seen with the Trump Organization or some places where they've backed cut some corners. Sticking with the business. Headlines today there's another major story popping out of Wisconsin they got a lot of hits turning this morning in Washington. Our Reuters news is reporting that fox kind attacks giant that supplies a lot of parts to apple and our iphones is reconsidering. Building a ten billion dollar facility in Wisconsin to make LCD panels of course you see president trump. Made with big fanfare went to Wisconsin inch when he seventeen to herald this. I factory is as being the return of manufacturing jobs thirteen thousand jobs he said. But now that does seem to be perhaps in question if you believe the reports but let's bring in Wisconsin reporter now who has been tracking the story digging into. What's actually going on today rich Kirch and is with the Milwaukee business journal rich thanks so much for joining us out by facetime great to see you see you're an expert on this also been trying to get to the bottom of what's going on here. Tell us what the latest news with respect to these jobs has has the company indeed. David pulled a bait and switch or they backtracking. Com no they they're not as far as they they issued statements today. And they. Contacted the governor's office governor fevers to but took scout lockers place in this last election. Com they're saying they're still committed sit at thirteen thousand jobs. What is changed is the nature of the job and that's something. Bateman signaling since last summer's so. A lot of what was in their writers story was already out there of locally. You can't going to act probably six months. Com about this act at the jobs we had. What the company was saying initially was that these were going to be. More assembly manufacturing type jobs. In its really shifted suited majority of the jobs of the engineering but they're still saying. Thirteen thousand jobs. That the a couple of new things or in the writer's story that we have not been able to verify. Was there by 20/20. The company initially said they would have 5000 employees. Air in the writer's stories and 1000. And the other thing is. It the company already has set we're not going to be doing Larry chore rail march TV screens here. Base near dense singers they're gonna do small screens. The Reuters story says they're not going to be doing in the small grease here. So a shift in type of job coming to Wisconsin it sounds like a wave permit manufacturing. More R&D also potentially. Oh you haven't verified it rich I'm Brooke major slowdown in the pace of hiring only a thousand potentially according to Reuters. By next year and all of this was supposed to be in exchange for some pretty significant. And controversial tax breaks and benefits in Wisconsin power Wisconsin officials responding to that news. Well the company EI get Sarah upwards of three billion dollars in tax breaks if they create 101000 jobs plus. And it also spent about ten billion gotten out. A building their campus here and not southeast Wisconsin. The company already fell short in their hiring goal all the first here. Ali or eligible for nine million. Me and now state tax credits they're not getting those are hired about 178 people. Last year's us via. To Korea believed. But again they're they're saying there's still going to do this there's going to invest all that money it is over an extended period of time ten years or more. I I'm so. Jury's still out. Jerry still up its end but it is to say as significant investment in Wisconsin ten million dollars. The restriction as you know Wisconsin factored quite significantly in the Torre sixteen election helped elect president trump. The president ion Wisconsin again for his reelect as well do you think stories like this. Have any sort of a political impact on people's thinking or he thinks this sort of thing is is sort of scene it's just business. The course of business you know company changing their plans as they go. Well he had a fox kindness subsidies were an issue in the gubernatorial race and Governor Walker. Who was so working. You know was leading that effort to bring class canyon and give them the money he lost by a slim margin to Democrat cent Sony eaters so. There was at the top issue but it was who has an issue. And Wisconsin's swing stayed. Tony he urged peace out locker by about the same number of votes adds I had dal choppy Hillary Clinton in sixteenths. I'm very competitive there indeed rich Kirch and thank you so much for joining us senior reporter Milwaukee business journal. I can in the bottom of that Foxconn story that was trending on Twitter earlier today and they weren't rich thanks so much for that. An EU NG Georgia you know they're better than anybody covering the White House the White House is closely following the east these business stories. That they have put a lot of capital and the carrier story idea Indiana the plant that the president saved US steel factories that the president was saving now Foxconn. I'm do you did you get the sense that they get nervous Iowa bar scene some in the role lot brawl Glaxo or are supposed robards. DeVon if they're nervous they're not talking about it and that's you kind of know. If that trump boring at the time administration might be here is that something 'cause. You know radio silent I am in this case and Foxconn it's. Hard to overstate just how much the president has played at this particular company he's meet multiple trips to Wisconsin I was actually with him for that groundbreaking ceremony. I say that this is not good news this is not a story line. That fits the president's narrative. So we'll see what response they have but DeVon the president has talked up Foxconn. Just so much so certainly not welcome. See if he dials it back into that Jordan meanwhile the president has his eyes and a major. Four foreign story we've been argument here in a briefing room down in Venezuela of course is major developments as opposition party. Continues to turn to the streets where hundreds of thousands of every venezuelans protesting for the ouster of Nicholas pleasure out of the president there. They're demanding free elections they were out in force again today another walk out this on the heels of a phone call between president trump. And the opposition leader won quite you know the 35 year old National Assembly president. Significant. Now that he's spoken to president trump for the first time in our quarry would now is. Down there in Caracas Venezuela he was at the protest today quarry. Because I'm sorry coney tell me the latest mass protests how was the scene like today there. Well it was interesting hundreds of people came out at that dozens of spots out early or doc now. Just sort of as a walk out IG said that it let Serb there at their job let her palms and tested on the sidewalks in some cases. They closed streets and there were holding these signs up. Showing why the military should switch its or a Maputo. Two why go they say why though is legitimate. President your interesting and well look in the opposition did not. Mobilize port city editor today perhaps a signal that there's a back channel between the opposition and and to the government does this this standoff you can. News and it took our Cody did we did hear from a hero today he did may make some good comments publicly saying he's open. To talking with the opposition that's garnered president trumps attach and he puts a spotlight on that on Twitter is well suggesting his influence. Could be moving in major road to the exits. Or what do you give the odds of some some conversations or even negotiations between president meant hero and have wideout. Well why they'll in the opposition has been clear that the only thing they are willing to negotiate would be the exit out an order we've seen across a photo and asked confrontations when. Things get tense here. It will use that chip of negotiations such as the escalate the situation. And we've seen we've seen that situation happened several times already. I'm so I think the opposition is only willing to negotiate. Only willing to negotiate if there's for the ouster of moto. And Cody before I let you go I I'm just curious about the impact. That the involvement of the United States is is or is not having their on the ground. With people in the streets has received some pictures in but I go I don't protesting today with with some of those folks. When you out there are out talking to people as your out looking at the signage. Is there a sense on the ground there are among the opposition protesters that Donald Trump is with them that the United States is with them is that something that's talked about them. Absolutely year and the opposition circles at least. They were disappointed by. They the Obama administration they want they want harsh sanctions on model what do they want arts moves against Bob muddled elk. I'm and there are very pleased at least the opposition folks with this with my with Donald Trump's. Harsh sanctions and hearts moves against other auto although polls do show here that a slight that a majority of and it's closed would. Oppose any type of military dimension in her mention in the country and of course we know that trumpets a multiple occasions bet to all options are on the table. They have been saying that we are having an eye on their developments over at the Pentagon as well Cody Wendell thank you so much for your reporting has been terrific having you this week. And the briefing room thanks so much and Jordan its interest in. Is that the Twitter effect here is quite significant in this story because of the communications locked down in Caracas and some of the other cities in Venezuela. Most of the opposition people. Are able to track statements from president trump and others on Twitter only and so they are actually listening to what's being tweeted yeah having that global democratization in fact if you. Like we saw in the Middle East just a few years ago in fact you can follow us on Twitter as well at Jordan Phelps. At Devin Dwyer hope you can track all of our reporting download the app as well ABC news after. A good way to follow all the stories we've talked about today we'll be right record mark 3:30 eastern time in the briefing room thanks for watching what CNN.

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