Chuck Schumer thought he had President Trump on the ropes.
The Democratic Senator believed he had won in the battle over the President’s proposed border wall with Mexico.
But Schumer is now reeling from another shocking betrayal in his fight against Trump’s wall.
Chuck Schumer has a major problem.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer thought he had the votes to forever stonewall, obstruct, and block a vote on any aspect of President Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico.
With an agreement to end the shutdown now taking effect, Schumer had every reason to gloat.
He thought his stranglehold over the Senate was unbreakable.
But he was wrong.
Schumer never thought Senators in his own party would betray him.
But that’s no longer the case.
The Daily Caller reports, “Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan said on Monday that she supports “strategic fencing” on the southern border based on the opinions of experts on the ground.”
“Last Thursday we had a bipartisan discussion on the Senate floor about the importance of ending the shutdown, which, there was bipartisan agreement, was needless and harmful to the American people and our economy,” the New Hampshire Democrat said to CNN.
“We all pledged to work in good faith to find common ground on border security. That’s what I’m committed to doing, and I think that really starts with making sure we’re listening to the experts on the front lines on this, and that may include strategic fencing in certain places,” Senator Hassan added.
It’s now clear Schumer is losing support in the Senate in his bid to block any advancement of President Trump’s proposed border security measures.
With Senator Hassan signaling that she is open to backing the wall, or at least portions of the wall, based on the input of experts and as part of a bipartisan compromise, Schumer is now in a tough spot.
He either needs to quell dissent immediately, or begin working with President Trump to strike a compromise.
And it may be too late to quell dissent.
Hardline opposition to President Trump is beginning to crumble among Congressional Democrats, many of whom represent states or districts that Trump won or came close to winning in 2016.
With the 2020 elections just around the corner, many Congressional Democrats are going to be casting votes with an eye on swing voters which will be crucial for their re-election.
And Hassan barely won election to the Senate in the first place.
Schumer can’t keep his caucus in line behind the “no deals” pledge he effectively made earlier in the shutdown.
And if the Senate passes a bipartisan bill to construct even parts of Trump’s wall, the House will be under even more pressure to do the same.
It’s unclear what the final details of such a compromise bill will look like, and whether it can pass the GOP-held Senate and the Democratic House.
But it’s obvious that many Democrats are beginning to break ranks with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
We will keep you up to date with any new developments in this ongoing story.
