Store continues in jackson, mississippi. Our guest is Mississippi Attorney general jim hood. To it 30, more on efforts avoid a Government Shutdown this week, and volatility in the financial markets. We will talk to Carolyn Maloney. Host good morning. Its wednesday, february 7, 2018. The house is in a 9 00 a. M. This morning, the Senate Reconvenes at 11 30. The looming deadline is tomorrow at midnight, when funding runs out on the current spending plan and when another shutdown would begin unless a deal is reached. Lawmakers from both parties say they are close to coming up with a twoyear spending agreement, but yesterday, President Trump ofed an element uncertainty. We will talk about that this morning on the washington journal. As we do, we want to hear from you. Republicans can call in at 202 7488001. Democrats, 202 7488000. Independents, 202 7488002. You can also catch up with us on social media, on twitter and on facebook. Morning to you. You can start calling in now. The president s comments making frontpage headlines. Here is one from this mornings Washington Times. Trump to democrats negotiate on border or shut government. President trump was meeting with lawmakers of the capital yesterday. Here is what he had to say. [video clip] if we do not change the legislation, if we do not get rid of the loopholes where serial killers, gang members can come into the country we are just talking about ms 13. If we do not change it, lets have a shutdown. We will do a shutdown. It is worth it for our country. I would love to she a shutdown ca shutdown if we do not see a shutdown if we do not get this figured out. And by the way, the world is laughing at us because they cannot believe these policies. I can name 15 of them right now no other country has what we have. It stopped. To get if we have to shut it down because the democrats do not unrelated but still related, they do not want to take care of our military shut it down. We will go with another shutdown. Host that was the president yesterday at the white house. For more on what is happening today on capitol hill, we turn to lindsay mcpherson. How close is congress to coming up with a deal to avert a shutdown . Guest they are pretty close on butbudget caps themselves, the holdup seems to be immigration, just like trump was talking about yesterday. House democrats see this as a leverage point for them, because their vote on will be needed on the spending bill, such a large increase in nondefense spending, and that is probably a third or close to half of House Republicans that could ultimately vote against this ill. You need a sizable number of democrats, and they want to try to use this opportunity to extract a commitment from Speaker Paul Ryan to have a vote on immigration, similar to a commitment that Mitch Mcconnell had made to the senate during the last shutdown. Us through the legislative dance of the next 24 hours and how this is likely to play out. The house passed its shortterm spending deal with longerterm money in their for defense appropriations. How does this work with the senate, and what ends up being sent back to the house . Tost the senates goal is strip out the defense language, make everything a cr, and include the language or even the budget caps in the deal they are working on, which would do roughly 80 million for defense. I think we have heard about 60 million for nondefense, 60 million for nondefense. It would also likely include a debt ceiling extension. We have not heard the exact they want to keep that passed the elections. There is a lot of stuff they have been talking about for a long time that could be put on a global deal. The resolutionis on immigration in the house. The immigration language itself is unlikely to be attached, but some kind of commitment might be needed to move forward. That is kind of where the negotiations are taking place. Host and what impact did President Trumps comments yesterday likely have here . Did it bolster the immigration hardliners who would not go along with any sort of deal on this . Guest i do not think they need trump to bolster them, since they feel strongly in their position. I think what it did to some degree with give democrats the high ground in negotiating on this, because they can say well, the president is just trying to get a deal, and we want an avenue to have the debate. For ocrats are asking they are not asking for their bill or the highway, they are asking for a process, specifically, hoyer has talked about a rule in the house that would allow you to talk about any number of bills on the floor, and the one that passes with a simple majority vote, with the most votes, is the prevailing measure. In that case, some bipartisan measures would win out over a conservative measure, so they are specifically looking at the regular bill versus the goodlatte bill. Ryan is also unlikely to agree with that, and that would upset his caucus. The key differences between those two bills that you just mentioned what are they . Bill, it the goodlatte does everything that trump wants, touches on all four pillars. It funds the border wall, it to what an end republicans call chain migration, which is basically familybased visas outside the nuclear family. The visauld get rid of lottery program. The angular bill does not touch bill doesccaguilar not touch those latter two portions, and it increases technology for border security. Host we know that House Democrats are leaving for their strategy retreat today. Actually, late last night House Democrats decided to move their retreat in cambridge to d. C. , at the capital, to be er to the negotiations. They could go up to the wire, but i think expectations are a deal could be announced as soon as today. Mcpherson covers it all for roll call newspaper. We appreciate your time this morning. And we are talking about it with our viewers in the first half of the washington journal today. President trump with those comments yesterday at the white house. Fix immigration or lets have a shutdown. What do you think . Cliff, and california, line for republicans. Go ahead. Caller good morning. Theres not going to be a shutdown. I am surprised that cspan would be framing the discussion the way they are. Mcconnell and schumer have pretty much already indicated that not only is there not going to be a shutdown, but we are not even going to have this little cr continuing stuff. Muche going to go for a bigger deal, according to mcconnell and schumer, which you know more about than i do, but it will have longterm pentagon spending. Increase in pentagon spending. That is a big win for trump, but that is really small ball compared to what is going on. And more on the point here, because the daca bill, that is what trump is talking about when he is making threats. The daca deal. Host on the pentagon spending, not a 70 increase. The emerging agreement, we have not seen it yet, expected to increase military spending by 80 billion a year and nondefense spending by 63 billion a year. It is expected to be a twoyear plan. Lindsay macpherson said we might see it as soon as today. You are confident that when that emerges that can make it through the senate and back to the house and to the president , and have him sign it as well . Caller yes, but i am surprised that you interrupted me when you are back to talking about the small ball stop when we are both looking at you know the big deal, which is the daca thing that trump is talking about when he is making these threats, just elly waseral k talking tough yesterday. When youre dealing with people Chuck Schumer, you have to play top. I do not think anything is going to be able to stop this deal. I think america will be a great big winner. I think we will all get daca and the wall and the chain migration reform, and the visa lottery. I do not think anyone can stop it. Schumer, for instance. Because it is so extremely generous. Donald trump is offering nondeferred action, but citizenship, three terms as many as this saint barack obama offered. Host here is Chuck Schumer yesterday, talking about the daca negotiation and the comments about an immigration deal. [video clip] there are several different bipartisan negotiations going on over immigrations. Is there one particular negotiation you support . I would encourage everyone to talk to everybody in our meetings today. Leader mcconnell pledged that we would have an open process next week after this week. What we are going to try to do is find a proposal, a Bipartisan Group is a great example of that , that could pass the senate with 60 votes. He said he is willing to have the Government Shutdown of democrats refuse to change immigration laws. He said he would love to see it shutdown. Speak for himself. Shutdown,e trump nobody wants another. Chuck schumer on the hill yesterday. A cold morning on capitol hill, some freezing rain around washington dc. As we taking your calls are creeping towards that midnight tomorrow deadline for spending agreements, or else shutdown would happen. Roger, democrat line, good morning. Caller good morning. I do not know what king trump thinks he is up to. He hollers shutdown, it is my way or the highway. The Republican Party cannot lead. They cannot build up our country. We are having one class right after another. This immigration bill should over with years ago, but they would not work with barack obama. Remember . They shut down the government a whole bunch of times, and then they call democrats treasonous. What are they going to do about the treasonous president we have in office now . Host ken, washington, independent. Good morning. Caller i was just calling to comment on the Government Shutdown. Im an independent, and i do not understand why a president not just our president , both parties are even talking about a Government Shutdown over immigration. I work for the federal government. When it gets shut down, and a lot of other people do not get paid. When we do not get paid, our bills get backed up, and they do not help us. I thought donald trump cared about the little man. Host ben, pennsylvania, republican. Caller good morning, im calling from penn state. I am a senior of your. All ofrazy watching this. I completely respect the president. I voted for him in the primaries and the general election. The reason he is so popular is not because its crazy rhetoric, it is because he is able to speak the language the people not the beltway washington, d. C. Elites he can talk to people in rural in missouri,and wherever, in the middle of the country. It is the fact that he can get on tv and shout shutdown the government. For him toople voted turn washington dc upside down. He is draining the swamp. Host the president commented yesterday at the meeting with Law Enforcement officials, certainly getting a lot of attention. Also getting some pushback by one republican member of , barbara comstock, criticizing the president on tuesday for saying he would love to the a shutdown. The story in the hill newspaper. Comstock represents a virginia district in the suburbs of washington dc that are homes to many federal workers. Here is the exchange between the two yesterday. [video clip] since i live right by the cia, and sheriff chapman is the sheriff of my largest county, we do not need a Government Shutdown on this. I think both sides have learned that a Government Shutdown was bad, it was not good, and we have bipartisan support on these things. I think we need to talk about these cases that are going on. We have eight or so. Press has done some great reporting, all stories about the gang killers recorded in the final moments. They have been covering this, and people no one a bipartisan basis this problem. President trump we are not getting support from the democrats. Say what you want. We are not getting support from the democrats on this will. , put this up in the senate you will see they are not supporting us. The secretary to stop them at the border, and if they are here, get them out quickly. That meeting yesterday, after that exchange, after some of the headlines came out about it, the white house yesterday saying that the president is not cheerleading for a shutdown in hopes the government keeps running contingent on a democratic agreement to a twoyear budget deal, and laws cracking down on illegal immigration as part of a deal to legalize immigrant dreamers. In their reporting, the New York Times this morning quotes Sarah Huckabee sanders saying the president did not view the spending bill about keeping the and immigration as mutually exclusive, meaning he would not necessarily precipitate a shutdown of congress agreed on spending without meeting his specific demands on immigration. Getting your thoughts on the washington journal. Jeanne, ohio, democrat. Go ahead. Caller yes. I would just like to say that beginning,and in the he said mexico was going to pay for the wall. He was wrong. So now he is blaming the democrats because he cannot go back and blame the mexican president. Everything that does not go his way he puts on the democrats. Why make a problem for other in other countries when he cannot push the people, so he is trying to blame everything on the democrats. Mind so confused in his that he always has to blame somebody else. Host patricia, illinois, line for independents. Go ahead. Caller good morning. I am appalled by what the president says. He has been emboldened by the response to the release of this memo. And he now feels he can say and do anything. It is stunning that this man would say lets have a shutdown if i cannot get my wall. He is like a spoiled child that needs to be disciplined. He is outrageous and an insult to the presidency. I certainly do not support this mans actions, conduct, and performance. I do not support the shutdown, necessarily. I do support the dreamers and i do support legislation that will protect them, but i do not support in any way this president. I believe he should be impeached. My motto, frankly, is dump truck and save the world. Trump and save the world. The newtricia mentioned nas memo. The democrats have the response, known as the schiff memo. President trump has until friday to approve the documents public release, and could decide whether if certain details need to be held back on security reasons. Democrat, adam schiff, who authored the memo, said he feared the Trump Administration would politically redact the ito by all missing passages finds embarrassing. That is not reductions were protected sources or methods, which we have asked the department of justice and fbi to do, but reductions remove information they think is embarrassing to the president. That could be a real problem. Dexter, maryland, line for democrats. Go ahead. Good morning. I want to make a comment based on a lot of things i have been hearing on cspan, all the time. And a lot of untruths, especially like the dossier. The dossier was created by republicans and taken over by the Hillary Clinton and the dnc. Trump only wants the immigration in way he wants it because 2044, america will not be majority white anymore, it will be majority of color. If he gets this immigration bill, it gives him five more years. Goes tommigration bill 2044 to 2049. He is trying to get a next her five years. Host bring it back to the over the next 2436 hrs. Should democrats hold the line on immigration in a spending bill and tie the two together . Caller i think the democrats need to show that they have a backbone. The reasons why the republicans are in power now is because a lot of democrats like myself have seen the democrat base fold over and over and over again to the lies and the talking points of the republicans, and if they do not stand up somewhere, they will fall everywhere. We want them to stand up to this guy. If he wants to shut down the government, that is fine. We got your point. The wall street journal in their story about the budget deal that is coming together that we could see, as soon as this morning. It notes that a budget breakthrough this morning would mark the separation of two issues that recently became linked together government funding and immigration. They go on to say the coalescing budget deal was a disappointment to immigration advocates, but a going backdemocrats to the falls midterm election. We do not need to be shutting down the government, one of the quotes from democratic members on this issue. Decatur, georgia, line for independents. Go ahead. Caller how are you this morning . Host doing well. Caller what trump is doing is a winwinwinwin for vladimir putin. You act like illegal immigration just started yesterday. This is as american as apple pie. It reallyhan 9 gets on miners. I work immigration around immigrants, and they are some of the best people. He is trying to break up families. It is a winwin for vladimir putin. Host we have about 10 minutes left in this segment of the washington journal, talking about the looming government funding deadline. In about 10 minutes, we will be joined by Steve Russell, a republican congressman from oklahoma. Also, cspans bus tour continues to the 50 state capital around the country. We will be in jackson, mississippi, joined by attorney general jim hood. There is a shot of the Mississippi State capitol there. That is coming up this morning at around 8 00, so join us for that discussion. Is waitingtime, john in virginia, line for republicans. Thank you for waiting. Caller yes sir, how are you . Host doing well. Caller i am a return caller, and thank you for cspan and all the social things. When i am curious about is that for some reason, they are lumping immigration into the same project as funding the government, which you know what i mean . They do not seem to go hand in hand for me. I do not understand the relationship between the two things. That is pretty much it, as far as the last comments on the russian president. The way that i understand it, but inot get off topic am dealing with a guy, do w. Miller, who is writing articles to avoid nuclear holocaust, and that engagement with people on levels is healthy, but this is only relative. Host we will speak to the Budget Discussion that is happening this week. Todd, moreno valley, california, i