White House legislative affairs director Marc Short told reporters on Tuesday that President Trump would not demand that border wall funding is tied to a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Speaking at a roundtable event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, Short said the administration didn’t want to “bind” itself by making a demand that would likely be a nonstarter for many lawmakers.
“We’re interested in getting border security and the president has made the commitment to the American people that a barrier is important to that security,” Short said. “Whether it’s part of DCA or another legislative vehicle, I don’t want to bind us into a construct that would make the conclusion on DACA impossible.”
There had been speculation that Trump would require any compromise on potential DACA legislation include money for a wall along the Southern border.