Is This Powerful House Dem About to Give in to Trump?

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) suggested he’s open to giving President Trump the 5.7 billion he wants for border security. But there’s one catch–he doesn’t want that money to be spent on a wall. 

The Daily Caller reports:
 

“We see ourselves fulfilling that request” with a “smart wall,” Democratic South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn said to reporters Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Clyburn suggested a compromise bill that could include funding for more border patrol agents, x-rays, sensors and drones. However, the house majority whip said such legislation would bar funding for a border wall.

The proposal, if passed in the House, would likely die in the Republican-controlled Senate and would certainly not be signed if it reached Trump’s desk.

The president has stood firm in his demand for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. However, the $5.7 billion he’s requesting goes toward much more than just wall construction. Trump’s border security package also includes $675 million for increased inspection technology; $571 million for an another 2,000 law enforcement agents; $563 million to fund 75 more immigration judges and staff to handle the backlogged immigration courts; and $211 million to hire an additional 750 Border Patrol agents.

The offer doesn’t meet President Trump’s demands, but it’s a huge step towards compromise that didn’t seem possible a week ago.