Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday there is "broad and strong" opposition to the House Republican call for a four-week spending package as they up their backing for a bipartisan deal to give legislative certainty to Dreamers.
Schumer told reporters the "overwhelming" amount of Senate Democrats will not support this package, which funds the government until Feb. 16 and includes a six-year reauthorization for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which Democrats have called for since its expiration last fall.
"The revulsion toward that bill was broad and strong," Schumer said during the Senate Democrats' weekly press conference. "We Democrats believe that we want to do everything we can to avoid a shutdown, but we Democrats believe if there is one, it will fall on the Republicans' backs — plain and simple."
"The overwhelming number in our caucus have said they don't like this deal and they believe if we kick this can down the road this time, we'll be back where we started from next time," Schumer said. "So there's very, very strong support not to go along with their deal."
Negotiations remain ongoing about a deal for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The bicameral group of No. 2's in each caucus — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. — met earlier Wednesday and plan to meet again on Thursday.
Durbin argued an agreement struck between a bipartisan group of six senators, three Republicans and three Democrats, should earn support from President Trump. Durbin pointed to the $1.6 billion in the agreement for border security, which he noted was what Trump's budget called for last year. Any deal will likely also deal with what Republicans call "chain migration" and the diversity lottery.
"This was not easy," Durbin said, noting the bill will be introduced in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon and will include an additional three Republicans co-sponsoring the bill, bringing the total Republican figure in support to six.
Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is waiting to see what bill Trump will support before bringing it for a vote on the Senate floor.
