Dem Rep. Dingell: ‘Let’s Reopen the Government,’ ‘Give Us Time’ to Negotiate

On Tuesday’s broadcast of “CNN Newsroom,” Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) stated that the government should be reopened and Congress should then negotiate on immigration.

Dingell touted the Democratic proposal to reopen the government through February 8, “and give us time to sit down and negotiate.”

Anchor Poppy Harlow then asked, “What are you willing to give towards a border wall?”

Dingell answered, “How about comprehensive immigration reform? How about DACA?”

After Harlow followed up on whether there is a dollar amount of funding for a wall that Dingell would support, Dingell responded, “I want a package that’s going to work. We’ve had hundreds of studies. So, why aren’t we increasing the number of Border Patrol, the amount of officers at the border? What about looking at drones and other technology to actually keep the border safe? And people are already talking about problems with the walls, tunneling underneath. Let’s sit down, get the experts at the table, and agree to something. This wall has become a symbol of just total breakdown in Washington, which we’ve got to stop.”

Dingell added, “I don’t put hard lines down in the sand the way a lot of other people do. But I sure don’t — I’m not going to approve it the way that it is now. Let’s get in a room and talk about it, and figure it out by February 8, but let’s reopen the government, which is what I think we need to be doing.”

Dingell later stated that she isn’t wedded to any amount of border wall funding.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett