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Coons optimistic on DACA solution, legislation protecting Russia probe

Delaware Public Media
Sen. Chris Coons

Sen. Chris Coons (D- Delaware) said he hopes President Donald Trump gives a positive message in his State of the Union speech Tuesday evening. Coons is also calling for Trump to approve a bipartisan solution for undocumented young adults facing possible deportation.

Congress needs to pass funding for the federal government again by Feb. 8th. It ended a brief government shutdown last week by approving a three-week spending bill after failing to reach a deal to give legal status to undocumented young adults, often called DREAMers.

Coons believes a narrow deal protecting Dreamers from deportation and adding border security measures could pass the House and Senate. He adds he will oppose a temporary immigration fix.

“I think kicking the can down the road yet again, providing no permanency or stability for this roughly million people who are part of our communities, who’ve lived their whole lives in the United States would be a cruel thing to do,” he said.

But Trump is also demanding Congress appropriate about $25 billion to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Coons said Democrats oppose the wall.

“It’s my hope that we’re going to have a more nuanced understanding of how we can invest more in securing our Southern border and our Northern border without having a needless 2,000 mile concrete wall. There are smarter, more modern ways to control a border than a wall made of concrete.”

The government could shut down again next Friday if no compromise is reached.

The Trump administration said it will grant asylum to Dreamers and other eligible people if it can add new limitations to some legal paths to immigration. Dreamers who lose their legal status after March 5th face deportation.

Coons said he also wants to move ahead with his legislation preventing Trump from firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is investigating the Russian interference in last year’s election. Reports recently surfaced the president ordered his firing last June, but dropped the idea. Coons said it's urgent that Congress protect Mueller.

"One of the basic principals of our republic is that no one is above the law, not even the president," he said. "So I think moving ahead with this simple, small step of a bill that makes it slightly harder for the president to abruptly fire the special counsel is a wise preventive move. And some of the comments I've heard from Republican senators in the last few days encourage me that they might support this bill now as well."

But Coons said he's not optimistic the House would impeach Trump were he was to fire Mueller.

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