Joe Perticone

WASHINGTON — Key Republicans and Democrats are in agreement that President Donald Trump does not have any legal authority to withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in an effort to force Congress to swiftly consider his new deal with Canada and Mexico.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee told INSIDER that Trump cannot just shred NAFTA, but would instead have to consult with Congress, where he would no doubt face significant hurdles without a concrete and agreed upon replacement already in place.

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"I'll be terminating it within a relatively short period of time. We get rid of NAFTA. It's been a disaster for the United States. It's caused us tremendous amounts of unemployment and loss and company loss and everything else," Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nafta-congress-usmca-mexico-canada-trade-deal-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="b6792c2c-8992-31e0-a000-cac5bf38bff3"> told reporters </a> this week. "That'll be terminated. And so Congress will have a choice of the USMCA or pre-NAFTA, which worked very well."

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, told reporters that Trump has no legal authority to withdraw, and he would require consent from Congress.

"The simple fact is NAFTA was enacted through legislation. It requires legislation to repeal it," Toomey said. "The bizarre thing about the administration’s contention is they acknowledge that if they changed one word in NAFTA they have to come back to Congress to get it approved, but somehow they can strike the whole thing and they don’t need Congress for that? That makes no sense and it is not consistent with the legislation."

And Toomey's feelings are felt across the political aisle. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, told INSIDER the Constitution's separation of powers is clear as day that Congress is in charge of NAFTA.

"Up at the White House, they ought to take out a copy of the Constitution. Article 1, Section 8, is very clear that Congress has the power to regulate foreign commerce and there’s also a Congressional Research Service analysis that supports it," he said.

The <a href="https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20160907_R44630_cf1dbf8a7d2aed6754b8db5643b387cff5e816a2.pdf" id="29585243-add1-3520-a428-3673ed8e1a38"> CRS analysis </a> Wyden mentioned has stated any withdrawal would require congressional approval.

Wyden also said Trump is exhibiting lack of confidence in his United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) proposal.

"If the president was really confident that his trade proposal was going to work, he wouldn’t be playing this kind of brinkmanship and trying to throw this kind of muscle around," he said.

And Toomey suggested the president's rhetoric about wanting to tear up NAFTA is an attempt to kick-start consideration of the USMCA, but that it is a poor strategy to begin with.

"It appears the president is trying to say, 'you know it’s this or nothing.'" he said. "But when he doesn’t have the legal authority to enforce that choice, it's not a very good strategy."

But some suggested there is room for some kind of NAFTA dismantling by Trump, as long as he meets certain criteria.

"The president is given substantial authority in all of our trade dealings. But it’s not without restrictions," Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told INSIDER. "In other words, certain factual findings are necessary first."

"As is often in the case, what the president proposes to do has to fit within a larger framework of what is legally permitted under the treaty," she added.

<h1> A rapid withdrawal from NAFTA could have devastating effects on the economy </h1>

In terms of the risks of a NAFTA withdrawal, Warren said the US needs a new deal to replace it, but without the risks of igniting a catastrophe that could devastate the economy.

"Look, we need a different NAFTA, but that means sitting down and negotiating for a NAFTA that works for American workers, small businesses, and farmers," she said. "Not just unilaterally just trying to start yet another trade war."

Toomey took a harder stance, saying a sudden or even timetabled withdrawal without a replacement could force the US economy into a downward spiral.

"It would be extremely disruptive," Toomey told INSIDER. "The markets would go haywire, I mean supply chains would be very, very disrupted. It’d be very harmful to the economy, to jobs in the United States."

Toomey has reiterated his sentiments to White House officials, but not yet to Trump.

"So it’s not a good policy," he added. "But as I say, I simply reject the idea he has the authority to do it."

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SEE ALSO: US senators furious with Saudi Arabia after classified briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - NOVEMBER 30: U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during the plenary session on the opening day of Argentina G20 Leaders' Summit 2018 at Costa Salguero on November 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Amilcar Orfali/...

Republicans and Democrats agree: Trump can't just do what he wants with NAFTA

WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi, who's set to become the next speaker of the House when the new Congress begins in January, shot down negotiations that would include funding for President Donald Trump's long-desired wall along the nearly 2,000-mile US-Mexico border.

Pelosi told reporters on Thursday that pairing wall funding with a permanent solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was not on the table and that she would prefer Congress pass a continuing resolution for Homeland Security before Christmas.

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"What we want in this negotiation, I can say, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anybody is we’d like to just go in and say it’s December. We’ve lost now another week — for a legitimate purpose — but nonetheless, we’re getting closer to when this CR expires," Pelosi said.

"I think what we can do that makes sense is to pass the six bills where the members of the Appropriations Committee have come to terms — you've heard me say it over and over — leave them to their own devices," she added. "The appropriators can come to a good conclusion and then have a CR only for homeland security as we go forward. And that’s pretty much where our position is right now."

Pelosi also dismissed the prospect of a short-term continuing resolution to be tackled again in January, instead wanting a yearlong agreement for homeland security.

"But even if you have a CR for a full year, that doesn’t mean that at some point if you come to another conclusion you can pass a bill," she said. "But you can’t do this week to — I mean, there’s too much uncertainty involved."

Wall funding being on the table in a Democratic-controlled House is not likely either, as Pelosi called the construction of border wall "immoral, ineffective, expensive."

"[Trump] also promised Mexico would pay for it, so even if they did, it’s immoral still and they’re not going to pay for it," she said.

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SEE ALSO: Republicans and Democrats agree: Trump can't just do what he wants with NAFTA

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 15: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference November 15, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Pelosi discussed various topics including her run for Speaker of House of Repr...

Nancy Pelosi says funding for Trump's 'immoral, ineffective, expensive' border wall is off the table

WASHINGTON — A group of senators received a briefing from CIA Director Gina Haspel on Tuesday after a bipartisan coalition advanced a rebuke of President Donald Trump's support for the Saudi-Arabian-led military campaign in Yemen last week.

Upon exiting the closed briefing, senators appeared more furious than they were just one week ago, signaling that US-Saudi relations within the Senate are at an all-time low.

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Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who chairs the powerful Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, added that while he did not listen to the audio recording of Khashoggi's killing, there is "zero question" that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"The royal family inside the country looks to what the president says and so do people in the region," Corker told reporters. "And therefore I think it would appear to them and to people in the region that just based on what has been said, that someone like MBS can murder people and have immunity."

But Corker noted the difficult path for the working group looking to push back on the White House's response to Khashoggi's murder as well as the human rights issues with the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.

"I think temperatures are up by all involved would be my guess," he said. "So figuring out something that can pass overwhelmingly still is going to be difficult because some people want to tie the Yemen piece in to the Khashoggi piece and so that makes it more complicated."

<h1> Not all senators were allowed into the briefing, frustrating critics of Saudi Arabia </h1>

The Haspel briefing came just one week after Defense Sec. Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with all senators on the situation with Saudi Arabia. Only a handful of committee heads and members of leadership were permitted in the briefing. Most senators were not allowed to hear from Haspel and even found out about the briefing's existence through reporters in the media.

But many members were distraught that Haspel and other representatives from the intelligence community did not make themselves available. The lack of access even prompted Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to vote to advance the War Powers Resolution out of spite.

Graham attended the briefing on Tuesday, after which he said he cannot support arm sales to the Saudis as long as bin Salman is in charge.

"Saudi Arabia is a strategic ally and the relationship is worth saving, but not at all costs," Graham said. "We'll do more damage to our standing in the world and our national security by ignoring MBS than dealing with him. MBS, the crown prince, is a wrecking ball. I think he's complicit in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi in the highest level possible."

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has been one of the Republicans leading the charge against the effort to stop arm sales to Saudi Arabia, cast the exclusion as unfair and part of the "deep state" to withhold information from senators.

When asked why he was blaming outside forces for not providing a briefing to the full Senate, Paul dismissed the notion that the White House was a primary culprit, noting his opposition to the way the intelligence community compartmentalizes information given to members of Congress.

"It has nothing to do with Trump. Not everything’s about Trump," Paul said. "There are eight people in Congress who get briefings on intelligence. That is not democracy. That is not democratic representation, nor is it democratic oversight."

Still, Democrats are likely to hold firm on their position from last week, which included several members flipping their position from a similar vote last March.

"I’ll simply say that I am now more convinced than I was before — and I was pretty convinced — that in fact the United States must have a strong response to both the war in Yemen as well as the killing of a United States permanent resident and journalist in Jamal Khashoggi," said New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. "And only a strong response by the United States will send a clear and unequivocal message that such actions are not acceptable in the world’s stage."

But the several Republicans who backed the War Powers Resolution might need more to secure their commitment to the plan. It is still unclear what that kind of response would include.

"How to deal with that without harming our own national interests is the challenge that we have," Corker said.

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 28: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to the press after receiving a briefing from U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on developments in Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill on November 28, 2018 i...

US senators furious with Saudi Arabia after classified briefing with CIA Director Gina Haspel

When former President George H.W. Bush died on Friday, other former presidents, members of Congress, and world leaders honored him in their own words. Here are some of the individuals' statements on Bush's life and legacy.

Brendan Smialowski-Pool/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke on Monday at the ceremony for Bush as his casket entered the US Capitol to lie in state.

"He kept us on course with his even temperament and hard-won expertise. George Herbert Walker Bush steered this country as straight as he steered that airplane," McConnell said, noting Bush's service during World War II. "He kept us flying high and challenged us to fly higher still. And he did it with modesty and kindness that would have been surprising in someone one-tenth as tough and accomplished as he was."

Jabin Botsford - Pool/Getty Images

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who served in Congress during Bush's presidency, honored the late president in a statement after his death, calling him "a gentleman of the highest integrity and deepest patriotism.

"It was a privilege to work with him and witness his firm commitment to ensuring America lived up to our Founders’ promise of hope and freedom," she said.

"PresidentBushprofoundly believed in the power of ordinary Americans to make a difference. His belief in a 'kinder, gentler' America encouraged people to embrace the spirit of service and encouraged them to share his vision of 'a thousand points of light.'" Pelosi added. "We will all remember his great humility, unwavering compassion, deep faith and extraordinary kindness in and out of the political arena."

House Speaker Paul Ryan also addressed the Bush family and others in attendance at the ceremony on Monday, calling Bush a "great patriot."

"He made monumental contributions to freedom with a fundamental decency that resonates across generations," Ryan said. "No one better harmonized the joy of life and the duty of life."

"There is that indelible image of him as commander-in-chief during the Gulf War waving to a sea of troops during a visit over Thanksgiving," he added. "There are the images of him as a devoted husband—that twinkle in his eye Barbara always brought out—especially in those big family photos in Kennebunkport. There is the image of him as a loving father reaching out to hold his son’s hand at the National Cathedral after 9/11."

Adrian Dennis - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth wrote a message addressed to President Donald Trump and the American people following Bush's death.

"President Bush was a great friend and ally of the United Kingdom. He was also a patriot, serving his country with honour and distinction in Office and during the Second World War," she wrote. "Prince Philip and I remember our days in Texas in 1991 with great fondness. My thoughts and prayers are with President Bush’s family and the American people."

Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the US Capitol ceremony for Bush on Monday, speaking highly of the former commander-in-chief's patriotism and life of service.

"He served during an uncertain time in the world, made momentous by his leadership. President Bush oversaw the fall of the Soviet Union, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, and under his leadership, America won the Cold War," Pence said. "He took our nation to war to repel aggression in the Persian Gulf and, through his leadership as Commander-in-Chief and the brilliance of our armed forces, the United States won a decisive victory."

"When President George Herbert Walker Bush left office, he left America and the world more peaceful, prosperous, and secure," he added.

In a joint statement following Bush's death on Friday, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama said Bush's life is a "legacy of service that may never be matched, even though he’d want all of us to try."

"What a testament to the qualities that make this country great. Service to others. Commitment to leaving behind something better," they added. "Sacrifice in the name of lifting this country closer to its founding ideals. Our thoughts are with the entireBushfamily tonight — and all who were inspired by George and Barbara’s example."

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union and the man who worked with Bush during the end of the Cold War and nuclear arms race, said in a statement that "many of my memories are linked to him," according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

"We happened to work together in years of great changes. It was a dramatic time demanding huge responsibility from everyone," Gorbachev added. "The result was the end of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. I pay tribute to George Bush's contribution towards this historic achievement. He was a genuine partner."

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WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 4: Members of a joint-service honor guard perform a changing of the guard as the casket of the late former President George H.W. Bush lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, December 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. A WWII combat veteran...

From Queen Elizabeth to the former head of the Soviet Union, here are 7 moving tributes to the life of George HW Bush

Outgoing Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill did not pull any punches in a recent interview, blasting her party for not empowering moderate Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections.

Recapping her Senate career with Rachel Martin on <a id="4c950e2f-b477-31f5-a4cf-1152b6ffcf26" href="https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/671988738/mccaskill-blames-senate-defeat-on-democratic-failure-with-rural-america"> NPR's "Morning Edition," </a> McCaskill called her loss a "failure" to bridge the gap between the Democratic Party and Americans in rural areas. Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley unseated McCaskill, ousting the Democrat after two terms.

"This demand for purity, this looking down your nose at people who want to compromise, is a recipe for disaster for the Democrats," McCaskill said. "Will we ever get to a majority in the Senate again, much less to 60, if we do not have some moderates in our party?"

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McCaskill added that House Democrats would be wise to be "very cautious and careful" when using their newfound power to investigate and probe the Trump administration.

"They've got to be careful with their oversight that it does not dwarf their messaging about how much we want to get done for the people of this country," she said. "If we focus on just going after Trump, then he has his foil."

She added that continuing to hammer Trump has not necessarily moved the needle in terms of converting his supporters, demanding a different approach than Democrats have taken during his first two years in office.

"He clearly will never take any responsibility for any mistakes he's made," she said. "And frankly, a lot of his mistakes have been pointed out, and it hasn't really moved a lot of the voters we need to move."

McCaskill also lamented the deteriorating ability to compromise in Washington, noting the <a id="cb136ef4-5a68-35f2-a768-051889bf5f15" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lindsey-graham-has-become-hero-of-the-right-2018-10?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> rightward shift </a> from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

"Everyone gets in their own bubble. And when you're in that kind of echo chamber, it feels very scary to step outside of it," she said. "People have black armbands on around the Democratic caucus, because it feels like we've lost Lindsey Graham. He is someone who was willing to step outside that bubble from time to time and really do the hard work on issues like immigration. We're mourning right now because we fear he's gone."

In dealing with her vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, McCaskill dismissed the notion made by many pundits that it cost her the election.

I don't think my vote hurt me as much as the spectacle that occurred. There were mistakes made by my party in terms of how that was handled," she said. "I don't thinkthat communication [from Christine Blasey Ford] to the judiciary committeeshould have been kept private as long as it was. The FBI deals with a lot of confidential information, and that would have absolved [judiciary committee ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein] of the very real perception that this was an 11th-hour attempt to gut a guy."

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ST LOUIS, MO - NOVEMBER 05: Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) speaks with supporters at The Royale bar on November 5, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. McCaskill is in a tight race for votes with her Republican challenger Josh Hawley for tomorrow's midterm el...

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A key Senate committee delayed a vote on Wednesday for President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid concerns over his record.

One of the reasons the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee delayed the vote on Ronald Vitiello are concerns about his opinion of Trump, particularly since he once shared an image on Twitter that compared the then-presidential candidate to cartoon character Dennis the Menace.

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On Wednesday, the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-panel-delays-vote-on-trump-pick-to-lead-immigration-and-customs-enforcement/2018/11/28/0c9b5ce2-f327-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.099a86e02d1f" id="0bbeef50-6bcf-3177-a614-18cda3e50296"> reported </a> that a group of unions sent a letter to the committee addressing their concerns and referencing the tweet about Trump looking like Dennis the Menace.

"The nominee to be considered by the Committee, Mr. Ronald D. Vitiello, has only been with ICE for a short period of time, and while this letter neither supports nor opposes his nomination to be our Director, we are aware of several matters that give us serious concern about him," the unions wrote.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who chairs the committee, said a vote could come as soon as Thursday after the delay this week. Nominations expire at the end of the year if the Senate takes no action.

Vitiello also sent a tweet in 2015 that compared Democrats to the Ku Klux Klan, which he told senators during his confirmation hearing was a "mistake" and a "momentary lapse of judgment."

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SEE ALSO: Republicans scramble to pass Trump-supported legislation in lame duck session of Congress

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 15: Ronald D. Vitiello, nominee to be assistant Homeland Security secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testifies at a hearing held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee November 15, 2...

ICE nominee's Senate vote delayed, in part because he once tweeted a photo comparing Donald Trump to Dennis the Menace

WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi secured enough votes to win the caucus vote to become the next speaker of the House on Wednesday. But she still needs to gain some ground if she wants to make it official when the vote goes to the House floor in January.

Pelosi won an overwhelming majority of votes from the Democratic caucus:

<ul><li> 203 voted for her. </li><li> 32 voted against her. </li><li> Three left their ballots blank, and there was one absence. </li></ul>

For context, Pelosi had 63 Democrats voting against her for the minority leader position in 2016 when Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan challenged her in the aftermath of the 2016 election. But on Wednesday, she ran unopposed, with a handful of Democrats still seeking an alternative by the time January comes around.

Read more : <a id="958b96a1-595d-3379-a7d4-8013d08d9302" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-opposition-nancy-pelosi-speaker-house-has-virtually-collapsed-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Democratic opposition to Nancy Pelosi's bid for speaker of the House has virtually collapsed </a>

Through cutting deals and awarding coveted committee positions, Pelosi has managed to shore up supporters in the weeks following the 2018 midterm elections, in which Democrats took back the House majority that had eluded them for the past eight years.

While a record number of incoming Democrats had campaigned on their opposition to or skepticism of Pelosi, she has gained the support of several House members who opposed her, and she has avoided a challenge in the process.

Moments before the vote, Pelosi announced a deal with Democrats in the Problem Solvers Caucus, proposing a slew of rules changes. Days before, Pelosi handed out a subcommittee chairmanship to Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, who was previously mulling a challenge for the speakership.

Pelosi also flipped New York Rep. Brian Higgins, who now supports her speaker bid, despite him signing a letter alongside 15 other Democrats stating their opposition to her leadership.

Outside the Wednesday morning caucus meeting, Higgins told reporters the leadership fight has been largely good for Democrats, but called it a "sloppy mess" for members to express themselves.

"Everyone has one legislative tool, and that’s their vote," he said. "And finding a way to use that legislative tool in a way that maximizes its effectiveness, I think, is a good thing."

<h1> Pelosi met with her detractors, who left angry and unsatisfied </h1>

And just before the caucus meeting on Wednesday, Pelosi met privately with the three Democrats leading the charge against her: Reps. Kathleen Rice, Tim Ryan, and Seth Moulton.

That meeting did not go well, with those insurgent Democrats leaving frustrated and shut down.

"Moments ago we met with Leader Pelosi and tried to engage her in a reasonable conversation about leadership transition," Rice said in a statement after the meeting. "Unfortunately, our concerns were dismissed outright. We remain united behind our goal of new leadership and intend to vote against Leader Pelosi in Caucus and on the Floor of the House."

Moulton expressed his frustration with leadership and the poor results of the meeting in a statement, slamming Pelosi for not following through on past commitments.

"The private sector, non-profit organizations, even the Republican Party, have been able to have the difficult conversations about what a plan for succession looks like. No one wants to see this civil conversation to spill into a floor fight," Moulton said. "Right now, Leader Pelosi will not have the 218 votes necessary to become Speaker."

And while Pelosi has gained a lot of ground through old-fashioned Washington dealmaking, she still needs more support in the next month — and has to hope a challenger does not arise that could win more votes from Democrats looking for another option, of which there are several.

NOW WATCH: <a id="db520c74-e29c-3064-aa8c-1a75075d6fc5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lindsey-graham-holy-hell-attorney-general-jeff-sessions-mueller-donald-trump-2017-7?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Lindsey Graham once warned there would be 'holy hell to pay' if Trump fired Jeff Sessions </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cindy-hyde-smith-claims-narrow-victory-in-mississippi-senate-race-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith narrow victory in Mississippi's Senate race could indicate a Democratic resurgence in the South</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/newly-elected-democrats-angle-for-power-as-pelosi-struggles-for-house-speaker-votes-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Newly-elected House Democrats make their play for powerful positions as Pelosi seeks their votes for House speaker</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-opposition-nancy-pelosi-speaker-house-has-virtually-collapsed-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Democratic opposition to Nancy Pelosi's bid for speaker of the House has virtually collapsed</a> </li></ul>

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 07: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds a news conference following the 2018 midterm elections at the Capitol Building on November 7, 2018 in Washington, DC. Republicans kept the Senate majority but lost control of...

Nancy Pelosi just passed her first test toward becoming House speaker with flying colors, but there's still trouble ahead

WASHINGTON — During the lame duck session, the period after the election but before the new Congress convenes in January, lawmakers typically have a long list of legislation they want to push through in the final two months of work.

This year's lame duck session has a handful of things Republicans want to get to President Donald Trump's desk before Democrats take back the majority control they earned on Election Day. But first, Republicans will have to pass the remaining funding to avoid another partial government shutdown — and even that is tied to highly controversial proposals.

While funding the government is must-pass legislation, many Republicans see the end of the year push as the final chance to secure the funds to build Trump's long-promised wall along the US-Mexico border.

Read more: <a id="030c8828-07bc-365e-aae8-569e3d852c49" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-flake-mueller-bill-passed-senate-trump-judicial-nominees-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Jeff Flake threatens to block Trump's judicial nominees until Senate votes on bill to protect Mueller </a>

To make matters worse, Trump has repeatedly threatened to veto a funding bill if it does not have money for his border wall included.

"Couldhappen, yeah. Over border security," Trump told reporters on Thanksgiving when asked about the prospect of a government shutdown. "The wall is just a part of border security — a very important part. Probably the most important part. Butcouldtherebe ashutdown?Therecertainlycould. And it will be about border security, of which the wall is a part."

The threats from Trump to cause a government shutdown over wall funding are nothing new, but Republicans often fear finding an agreeable path forward until Trump gives his blessing. And at the current moment, the House and Senate funding bills look very different, with the House plan offering $5 billion to beef up border security compared to $1.6 billion in the Senate bill.

A major criminal justice reform proposal is being considered as well, but has also been the cause of a lot of Republican infighting over the bill's specifics.

While proponents of the First Step Act want to see it passed before the Congress disbands at the end of the year — and Trump himself has pushed for the bill to be considered — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has remained hesistant to move anything forward out of fear the Republicans opposed to it could create divisions in the conference.

Spearheading the White House's effort to move the bill has been Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also attended the Senate Republicans' closed door lunch on Tuesday alongside Vice President Mike Pence in an effort to cultivate support.

According to multiple senators in the room, Kushner did not speak, but Pence did, offering vigorous support for the bill.

When lawmakers emerged, McConnell told reporters that Republicans "had an extensive discussion" about criminal justice reform. In addition, McConnell said they would begin whipping the conference to gauge support for "not only the substance, but the timing of moving forward with [the legislation]."

A farm bill reauthorization hangs in the balance as well, with major differences between the House and Senate versions creating a jam.

The House version wants work requirements for able-bodied individuals receiving food stamps. While Trump and most Republicans back that proposal, the Senate's version does not have it included, making it particularly difficult to get through when you also need to pass a 60-vote threshold with only 51 Republicans.

<h1> Controversial legislation hanging in the balance </h1>

The fate of US support for Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen makes its way to the Senate floor this week, with many Republicans and Democrats looking to invoke the War Powers Resolution and offer their first rebuke to the Trump administration for its tepid response to the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Both Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are briefing senators on the US-Saudi relationship on Wednesday, but some have find this unsatisfactory and are looking for further answers from CIA Director Gina Haspel.

"I want somebody from the intel committee to come debrief the Congress about what the gang of eight and the president have heard about [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman]," Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Tuesday. "The strategic relationship is important, but the conduct of butchering a man in your consulate violates every norm of civilized society. And what makes the world a more dangerous place is when there are no more rules left — when America looks the other way."

Graham, who is not backing the effort to invoke the War Powers Resolution, also noted Trump's response to the killing of Khashoggi, saying that while he understands the White House role is about a "strategic relationship," there is more at stake than just business.

"The difference I have is I think to give MBS a pass if he clearly is complicit — if — is a huge mistake for regional stability, sets us back in terms of our ability to hold the world together, and takes our voice off the table in a credible fashion."

Another pressing issue, which has created headaches for McConnell, is retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake's <a id="e6c841a2-b60d-35a4-aa9a-dbff90c1811a" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-flake-mueller-bill-passed-senate-trump-judicial-nominees-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> pledge to not support judicial confirmations </a> until he receives a floor vote for the bipartisan bill aimed at putting protections in place in the event Trump tries to fire Robert Mueller, who is heading the special counsel tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

McConnell has the ultimate say on what makes it to the floor and has signaled he would block any attempts to bring the special counsel protections to a vote. But Republicans who are uneasy with Flake's tactics have showed some signs of breaking.

During an interview with conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt early Tuesday morning, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn acknowledged the Mueller protection bill could potentially get a vote in the coming weeks.

"There is a possibility we will have a vote on the Mueller, so-called Mueller protection bill, but I think there really is some serious Constitutional issues on that, and I certainly don’t support it," Cornyn said.

It is still a long shot, and Republicans can still confirm the large slate of Trump's judicial nominations without Flake's support. But it certainly makes it difficult having to bring in Pence for tie-breakers over and over again.

NOW WATCH: <a id="2a213334-ff2f-3acd-a5bf-cd85acedc4b5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-nfl-league-usfl-sued-tweet-three-dollars-2017-9?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Trump once won a lawsuit against the NFL — but the result was an embarrassment </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manafort-lawyers-still-in-touch-with-trump-team-cooperation-mueller-russia-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">What Paul Manafort's highly unusual move to brief Trump's team on his discussions with Mueller reveals about his strategy</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-commentator-geraldo-rivera-slams-use-of-tear-gas-on-migrants-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera slams use of tear gas against migrants: ‘I am ashamed…These are desperate people’</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tweets-attacks-mueller-russia-after-corsi-rejects-plea-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Trump rips Mueller for 'ruining lives' of people 'refusing to lie' after Jerome Corsi says he will reject Mueller's plea offer</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: Democratic opposition to Nancy Pelosi's bid for speaker of the House has virtually collapsed

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 06: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and members of his staff head to the floor of the Senate for the confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh U.S. Capitol October 06, 2018 in Washington, D...

Republicans are scrambling to save some of Trump's biggest campaign promises before Democrats take over Congress

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