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Cotton: Democrats in 'Unreasonable Negotiating Position' on Immigration, Need to Compromise

January 7, 2018

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) said on Sunday that Democrats are in an "unreasonable negotiating position" when it comes to immigration and DACA legislative talks.

On ABC’s "This Week," host George Stephanopoulos asked Cotton if there was a way for the two parties to come to a solution on what the fate would be of DACA immigrants and at the same time satisfying President Donald Trump’s push for a wall at the southern border.

Cotton said the president and Congress have been working on a compromise piece of legislation for the past four months in an effort to address both important issues.

He talked about the "unheralded" accomplishments of the Trump administration so far by growing the economy in part by keeping low-skilled and unskilled immigration under control.

"We need to continue on those efforts, while also finding a reasonable compromise for those people who were brought here  as young children and young adults through no fault of their own," Cotton said. "I hope the Democrats will come off their reasonable negotiating position and be willing to compromise."

However, Stephanopoulos reminded Cotton that multiple Democrats, including Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.), have very strong oppositions to the $18 billion request from Trump to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and wouldn’t be willing to compromise on that front.

"We’re not even close to a compromise at this point are we?" Stephanopoulos asked, adding that the Republicans were not likely to give in to the Democrats demands.

"Well George, as you rightly said, those are Democratic demands," Cotton said. "As they are often portrayed that the Republicans only make demands while Democrats negotaite."

Cotton addressed Trump's rhetoric about North Korea as well, saying his recent "nuclear button" tweet "reiterated a fundamental point of strategic deterrence" dating back to the Cold War.

"President Trump's statement didn't come out of the blue. Kim Jong Un is the one that raised the issue of a nuclear button in his New Year’s Day speech," he said. "And for 25 years, we’ve sat around and allowed to Kim regime the make any kind of threats they want against the United States. Donald Trump's statement just reiterated a fundamental point of strategic deterrence going back to the earliest days of the Cold War, which is that we will not allow other countries to hold us at risk with a threat of nuclear attack when our arsenal is the largest and the strongest in the world."

Cotton also was asked about recent reports he may be tapped to take over as CIA Director if Mike Pompeo is moved up to Secretary of State.

"George, the last time I checked, the CIA has a director, and he's doing a pretty good job. And I'm honored to be serving in the Senate for the people of Arkansas," Cotton said.