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Top Dem negotiator says 'no one got everything they wanted' in deal to avoid government shutdown

Posted at 7:03 AM, Feb 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-12 08:03:03-05

One of the lead Democratic negotiators of the border security deal said Tuesday that the tentative agreement reached late Monday night after weeks of talks is a "compromise."

"No one got everything they wanted," Rep. Nita Lowey of New York told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day" Tuesday.

Lowey, as House appropriations chairwoman, was part of a bipartisan, bicameral group that has been negotiating over border security to avert a partial federal government from going into effect at the end of the week.

Lowey confirmed CNN's reporting Monday night that the deal, agreed to in principle, included $1.375 billion for a barrier along some parts of the southern border. The full details of the deal have yet to be publicly released.

"This is not a wall. This is a barrier," she said. "These are fences. I think $1.375 is a good number."

Asked if the conference got any sign from the White House that the President would sign the bill, Lowey said, "I don't listen to signals from above. I listen to the words of my colleagues who are working with me in negotiating this bill. ... I am cautiously optimistic we will get this through."

"It's a deal I think represents our values and will secure the border and do the job it's intended to do," Lowey told CNN. "And by the way, along with this, are coming the other bills that we have to pass that are very, very important for the environment, for health care, for all the issues we have a responsibility to fund."