BORDER/GOP/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Republicans are trying to head off a collision with President Donald Trump over the border wall this week, even as his new budget demands ensure the painful political battle will extend into the fall. Some GOP senators are discussing a potential compromise with the White House in order to limit Republican defections on a vote this week to overturn Trump’s emergency declaration, according to GOP senators and aides. The matter was unresolved as of Monday [3-11-19] evening, senators said, but the discussions underscore the reluctance of the GOP to fight with the president on the Senate floor. Republican senators queasy about the legality and precedent of Trump’s unilateral move to fund his wall are exploring whether the president will commit to signing a bill amending the National Emergency Act and curtailing presidential power. In exchange, they would consider standing with the president and potentially vote against the House-passed disapproval measure…Two GOP senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, discussed the potential changes to the law with the White House over the weekend. Tillis opposes Trump’s national emergency declaration and Lee is undecided on how he will vote. Roughly a dozen GOP senators are weighing whether to vote against the White House.”
–Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine, “GOP searches for way out of border fight with Trump,” Politico, March 11, 2019 7:19 pm