House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked President Trump to take unilateral action to improve conditions for migrants at the border and to limit the time migrant children can spend in unlicensed shelters.
Mrs. Pelosi, in a letter to Mr. Trump Monday, attempted to collect on the handshake deal she struck last week, in which she allowed Mr. Trump’s $4.6 billion border emergency spending bill to pass, and the administration agreed to work on a few of her demands.
The California Democrat laid out three items that she and Vice President Mike Pence agreed on. One is a demand for an updated policy for sanitation and supplies for migrants, another is a request that Congress be notified of deaths of children in the Health Department’s custody, and the third involves the use of unlicensed “influx” shelters.”
“I am deeply concerned that the legislation does not go far enough to prioritize the safety, health and well-being of migrant children and families,” Mrs. Pelosi said in her letter.
The speaker was in a bind last week over the spending bill. After weeks of delay, she orchestrated a partisan bill that emerged from the House, only to meet up against a Trump White House veto threat. Meanwhile, the GOP-led Senate responded with an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill.
Mrs. Pelosi at first signaled battle, suggesting she would lead her troops to reject the Senate bill and try to win concessions.
But a rebellion among her troops forced her to back down. Mr. Pence promised some face-saving moves could be taken later, but wouldn’t be included in the legislation itself.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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