Republican lawmakers critical of President Trump may present the best opening for Democrats to work across the aisle, a Democratic lawmaker says.
{mosads}”There are openings there to talk with Republicans who are not totally on board with Donald Trump,” freshman Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) said in an interview with The Hill’s Molly K. Hooper.
“I think moderate Republicans [are] open to discussion on social issues.”
Espaillat is one of several Democrats to introduce measures aimed at blocking construction of Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
His bill would “prohibit the construction of new border barriers, including walls or fences, on certain Federal land.”
Though his measure only has Democratic co-sponsors, the former undocumented immigrant said he is reaching out to border-state Republicans for support.
Several moderate GOP lawmakers, including Reps. Charlie Dent (Pa.) and Tom Reed (N.Y.), said they were meeting with Democrats as recently as Wednesday to find common ground on matters such as tax reform and infrastructure.
“There’s a lot of dialogue going on in the Tuesday Group and New Dems and Blue Dogs … particularly in context of again, tax reform, infrastructure,” Dent, co-chair of the moderate Tuesday Group Caucus, told The Hill.
Watch the video above to hear the lawmakers in their own words.