Rep. Jim Hagedorn: 'Democrats Have To Move Toward President' On Border Security

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Now that the shutdown is over, it's not clear what will happen next.

The president set a deadline of Feb. 15 for a deal to be reached for funding for his border wall.

Republicans and Democrats are expressing skepticism that a deal can be reached.

President Trump has said if a deal is not reached by Feb. 15 he could use his powers to divert money from other sources to fund the wall. That will almost certainly result in legal challenges that could drag on for months. While many Democrats are feeling emboldened by what they see as their win in the border standoff, Republicans and conservatives seem unclear as to their next steps.

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter blasted the President on Twitter, saying he's "the biggest wimp to ever occupy the White House." And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted 25 Republican Congressman who backed the president's shutdown stand with Facebook Ads. One of those targeted is Minnesota freshman Republican Jim Hagedorn, who won Minnesota's 1st Congressional District race in November.

"The Democrats are going to have to move towards the president on this and for this reason: After three weeks, if they don't agree with having some physical structures at the border to protect the country, the president does have the executive power to declare an emergency and repurpose money from Homeland Security and the Defense Department to get the job done," Hagedorn said.

One possible avenue for compromise could lie with a proposal the president floated earlier: Democrats would provide funding for a wall in exchange for a reprieve for the so called Dreamers -- those who entered the country illegally as children.

But while the president wants that reprieve to be temporary, Democrats insist it must be permanent.