24 MICHAEL WOLFF | _—— 0s “3 moon a bipartisan Congress with surprising ease had passed the | The White House had originally asked for $25 billion for the Wall .3 trillion 2018 iati ill. * ; > Pelosi” snd Bannon nen there - McConnell, Ryan, Schumer, and although high-end estimates of the Wall’s ultimate cost came in at $70 3 hal i ‘ . leadership. “in the ores weer licen ae Demiceratne congressional billion. Even then, the $1.6 billion in the appropriations bill was not so ees = in their singular moment of bipartisan magnanimity, put one much for the Wall as for better security measures over on - ; This leoictive Wed _ As the final vote neared, a gentlemen's agreement appeared to have sesctiod “ an estone was a emule of Trump’s disengagement and been reached, one that extended to every corner of the government— a ey adne, efforts. “a presidents are eager to get down into with, it even seemed, Trump’s own tacit support, or at least his conve- e i ; ee - = aie th Sects took little or no interest. Hence the nient distraction. The understanding was straightforward: whatever their i ws “mos : <a ership—here supported by the budget stripe, members of Congress would not blow up the appropriations pro- and legislative teams in the White House—were able to pass an enormous cess for the Wall pre ai nea ane Trumps must-must item, the holy grail There were, too, Republicans like Ryan—with the backing of Repub- , ro 7 -mi witflne a wehe be 4 - eames cee Euan meant to run the lican donors such as Paul Singer and Charles Koch—who were eager to the hillwesctied at ra ile he nities stata and Mexico. Instead, walk back, by whatever increment possible, Trump's hard-line immigra- Abc fl same b te ‘ -_ ” - or border security. The current bill was in tion policies and rhetoric. Ryan and others had devised a simple method sae .. € h the Waa ven pushed forward at the end of the for accomplishing this kind of objective: you agreed with him and then x : : all. . ihc len he ae _— a