Dear Congress and Mr. President. GROW UP! Compromise. Stop including pork and added items to the budget that you know will stop it dead in it's tracks!!!! None of you are experts on security - leave that to those that are. The likely best option is compromise - wall or fence may work in some areas, drones in others. But please, tell the American people that you care about us, about our security, and about the workers that are currently in limbo. Do something other than posture; it's growing old.
I cannot believe that there are not 13 or more Republican Senators who are reviled by the use of Federal employees as pawns to achieve the Trump Memorial Wall. American Pickers bundling technique is anathema (evil) and unacceptable in our Republics legislative process. It must stop now. Bundling and blackmail by Cadet Bone Spurs and his puppet master Mitch Machievelli McConnell is venal. Steven Miller and Trumputin clearly do not belong anywhere near our Republics legislative process. McConnell - a worm masquerading as an owl. Clear goal for 2020- Ditch Mitch, Dump Trump.
the senate did vote UNANIMOUSLY to fund the government thru february on 12-20-2018.
it was the HOUSE that REFUSED to vote on the CR - THE NEXT DAY.
then they all left town for 2 weeks.
since the new group took their oaths in the senate3 weeks ago - the senate has refused to vote on the CR passed by the new house.
maybe we need to recall EVERYONE in washington.
This should have been done 4 weeks ago. Too much primping and posing. Trump, Pelosi and Schumer - if you think any of them have our best interests in mind, you are extremely naive. These last four weeks have shown me how absolutely worthless these people are.
How about the Democrats don't cave. It's the same rubbish Donald pulls on contractors.
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Trump is a notorious liar and fraud. Can Mitch McConnell explain to us why, exactly, anyone would negotiate with this man? That could go a long way toward opening up a true dialogue and bipartisan action. Only with Trump sidelined can America start working again.
You know its sad that everyone is willing to give Trump his wall but one senate is making it impossible to reopen the government. Like seriously lady get off your high horse and give tye president what he wants. No one is benefiting with this shutdown. Your just making it longer to happen. So work with everyone and reopen the government!!
Imagine… thinking, our current day political wunderkinds are engaged in efforts to destroy this nation to satisfy their Party whims and ideologies, or thinking these same Party zealots are doing their best to create a culture war here in America.
Imagine… watching the maladies of a liberal lynching, or suborning perjury, or thinking the talons of a politically correct purge aka ‘deep state’ collaborators are in the process of eviscerating this Nation to satisfy their socialist whims and voracious hunger.
Imagine… watching the antics of progressive wastrels almost defies the imagination or magnifies the vagaries and contempt for any and all tolerance, they wrap themselves in. Talk about hypocrisy gone the way of labeling, or threating anyone a racist who disagrees with your notions of progressive ideologies.
Imagine… the latest victim of Chuck Schumer’s political angsts and efforts to label someone a racist is Mitch McConnell. It seems no one is immune from the hate filled rhetorical mumbo-jumbo of our progressive friends. I mean the hypocrisy and mockery of liberal justice and liberal tolerance is on display for all to see daily.
Pelosi is an obstructionist. Hard to believe she would shut the government down for one tenth of one percent of the budget. That is close to being brain dead.
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The surest and quickest way of ending this shutdown would be to make its consequences exquisitely painful to McConnell's constituents. They could, in turn, bring the pain to our cowardly and recalcitrant Senate majority leader, forcing him to do his job rather than hiding behind Trump's recalcitrance (born of Trump's own cowardice in the face of far-right punditry).
It's Trump's shutdown but he's indifferent to the pain of others, so it falls to McConnell (and Pelosi) to respond by wrangling veto-proof majorities on compromise bills. This cruelty born of idiocy must end.
This is an extremely misleading, or perhaps misinformed, writing of the news. Ms. Stolberg and Ms Davis arent doing the NYTs readership any favors by feeding this kind of misinformation to the gullible, self-absorbed public eager to be told exactly what it wants to hear.
In fact,,,,the Budget with all the agreed bells and whistles was APPROVED by the House before January.....exactly as the "people" negotiated....and it included 5billion for a pork project called the Wall. This is neither unique, nor unexpected....as each district got some pork in one form or another...AND every year, the so-called "Wall" recieves funding ever since 911......
What caused the illusory "shutdown"(actually a "partial shutdown"...meaning..."not a shutdown at all")? The SENATE caused the shutdown, not Trump. The SENATE....by their refusal to accept the House approved Budget.
And now Stolberg and Davis lack the professional integrity to tell the truth.
Trump owns the shut down; Trump owns the GOP. Nothing will change until Trump allows it. 100% Trump's fault. Ray Sipe
I don't care what the competing bills are, Mitch McConnell is proving to be a real sleazebag, he knows this whole stupid debate pushed by Trump is wrong.
There is absolutely no way any party or president should shut down the government and hold the country hostage to get their way in a policy debate, it's that simple.
The Republican Party should vote to reopen the government for until the end of the year, and remove that disgusting and fraudulent threat to the Country, and then both sides can debate, discuss and work on bipartisan legislation.
This whole method of Trump trying to hold our country hostage for his stupid campaign promise is a disgrace, and if allowed to stand will be a black mark on the country, politics, but mostly on the Republican Party.
It's DACA vs. MAGA!!!!
Mitch McConnell has refused until now to allow the bill (which coincidentally the majority, which were the Republicans passed in December) come to a vote in the senate! Why ?! Because Mitch knows that the bill would pass and they would have to open the government....and Donald would have LOST bigly! Mitch is not the senate majority leader, he is Donald's lap dog!
Mitch is the one that has been preventing the vote. BUT he allowed the senate of the United States to lift the sanctions on a Russian oligarch known to have had a part in Russia's attack on our democracy! Gee...Mitch what does Putin have on you and the rest of the Republicans?!
Want to end the Trump Shutdown, quickly?! TSA and Flight controllers walk off their jobs....air travel will come to a full stop....Donald will be on his knees!
Looking at the big picture, there has been a sharp decrease in the number of illegal immigrants arrested in the last 18 years at our southwestern border from approximately 1.6 million in 2000 to 400,000 in 2018.
Illegal border crossings are not limited to the southern border - in 2017, for example, there were also 3,027 illegal apprehensions along the Canadian border and 3,588 from the coastal border.
While cross-border migrants often make headlines, the largest number of illegal migrants settling in the US each year is those who stay in the country after their visas expire.
According to the most recent reports by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Center for Migration Studies, a non-partisan think-tank, the number who overstayed their visas has outnumbered those who crossed the border illegally every year since 2007.
In 2017, Canadians made up the largest group of these illegal migrants that entered by air or sea port of entry, followed by Mexicans (the majority of Canadians and Mexicans enter the US by land, and the DHS Overstay Report only provides air and sea overstay rates).
This is a made up crisis by President Trump and the Republicans.
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No reason why Trump should not build the wall himself with his money and Coulter’s and Limbaugh’s since they are the main 3 who want it. They can buy shovels and dig in. More fun for them and less costly for Americans. Go for it guys!
Trump has said many times over Mexico is paying for the wall. Why are his supporters not holding him to that promise made over and over again? He had a majority Republican house and senate for two years why was this not an issue then? There were bills he agreed too and then as soon as the Dems took over all of a sudden he won't sign them now he wants 5.7 billion for a steel wall. He said this is his shutdown he was proud to say and wasn't blaming anyone else, now he wants to blame the Dems? Come on people this is all on tape just google it all. This has got to stop!
It's delusional for democrats to think that Trump will fold...he has said he is willing to shut down the government for months or years to get money to build the wall...are the democrats willing to go many more months with the government shut down?...I think Pelosi and Schumer will cave in less than two more weeks...Trump knows what he doing and will be reelected in 2020...thank you democrats for making such a big deal of giving $5.7B for the wall...you're losing support by the day...
I'm all for symbols, but $5.7 billion on a useless monument??
The fact that WHITE HOUSE AIDES admit to intentionally sticking in poison proposals guaranteed to be rejected by Democrats means that they are prolonging this shutdown ON PURPOSE. I am starting to believe that Trump is intentionally damaging the U.S. and destabilizing the world--something ex-KGB Putin has been trying to do for decades. Pence for president, NOW!
Here you go again...
Making the argument appear that both sides have been babies and complicit in shutting down the government. Just like your Hillary can't be trusted memes of way back in 2015-2016. With a Liberal media like the NYT, does anyone wonder we are where we are? A useless and toothless Liberal media that repeats propaganda and lies while assigning false equivalences.
You cannot allow hostage taking in a debate. You must never allow that, yet where is the story of how Trump has created this entire made up lie so he can satisfy his ego? Why are you talking about this stuff, which amounts to reading an owner's manual to a propaganda-driven state.
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Dear Nancy Pelosi,
Please give Trump his wall.
Pass a Bill that guarantees that construction on the wall will begin the moment the check from Mexico clears the bank.
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@Barbara T I think that is a fair offer. Trump promised that since he such a great negotiator he would get Mexico to pay for the wall. If he fails then I think that he is obligated to pay for the wall.
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@Barbara T
Agreed, take the money from the $30 Billion sent to Mexico tax free by illegal aliens every year!
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The situation is far more dire than we realize. Mr. Trump's hatred of women -- demonstrated several times during the primaries -- is part of his constellation of mental disorders.
I believe that Nancy Pelosi's challenge to Mr. Trump re: the state of the union triggered something deep in Mr. Trump's unconscious and that now, there is no way that he can deal with her, lest he jeopardize his own psychological stability. In other words, his ego is now in charge and there is no / no room for compromise.
The sooner Schumer and McConnell resolve this, the better.
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I have a simple and easy plan to end the shutdown:
President Trump drops his request to fund his wall.
Done.
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@JeffW
I have just as simple a plan to end the shutdown...Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer give the president the $5.7B for the wall...
Done...
I wonder why our elected officials are still on the payroll, I actually believe that both parties don't really care about the American people, the ones who put these crooks in office thinking they were going to help not hurt us.
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I don't want to carry the tax burden to pay for the wall. I already think that income tax, state property tax, and federal income tax are unfair and unjust, and at this time impose without representation, nor would I consent to, if the constitution meant anything, and would like to stop giving my money to the government.
I don't want to pay for services I do not use or need.
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@HelloDolly
Do you realize that the $5.7 B that the president is asking for the wall is about 1/10th of 1% of the total budget of $4.407T which means that it probably would not even add one dime to your future taxes...
Thank you, NYT, for pointing out how little the Trump/McConnell bill actually offers. As an offer of compromise, it’s a fraud.
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I’m surprised that Trump is irked by the term “Trump shutdown,” I thought he coined the phrase.
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Centrist Democrat Elaine Luria is no friend of progressives.
The defeated a Republican to get her seat, but she's not a reliable ally.
“The Senate?!” No, NYT, it’s THE Mitch McConnell who has singularly abused his parliamentiary role as majority leader/President Pro Tem of the Senate to bar the full Senate from voting on the House appropriations bill, a bill that mirrors the one the Senate passed UNANIMOUSLY in December. With his complicit GOP support, McConnell now brazenly lies that voting on this bill would be a useless “show vote” since Trump claims he won’t sign it, nevermind that only two thirds of the Senate can override Trump’s would-be veto.
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Why has it taken so long for Senate Republicans to put together this legislation? Were they waiting for Stephen Miller to put together this toxic mix of legislation pitting furloughed government workers against Central American children? I cannot heap enough shame on either, to put government workers through that kind of pain and to then try and take away hope from foreigners.
BTW, say No to the SOTU.
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Nancy has been watching the Republican strategy of renaming things to sway the simpletons in America: "Trump shutdown". It has been proven to work. In reality, it should be the "Trump-McConnell shutdown". This would be over already if McConnell had any interest in doing the job as originally intended. We could add Ann Coulter's name to the label, since it was really her influence that convinced Agent Orange to renew demand for the stupid wall. But a three-word label may be too unwieldy for the Trump base that one is really targeting.
Trump's Wall. Trump's Shutdown. Trump’s Delusions.
Trump told his 'followers' that seem to support the Trump Wall that Mexico would PAY for his wall. Mexico never had an intention to pay for a wall, that was always a Trump delusion. Moreover, Trump’s Wall and Trump’s Shutdown is nothing more than a smoke screen to conceal from public the depth of his corruption. Kerry was correct. It is well past the time that Trump should resign.
How much of our tax dollars are being spent on Trump’s legal team? Perhaps we should demand that his legal team be paid for out of his pocket and the monies being poured down the legal drain go toward border security.
To the new Congress: It is your obligation to the American people to control a delusional President. The American people do not want a wall. The American people want a functioning government. Trump’s shutdown is jeopardizing all Americans security and that must stop.
We urge The Congress and Senate to pass a vote of no confidence on Trump and remove the big fat obstacle to American governance.
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I start with two givens. Never trust Mitch McConnell, and don't underestimate McConnell's ability to run rings around Schumer. That said, I can envision a possibility of this working. Republicans don't want the wall, or they could have easily funded it in Trumps first two years. But they are afraid to antagonize Trump loyalists. This way they get to vote for the wall, knowing it will fail in the House. Everyone can then vote for the two week funding, which could pass both Houses with big majorities. What will Trump do? Listen to the right wing media. If he vetoes, McConnell can handle it like the Merrick Garland nomination, and not bring up a veto over-ride until after the next election. After all, it is less than two years away.
Mitch McConnell and Trump is determined to destroy the Republican party as we know now. I'm just waiting for Nov 2020 to arrive. I hope, just hope, this great country survive till that election day from the tyranny of Mitch & Trump duo, supported by a fanatic opportunist herd of GOP congressmen.
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Trump tested boundaries of simple human decency when he allowed children to be stolen from their vulnerable families. Still, we do not know when, where and to whom many of those children have gone, in this country, on this day of their young lives. No thorough records and no accountability from Trump and his cohorts. And currently, Trump holds American citizens, Federal employees and agencies as currency, while he and the feckless McConnell, coward that he is, blithely sacrifice the health, the very livelihoods of American women, men and children, inclusive of those who voted for him. End the Trump partial Federal shutdown before any negotiations are considered by the House and Senate, toward building a Trump wall that the majority of our American population has made clear that they do not want in representation of our democratic republic. Put an end to the Trump shutdown, now. These bills, I am betting, will not pass. End the shutdown so that we may actually move forward with bipartisan negotiations, Trump ! You too, McConnell !
Yet another week wasted by the weak willed GOP. They control two branches of government and are adding a slew of conservative white male judges day after day.
THEY CANNOT GOVERN! They can only whine and say No. They can also be paid by Russia to make America weak. One wonders just how much Russian money is being laundered into their relection campaigns. I'm sure the iceberg is 99% hidden from us.
We need to unelect GOP Senators in 2020 and force their majorities created by disenfranchisement to dwindle. It's the only patriotic thing we voters can do.
“the phrase “Trump Shutdown” — which irked Mr. Trump in their televised Oval Office meeting last year”
You are wrong in that televised oval office meeting last year the president specifically said - in front of a national television audience that number tens of millions of witnesses - “I will shut down the government I will take the mantle I won’t blame you”
And the reason this New York Times articles deliberately lied about that encounter? They’re afraid of Trump. Fear of Trump, boy that’ll get us some earth breaking hard news stories huh?
Pelosi said, Building a Wall is "Inmoral". Why now is Inmoral if top democrats voted for building a wall in the southern border twice after 2006? We need more control in the border and we need a Immigration reform so we get to know who is coming to our country. Secure the borders first then get Immigration Reform.
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The Dems should not accept any “deal” that combines ending the shutdown with some “goody” from Trump or McConnell.
The bare fact is that any such “deal” is an extortion scheme. whereby ending deliberate harm to the Nation is offered in exchange for relinquishing the authority of the House to the whim of the President.
No discussion, no deliberation, $5.7 billion no caveats. Or else! Oh, and a “yes” gets a candy!
This unconstitutional behavior, abetted by McConnell, violates their oaths of office and should lead to censure at a minimum.
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will somebody please explain how the manufactured for tv border "crisis" that supposedly requires a medieval solution is any different from Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? made up feel-good stories for the credulous.
As always, Mitch McConnell, traitor to his oath of office, does as much damage to Our Country, Our system of Government and our Rule of Law as he possibly can.
I am sincerely hoping that ALL democrats hang tough in the face of this tyrannical bully and his minions in the Senate , led by the feckless McConnell. Caving now would effectively install Trump as the authoritarian leader of the U.S.A. Stick together, Democrats!
Trump is the Republican Party. Make no mistake, Have no doubt. He has ripped away the veil of policy and reduced the party to its essence. racist libertarianism. Occam's razor.
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Instead of giving Trump the $ for the wall, just create a budget item called, "Trump Pet Project" and allocate $5B to it. Think of it as a presidential discretionary pot of funding that he can spend (or try) anyway he likes. Trump likes to spend $ so give him some money and let him go off in the desert and build prototype walls to nowhere. They will make really nice graffiti palettes.
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Just reading this article, back and forth...the Democrats and Republicans "working their deal, sweeting the pot, we'll give you this...you give us that" is disgusting and completely vulgar. Our entire three branches of government, Executive, Legislative and Judicial should be cleaned out and filled with responsible mentally and morally healthy adults. I weep for my country.
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To satisfy trump's ego, we are supposed take an initial 5.7 billion dollars out of the pockets of taxpayers to build a wall that is neither needed or wanted. How can this possibly be? For the Democrats to yield would create an even greater disaster than we currently have.
Let me be perfectly clear. The egotistical lunatic that calls itself the POTUS is the sole creator of the current disaster. He and a minority of "deplorables" are attempting to force the majority of responsible American citizens into something they oppose. This cannot be allowed to happen. Somewhere, there need to be enough Congressional legislators with a conscience to form the necessary 2/3 majority needed to stop the lunatic before he destroys us.
Maybe the democrats can propose a bipartisan plan for Trump to step down from office immediately. Then the republican can counter with a plan to end democracy. And the papers of record can cover the story as where the meeting point between the two plans can be.
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I would Mitch McConnell and very Senator who votes for the $5.7 BILLION for the Wall - where are the specs? Is it a wall, a fence, bollards? Where will it be built - exactly where? What will the final cost be -$5.7 BILLION is just a down-payment?
Trump has been talking about this for at least three years, surely he has spent some time working on the specifics - surely no one would vote to spend so much money without some specific- at least these
1
@Maxie
I hope House Democrats govern the old-fashioned way, by holding hearings with expert testimony, budgets, and plans, just like you describe.
1
It's a mistake for Democtats to compromise while the country is held hostage. It is about setting the precident that we will not be bullied into making hasty legislation without thoughtful debate in the House and the Senate and due process. The country needs to be reminded that the shutdown os NOT about Immigration. It is about resumption of the Democratic processes that made this country great.
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Getting back to basics:
It seems the way out of this mess is for Ms. Pelosi to offer up a bill that would open the government, provide increased border security (some wall) and DACA protection. Senate Republicans who are vulnerable can vote no but other solid Republicans can support the measure along with Senate Democrats. Trump will veto it and it will go back to Congress where again vulnerable Republicans will vote no but enough will side with Democrats to reopen the government and override the veto. Trump can say he stood his ground, vulnerable Republicans can say they supported the President and Democrats did not give in to blackmail.
We can then go back to quiet gridlock and wait for 2020.
Of the 53 Republicans in the Senate I have a hard time believing more than forty of them actually believe it is worth keeping the government shut down in order to get a wall, yet they will not vote according to their heart and conscience, but instead the party line, which is now the Trump line. GOP senators do your job. You are part of the legislative branch of the government, not the executive branch. You work for the people, not for Trump. One aspect of Dem's bill is government workers could get their back pay as well as for today's work. Even if Trump closes it down again, at least the workers will get a bit of relief.
The Democrats and the few decent Republicans left must deal a "knock-out" punch to Mr. Trump. Give him nothing, recognize that his life's work has consisted largely of "bargaining with stolen goods," and his crude attempts at bullying the American Republic are more of the same. There're only two years left.
If the Democrats fold and give him even one dollar for a "wall," they will forever be remembered as weaklings. There are other words to use here, but weakling is clear enough.
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How about a SMALL INCOME TAX INCREASE directed toward paying for the wall. It is deficit neutral and can always be repealed as soon as Mexico pays for the wall or a majority of the population deems that whatever has been done is sufficient
@M Cote. How about a tax on the rich. Actually the immigrants threaten them the most. Isn’t it ironic, the poor are good enough to do all the manual labor at low wages, yet they will not be allowed to live here. Most of the Italians, Irish, Polish, etc. wouldn’t be here now if that attitude followed through. No one wants to accept being immigrants from generations before. That dear Indian Vietnam Vet is more American than all of them.
Trump does not seem to be interested to keep the Govt running. In fact, he has reasons to stop FBI and other federal agencies from doing what they are supposed to do, stop all investigation against Trump, deny Dem led House to do its job. We all know that Trump does not have any attachment to just any ideology (religious and political included), or ethics, or morality. He is only interested in his own money and power and for that he is ready to do anything- just anything- including holding the country hostage. This wall thing is just an excuse. Trump neither has any clue how to minimize illegal immigration not if his wall would do that job. All available data indicate otherwise. He hardly care about just anything, including illegal immigration. There is a reason why Trump is not going after the employers who are recruiting those illegal immigrants or importing cheaper and easily exploitable legal immigrants. In that case almost every Trump organization would be persecuted.
It's the GOP senators who must share the main blame for this shut-down, as they are enabling Trump to destroy our Govt in particular and the society as a whole.
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Speaker Pelosi should propose legislation that one-ups the wall by funding construction of a dome over the entire continental United States. The national dome could be constructed by the Trump Organization in exchange for the President's resignation. (Fantastic DEAL!! Everybody WINS!!) An initial appropriation of $1 billion could made to the President upon delivery of his resignation.
It seems a small price to pay to make him go away.
Actually, the only GOOD thing that I see, coming out of the shut-down, is that government employees are LEARNING how the general public feels. Now that government workers must plead, and beg, for basic needs, maybe they will LEARN how their victims (the impoverished) feel, when government workers look DOWN their nose, at applicants. As they say: The shoe is, now, on the OTHER foot. I only hope that government workers LEARN from this.
@Daniel Wolf
Government workers keep your Social Security checks coming and Medicaid functioning.
I don't know about you, but whenever I've called the IRS about a problem I've received helpful courteous answers.
Your hurt feelings are no excuse for people's livelihoods to be endangered.
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5.7 billion? Let's repay the so-called 'loan" borrowed off of Americans' Social Security first. What will be left to protect if we don't treat our retired and elderly well???
If anyone ever proposes a future shutdown of the government, we the citizens should shut down the economy. Stay home and don't spend. The message will reverberate quickly.
Trump's bi-partisan compromise:
"after White House officials conceded privately on Tuesday they had tacked on controversial proposals anathema to Democrats"
Trump is all about 'spin'! I hope Speaker Pelosi sticks to her guns and denies Trump his House staging of the SOTU address.
Are Congress and Senate getting their pay during the shutdown? If they are; a) that’s not fair, b) they should not be paid. Open the government, it’s the right and humane thing to do. How can they stand the suffering of all these Americans? Boggles my mind. As for the wall, I don’t even care anymore, just open the government already!
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They're still talking about funding the government through February 8? That's two weeks away. Then we'll have to do this all over again. This is no way to run a country.
I live in the Rio Grande Valley. I am dead-set against a wall, which is not only a huge waste of money but a national insult to the communities along the border. It doesn't fix any problems, it will only create new ones. It is inhumane and reflects a deep lack of understanding of a complex problem.
That said, Democrats could give Trump his wall funding, but tied up with conditions that would make it impossible to carry out -- and just let it die. Trump wouldn't even know the difference.
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@Mark Kaswan Funding for un-needed "Trumputin Memorial Wall" to be provided in equal annual installments over a 50 year time frame. But, even that is surrendering to the vile practice of using Federal employees as pawns via a shutdown. Absolutely not acceptable in our Republics Legislative Process. This bundling of legislation has been going on for 12 years - McConnell methodology - sickening - - separate issues, separate analysis, deliberation - separate voice vote.
2
McConnell has been the invisible man and controls the Senate agenda. “Both sides” had nothing to do with this.
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@gdurt Word on the street is, many are convinced, thousands believe, uuuuuge number of phone calls, un-named inside WH sources indicate, that Mitch actually has an office behind the curtain in the Oval Office. Right next to the straight jacket hidden back there - That straight jacket labeled DT. Oval office staff practice on a rotund stand in when Donnychild is off on his numerous golf outings. Stand in screams, struggles, curses, hurls insults, tries to be as realistic as possible. Unhappy right now since he is not getting paid.
Trump is so odious that the natural instinct of every decent human is to oppose him and think him wrong on every subject. But in this, the Democrats are the villains. They shut down the government over illegal immigrants once and now they are doing it again. They obstruct enforcement in sanctuary cities. They sue over every attempt at enforcement. They demand unconditional amnesty. They call to abolish ICE.
It is clear that they put the interest of foreigners over the interests of American citizens. This shutdown is the result.
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@WorkingMan "Democrats scheduled votes on a package of six spending bills negotiated between House and Senate Republicans and Democrats that would include funding for immigration judges and infrastructure improvements at ports of entry. They also planned a vote on a separate stopgap spending bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Feb. 28." Seems rational to me.
The chatter about open borders and ending ICE is amplified by you and other republicans to polarize and create conflict between all citizens, and it has become tiresome and destructive, just like the leaders of the Republican party.
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@WorkingMan
The shutdown is the result of blackmail by infant Trump.
He could not have his way so he went into tantrum and took away his football.
City law enforcement is not required to enforce federal regulations. It is not their jurisdiction.
No Democrats have demanded "unconditional amnesty." The have proposed legislation leading to legalization of undocumented immigrants. Even the GOP has backed that idea.
There is no general call to "abolish ICE," although there should be.
Ironic to accuse the Democrats of putting foreign interests first, in light of the collusion with Russia by Trump and his minions.
10
@WorkingMan Notice not many agree with you. Maybe you're not seeing something??
6
Stephen Miller should not be in a position of guiding immigration reform.
His values reflect the backward thinking which links skin tone to a person's value, like those of Trump. His anti-asylum policies -- insisting that refugees fleeing for their lives be sent back to their country of origin to ask for exile there, is handing them a death warrant.
A willingness to disinfranchise, starve and eliminate entire large groups of people, based on skin tone and class,
is a hallmark of Trump's Republican administration.
One has to only look at voter suppression laws, the denial of nourishment to the poor and aged, cutting of healthcare benefits, the taking of Native American lands and leasing them to fossil fuel barons, defying U.S. immigration law by holding 45,000 women and children at the Southern border, instead of processing their applications. Trump himself uses lies about immigrants to foment hatred.
These actions all point to a true disdain and loathing for the poor and the not white.
The Senate Republicans are not acting in good faith. They presented an untenable plan, hostile to traditional values of helping those in distress. Trump's wall will take over $50 billion to engineer, is a truly racist symbol for a supposedly welcoming country, and will destroy a thousand miles of pristine canyons and national parks, plus, it won't work.
We just got rid of confederate monuments. Do we really need another monument to racial hatred?
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@Lilou
I bet you wouldn't have the nerve to say that to the tens of thousands of Americans families who've had a family member murdered or killed by an illegal immigrant.
The Shutdown negotiation tactics are the same he has used in hit Tariff actions. We can all see how that has worked out - mostly stalemate. He is used to negotiating from a strong position, he does not have that now, and doesn't know anything else. Consequentially, we are all stuck.
3
republicans want to paint government and needless, wasteful, and disorganized.
so they are making that a reality.
will the media and america see that for what it is?
3
Wall demands and border security spending are not the same thing.
6
Stephen Peck of Washington WV says, in the most favored comment, "There has always been a way to open the government. McConnell could allow voting on the bill that was passed 100-0 last month."
Yes, Mr. Peck, OUR U.S. Senators must grow a spine and throw Traitor Mitch McConnell out as "leader". He has no right to hold the people of OUR United States of America hostage to his sick vision.
9
It is absolutely horrific what these poor people (federal workers) are going through, and all because a child is throwing a tantrum while being encouraged by a Senate majority leader who clearly isn't interested in his country, his duty, his conscience, or his reputation. I'd like to see an end to shutdowns, but I'd settle for legislation providing for continuing pay for federal workers during shutdowns. The services they provide would stop, but the paychecks wouldn't.
5
Congratulations Annie and Maggie for not including a Trump tweet in this terrific report!
1
NYTimes; please publish an explanation of why the Democrats proposal can't get us past February. That is still scary an unsatisfactory to a Federal employee and leaves us all to wonder if our nation's financial management can never see past a monthly cycle. No responsible individual, corporation or non-profit organization operates that way. So I MUST be missing an obvious somewhere. Please help answer this"silly" question for me - and many others I suspect.
That said, I say "No Wall".
19
Anyone trying to shift responsibility for the shutdown to Democrats needs to realize one fact: Republicans and Trump, before the outrage of Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, were ready to fund the government for a time without The Wall while they negotiated border security. By 99% in favor.
The only reason not to vote for this again, by 99%, is if Trump, and thus Republicans supporting him, want Americans in financial pain, with all of the resulting fallout, to be an element in forcing concessions on Democrats. And remember, what would have been over a month of negotiation would now be down to two weeks, since little negotiation in good faith has happened since the shutdown began.
We have to check Trump's governing for the far right wing of the GOP. He's supposed to be the President of EVERYONE. Instead, this so-called strong leader keeps acting like a puppet. Putin. Kim. Ann Coulter and co. Who can't get him to do their bidding with just a few choice words or the lure of big bucks?
Make America Great Again? We're going backwards all right; to when we were not as great as we have been before Trump, or even during WW II, the civil rights era of the 60s, or getting the Soviet Union punted.
4
Time for the Senate to assert its power and put Trump in his place. 67 votes for opening government without funding for border wall (wall negotiation deferred). The number of grateful Americans for this action would overwhelmingly outnumber Limbaugh, Coulter and the ‘base’ who want to make governing the country a one-issue-at-a-time habit.
5
Somehow Republicans are ignoring the fact that 72% of Americans oppose the wall and the Trump Shutdown!
Why would we trust Schumer now? He was not been representing Democrats as he should. He continues to cave in to Republican demands that are not part of our viewpoint or beliefs. The majority of us are with "no wall" and certainly trading billoins on a wall for something that was taken away (Dreamers, etc..) is not a fair deal. It's a hard decision when youre in the tranches, but a clear decsion when you can see the forest for the trees.
1
I think the requirement for Central American children to request asylum from their home countries instead of at the border and in the US should be expanded to all requests for asylum regardless of the person's age or home country.
Separate and apart from border issues, the government must reopen.
1
ATTENTION SENATORS: Grow a spine and throw Traitor Mitch McConnell out as "leader". WE THE PEOPLE do not want the kind of America he represents. He has no right to hold the people of OUR United States of America hostage to his sick vision.
Act Now! If not WE THE PEOPLE will call for a total government shutdown and storm OUR bastille - OUR white house, OUR U.S. Senate and OUR U.S. House of Representatives.
This treason against democracy must not stand in OUR United States of America. Not now. Not ever.
5
I think both Senate Bills are DOA. Why would anyone trade DACA for three years for a permanent wall? Republicans didn't vote for a wall when they held the House and Senate, why would they vote for one now? The Supreme Court just ruled in favor of DACA, so the President can't offer that anymore.
Here's an idea: The House and Senate could pass what they initially passed back in December. Nancy Pelosi and Mitch could agree to start work on a reasonable bi-partisan bill to address immigration and border security based on facts. If the President veto's again than the shutdown is once again on his shoulders.
Failing that maybe would we get Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh to the table and see what they will accept. That's what changed the Presidents mind back in September.
There was bi-partisan support for the initial Bill, never forget that.
4
Here's an idea, make Deripaska and Putin pay for the wall. One can argue that isolating America from the rest of the world is one of Russia's primary goals, so the wall fits in nicely with the Kremlin's strategic vision. It would also erode U.S. influence on Mexico, shifting our southern neighbor to Russia's orbit. And since Trump has lifted sanctions on Deripaska, Putin's principal moneyman, they can well afford $5.7 billion to wall us off from the southern part of our hemisphere.
3
What are we doing living in a country that allows its politicians to shut down the government?
6
Unsurprisingly, Republicans have no shame. Proposing to give an inch and take a mile, they have yet to relearn the value in deliberative democracy and the independence of Congress.
As difficult as it is, Democrats need to say no right now. Use the power given to you by the electorate, and teach the Republicans that extortion politics don't work anymore.
4
So. Either Democrats need to jump on the floor and amend the Republican bill - 5.7b wall into border security with specific allocations to checkpoints, drones, and barriers, add back DACA and strip out those cruel asylum provisions. Or Republicans need to jump on the floor, and amend the Democrats’ bill. Give Trump a little face-saver. Then, everyone needs to agree to override his veto.
They both can add to this budget a regulation preventing future shutdowns. Either they use automatic CRs, or any future cessation of government services stemming from a shutdown will result in the automatic freeze of all Congressional and executive salaries and legal penalties for members who instigate.
28
@ann Sorry but one should NOT give in to a hostage taker, especially one that is cruel, unconsidered, unsympathetic and heartless. Furthermore, how can one in earnest negotiate with such a person, how? In this case giving in to Trump, McConnell, the GOP and their ilk, it becomes a win-win situation for them and a loosing proposition for Pelosi, Schumer and the Democrats. Backing down from the $5.7 billion demand allows the opposition to come to the table and is a face saving gesture for both parties.
3
Mr.Trump will not budge, showing compassion for government workers is not in his DNA.
Sen. Kaine has the best solution: Reject the President's proposal, but send it to committee for amendment and bipartisan compromise; then vote to open the government. That is a rational outcome for the votes tomorrow, and it would be the Senate doing what Congress is supposed to do - do what is right for the country, regardless of what the President thinks.
Trump's opinion isn't worth much now, looking at the polls.
4
Compromise. Offer funding of 1billion toward "the wall" to get the government operational. In all likelihood, there are parts of the border where a "wall" or obstruction or gateway is in place that needs repairs and they can use the money for that and put up a part of his "visionary" wall that would be used by USCS and CBP to determine the effectiveness of this deterrent to illegal immigration.
2
It is a country of those that want time to stand still so they can avoid taking on the challenges of the future and those that feel time is running out to do so.
1
Trump hasn’t change America; it’s what the country evolved into that created him and his ilk. And these unpaid government workers are only the latest casualties resulting from America's decades' long neglect to repair their dysfunctional immigration system.
America’s widening disparity between rich and poor is the price exacted from its protracted dependence to slave labour provided by illegal immigrants.
It empowers employers and private individuals to employ millions of undocumented workers to displace the country’s lower income citizens and legal residents from the job market. And that sits perfectly well for people whose jobs are not affected.
The underground economy has expanded from farm workers, labourers and nannies to the construction sites. And there’s no end to how far it can go.
America’s resounding message is we want our “stuff” at the lowest prices possible, and if that means sacrificing our neighbours’ dignity to support themselves, then so be it.
2
Here's a thought: say Putin doesn't let Trump raise the debt limit in March and senate repubs don't override him. Boom. It's over. Game, set, match.
The solution oriented approach advocated by Ms Luria is the answer . Open government first so we can function as a nation and pay federal workers for their work. Then evaluate and expand border security, immigration judges and even wall funding where deemed necessary and effective by the non partisan experts. That is the compromise to offer Trump for his wall in the negotiations.
Communicate, compromise and collaborate. Both sides at the table negotiating in good faith with the understanding that we all want border security. Mr Trump has yet to display this ability central to our democracy and Senator McConnell has actively repressed it with McConnell as the linchpin.
We all want border security. DACA and Immigration reform measures that Trump has added to his sea to shining sea wall demands should be dealt with fully and separately and in bipartisan debate.
The message should be sent by both the Republicans and Democrats that Mr Trump's actions have been unpalatable and he will not shut down government in order to get his way. That is not how democracy works.
I agree too that Trump should have no platform in the State of the Union to push his feckless wall demands, his fear mongering about immigrants and inhumane attitudes about children. We all know the State of the Union and it isn't good.
7
@Deborah
The US has border security.
The "crisis" is a hysterical reaction by the GOP to bolster its racist and xenophobic base.
Go ahead. Give him his State of the Union. Then do the right thing and don’t televise it. Media, use your power.
4
Stephen Miller should not be in a position of guiding immigration reform.
His values reflect the backward thinking which links skin tone to a person's value, like those of Trump. His anti-asylum policies -- insisting that refugees fleeing for their lives be sent back to their country of origin to ask for exile there, is handing them a death warrant.
A willingness to disinfranchise, starve and eliminate entire large groups of people, based on skin tone and class,
is a hallmark of Trump's Republican administration.
One has to only look at voter suppression laws, the denial of nourishment to the poor and aged, cutting of healthcare benefits, the taking of Native American lands and leasing them to fossil fuel barons, defying U.S. immigration law by holding 45,000 women and children at the Southern border, instead of processing their applications. Trump himself uses lies about immigrants to foment hatred.
These actions all point to a true disdain and loathing for the poor and the not white.
The Senate Republicans are not acting in good faith. They presented an untenable plan, hostile to traditional values of helping those in distress. Trump's wall will take over $50 billion to engineer, is a truly racist symbol for a supposedly welcoming country, and will destroy a thousand miles of pristine canyons and national parks, plus, it won't work.
We just got rid of confederate monuments. Do we really need another monument to racial hatred?
4
And Stephen Miller is 33, what does he know about real life? Very little. He should not be in the position he is in, but of course he's a racist and so is Donald.
This shutdown started in the 115th Congress, when the GOP controlled both Houses of Congress, AND the White House. It is a TRUMP SHUTDOWN!
4
The House, and especially the Senate need to read their instructions for how to do their job, the Constitution of the United States of America, and get on the path to using the veto override to stop the stalemate; doing the citizens of this country a good!
This stalemate is not doing the country any favors, and will leave lasting damage; stop it now! They need to work out a robust immigration bill, due for over 60 years, instead of acting out nonsense and blowing piecemeal "solutions" pushed by politics instead of intelligence and knowledge.
2
If the border if an "emergency" then building a wall that will take approximately 11 years to build, doesn't seem to be a very fast response to an "emergency"!!!
4
The blockade in the Senate is McConnell, not the Republican majority, and whatever we get after so much destruction he'll gleefully take credit for skillful maneuvering. He and Trump, the same.
3
I am pained by crippling of the government; by the punishment inflicted on federal workers' families; by the dropping of services to the public.
This has to stop but the all sides have become intransigent.
Would Dems object if the WALL was funded by Mexico?
Instead let's get the recipients of Trumps patronage, beneficiaries of irresponsible tax cuts, pay for the WALL through a surcharge on their income tax.
2
Of course Dems would object to the wall even if we as built by Mexico. "The wall" as defined by Trump is an archaic notion. It's also an environmental catastrophe in the making. Technology is the key. Wasn't it a famous Republican President that said "Mr Gorbachov, tear down that wall"
2
Why is this happening now? Why didn't Trump try harder to get his wall when Republicans were the majority in Congress? A thought: the shutdown has little to do with a wall. Trump's goal is to destroy existing government agencies, weaken our institutions and prevent the Democratic majority in the House from proceeding with any of their investigations and public hearings into the Cabinet members and their departments. There is an agenda here folks.
12
"Another option, they said, is a rally speech somewhere outside Washington, but aides are concerned that would not be distinct enough from the type of event the president routinely holds."
Oh great. His and the crowd's wicked behavior at these rallies is exactly why the MAGA-hat-wearing students were suspected of being part of the ugly confrontation in DC last weekend.
What, if anything, is this guy trying to do besides foment more unrest and division to distract from his impending and ongoing investigations?
7
The shutdown is national disgrace that compromises national security and the economic security of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Republicans can play image politics as much as they like- and Trump can stand like a tinpot dictator causing harm with impunity to somehow "help" his 2020 election chances or fleeting popularity. But the American people must realize that this is nothing more than a punch in the gut to them, their families and their security- to appease egos. The Wall is an excuse- not a cause. A cynical symbol amounting to nothing- framed in ultra-right wing politics and racism. A brain-child of a demented Stephen Miller and a paranoid Donald Trump.
The Republican controlled Senate had best act soon to reverse this atrocity- or whatever slim changes their party has for viability will vanish in the thin air and the party of Lincoln will be fully transformed into the party of Trump- a fascist controlled bunch of corporate shills who care for nothing but their own hide.
9
The government shut down will end when Democrats love the USA more than they hate Trump!
6
@Professor Ice so what didn't trump push hard when the GOP had control of both houses?
1
A big story The New York Times missed last week.
"House GOP voted to pay federal employees their 1st paycheck of 2019, despite the shutdown. Only 6 House Democrats voted for the measure, while 222 Democrats voted against it. It failed. Democrat priority is not paying middle-class, federal workers, or opening gov't. It is opposing Trump....Rep. Dan Crenshaw*
*Source: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll043.xml
1
@batazoid Your source only enumerates how representatives voted on the bill but nothing to describe what was in the bill. I would like to see what was actually in the bill rather than just rely on Rep. Dan Crenshaw's characterization of it.
3
@batazoid
The House passed a Bill that would open the government and pay Federal workers.
The Bill that passed would have actually paid Federal workers more than just one paycheck.
1
It’s been reported that the WH can’t pay its utility bill during the shutdown. Perhaps when they are unable to pay their cable bill, the live stream of unfiltered garbage that Trump consumes from FOX will be cut off, and we can consider legislation on its merits rather than what the Coulter ilk think.
6
This is a partisan mess. How about a compromise or two? How about giving Trump part of his barrier, but not a "sea to sea" one? Electronic surveillance, more guards, etc. can cover the other areas. We cannot have an "open" border.
How about allowing DACA registrants to stay here, work for three years if they're old enough to work, pass a citizenship test and stay if they can support themselves?
How about notifying caravans that we don't accept people who slip in? Some are unaware and think we welcome them, putting their own lives and their children's at great risk. We aren't sending the right message.
How about sitting down with a bi-partisan panel and creating or re-creating a worker visa program? Anyone who does not obtain a visa and have a job lined up doesn't come in. There is no reason to bring entire families, just the worker.
Any employer who knowingly hires an undocumented worker receives a large fine.
We cannot take in everyone who is unhappy with life in their own countries. So, let's prioritize. If we need workers, lets determine a way to bring them in legally. We do not need more poor people because our own welfare needs are far too high. Look under the bridges and into the tent cities. We are spending too much time arguing over a problem that should have been solved 40 years ago by the Reagan Amnesty, but it wasn't. This is the time to remain in D.C., sit down and talk until it's resolved. That's what adults would do.
29
@Daphne - You are spot on. Our form of government, with vetoes and the need for 60 Senators won't function without compromise.
Maybe not as much wall as Trump wants. But 'no' to everything will keep the government closed.
2
@Daphne It would be a cruel policy--but one consistent with Trump's current separation of families---to bring foreign workers to the US and insist they leave their families behind. Our demographic changes especially a low US birth rate will result in dependency in the future on foreign workers who are permanent residents. Recreating Chinese-style "dorms" for workers is not an effective policy for healthy communities.
11
@Daphne Any concession to this president about his wall will be a green light for future temper tantrums and holding the federal government hostage. His wall was supposed to have been paid for by Mexico. It never will be funded that way. Not to mention the fact that it will do nothing to stem immigration, illegal or otherwise.
We are a nation of immigrants and we must embrace that path once more. There are a lot of jobs that American citizens simply won’t do. That’s why so many businesses in those industries assist illegal immigrants with fake documentation (including many, many, many owned by trump supporting republicans in rural America). The double standard is laughable.
You cannot simply wish a problem away that is inherently woven into our social fabric as a first world nation.
And you cannot cowtow to a sub literate bankruptcy expert because he is pounding his fists on the ground and crying about a campaign rally talking point. We can’t govern like a banana republic lest we want to shift further toward that downward facing slope.
3
Republicans,
Do you support President Putin and his goals for Russia?
The current shutdown weakens so many aspects of our national security and Putin only needed to tamper with the last president election, not pay for a single military action.
If a wall wasn’t important enough in the last two years when Republicans controlled all three branches of government, don’t blame Democrats now who are representing their constituents and the majority of all Americans on this issue.
Stop the shutdown. Vote to fully fund the American government to protect our country and pay our government employees to perform their duties.
8
Please include government contractors in your consideration of who gets hurt by this shutdown. They are not getting paid either, and if past history is any indication, they won’t be getting back pay like government workers eventually will.
6
This is an historic opportunity to solve some of the problems of illegal and legal immigration. The Democrats instead of taking the opportunity and working, have made it clear their new position on immigration is open borders, immigration without limit, and amnesty for illegal immigrants. Why has the Democratic platform changed so much in so few years? I suspect they believe the only way they can win elections is to import voters.
5
@Mike
The wall is not a solution to any existing problem. It's a boondoggle aimed to please the xenophobia of Trump's base.
I've heard no Democrats advocating any of what you claim.
You can't "import" voters. Only citizens can vote. And Democrats already receive consistently more votes than Republicans.
Wall or no wall, no matter what political party you belong to, if government shut downs meant members of congress did not receive paychecks, there wouldn't be shutdowns. Instead, our congressional leaders would do the work they were elected to do.
1
It's funny how so many conservatives were sure the SCOTUS would rule favorable to Trump on DACA. The justices know that they would negatively impact people who agreed to file with what was a lawful program until Trump rescinded it. So they rule base on the law and precedence. The idea that so many conservatives were sure that the court would strip the Dreamers of their status, and agree with Trump, shows how heartless and callous many conservatives are. I'm glad these people are not my neighbors.
4
There is a way out---Trump could, for once, show some humanity and tell the world, "I want the wall and I will fight for the wall, but not like this. We'll have to find another way. We can't keep hurting these employees and their families. People are suffering. (He could even blame the democrats, saying, "the Dems don't care about them, but I do.") So, I will have to seek another way. I know it's disappointing, but these Americans are suffering and I have to stop this now." Some of his base would be mad, most would find him humanitarian of the year, praise him for his compassion, and condemn the democrats for their lack. The rest of us would know what an insolent man-child horror show he is. So everything would remain status quo--except for people could get to go back to work and resume their lives.
2
This posturing is a skirmish in the war to save our country. I suppose it has to be done since Trump and his minions are trying to destroy everything we hold dear. But I also suspect what is happening in our country is far bigger than the horrible man in the Whitehouse. It is a call to know who we really are. As Desmond Tutu said, “We are made for each other. . . And we forget this at our peril.” I invite all who can envision a far better country and world, to imagine standing around the capitol, holding hands, and praying for the God within all of us, to step up and do the right thing.
I noticed a lot of empty seats behind Senator Schumer. Must of been Republicans not willing to vote to end the shutdown.
“People are saying, isn’t there a way out of this mess?" Yes there is but no money should be spent anymore on a wall that will never work in the long run.
The fact of the matter is, do to the terrain on the border makes it impossible period.
2
Although the Media works to mask the truth and deliver whatever message Politicians want this latest event should be a wake up call to the populace that proves our Leadership not only does not care what we need or want , but they are not afraid to scream " we can throw dirt in your face and you can't do anything about it " .
Shame on all of them. We need to give all of them the boot and find a way to elect a representative Government free of the chains of big business and the wealthy .
2
Trump cannot have it both ways - someone forgot to tell him that those federal workers are actually essential. To those who are keeping the White House and Congress clean and feeding the politicians- stay home - call in sick. See how long the billionaire elite last before the shakedown ends.
3
If the Democrats cave to Trump on this, we are taking steps toward dictatorship. Trump will have confirmed that he can get whatever he wants, serving only the minority who support him, by holding the government hostage. It's that simple. Don't let this get lost in the argument of who is right.
6
Lincoln: An end to slavery.
FDR: The New Deal
Truman: "The Buck Stops Here"
Eisenhower: The Interstate Highway System
Kennedy: The Space Program/ The Moon
Reagan: The Berlin Wall
Obama: Saved the economy/ Healthcare for 20 Million
Trump: The Longest Government Shutdown in US History
All we need to know is that this is the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.
As President Harry Truman said, or actually as the placard on his desk in the Whitehouse said, "The Buck Stops Here."
5
Why don't we just enter Putin's name as the Republican presidential candidate for 2020 and skip a step? Why keep crazy-man Trump as the middle man? I don't think I realized it until very recently that Putin (maybe through the NRA and certainly through willing GOP participants) basically has bought the GOP side of Congress. Corrupt governments are easy to infiltrate.
4
I can understand politicians supporting a President unless the President’s policies are malicious, cruel, inhumane, unnecessarily harmful, and a threat to national security. Policies that force people to work without pay are policies that are the very definition of slavery. Blind support of such policies suggests such politicians, too, are malicious, cruel, inhumane, willing to watch as needless harm is done, are a threat to national security, and are okay with forced, unpaid labor.
Politicians in the Senate have abdicated their Article 1 powers of independent oversight. They have rejected democratic, human, and American values. The Senate majority has forgotten wisdom, decency, morality, humility, common sense and demonstrates they enjoy, too much, plucking the wings off of flies and watching them suffer.
Corrupt leaders surround themselves with corrupt minions. History will remember this Senate majority as corrupt.
16
Wait. The US has a Senate?
They can actually generate ideas and propose legislation?
I thought that it was just some kind of fancy clubhouse for wealthy, old, white men.
18
@Jim Dickinson, this exclusive club of wealthy old white men, has no idea how to deal with this new flock of angry diverse women....coming at them, with a baseball bat and messages from "we the people". Problem is these white men are the masters of the universe and they have the control button, always.
1
@Jim Dickinson
Sans Spines!
1
Who wants to hear Trump rant and lie before Congress and call that our "State of the Union" address about the real present state of the union? Trump has in two years brought about the darkness corruption and obsession with every indication his own unfitness for office that he spoke of professed to cure, to "make us great again". The lies have become blatant. We have a president of his narrow and narrowing base who is not attending to the office he holds much of the time, who gets his news from Fox TV chyrons and reverberates that from the Bully Pulpit. Let us "Make America Normal Again" please, and we can go from there. We have a lot of repair work ahead.
12
In Vermont if a school district fails to pass a new budget, they are required to use the previous years budget until the new one does pass. I think this is something that needs to be implemented in the federal level.
21
Why can't a Pocket Veto be used by the President?
That way he can tell his cult he did not vote for the legislation and blame the outcome on the Democrats.
The Democrats can then say, the system worked and put Federal Employees back to work.
Then BOTH PARTIES should pass a law immediately to never let this happen again. Putting the Federal workforce in jeopardy for political purposes should be illegal and unconstitutional.
Let the politicians find another way to make their point.
11
It’s time to reopen the government and it’s time for each side to acknowledge that Democrats are not agreeing to a wall, and Republicans are not agreeing to immigration reform acceptable to Democrats.
3
Were Mitch and his cabinet-level wife not getting paid during the shutdown, it would be a much different story.
6
@Ed, our older lawmakers are independently financially wealthy. And they became more so once the lobbyists funded their re elections. In other countries it is called bribery graft, in this country it is business as usual. Nothing to see here, folks, move on...next..
2
If the Senate has to assemble 67 votes to override a derelict Trump veto of a bipartisan bill to open the government—
It will be good practice for a future impeachment conviction vote to remove him.
11
Some of you folks that want to join the democrats and approve open boarders and allow illegals to cross our borders need to take a step back and see this mess for what it is. The democrats are willingly and knowingly creating a slave state and the cost will be born by you, the taxpayer. Look at what illegal immigration has already caused, our major cities in CA, TX, NY, NJ and many others are terribly expensive to live in. Look at the number of homeless. You can keep adding to the population without being able house, feed, educate and cloth them. The democrats don't want a wall, yet they were willing to approve of more than 5.7 billion just 2 years ago. Moreover, the democrats what to restrict your rights, including gun control, yet they live within their walled and gated communities, patrolled by armed security and followed by armed security. Wake up America!
6
Shame on the congress.
4
TSA employees you have taken enough of this madness from The Con Man in Chief and his band of Senate Republican enablers . TSA employees must stand up for themselves their families , the rest of the federal workforce and in general the welfare of our country by demanding a pay check on Friday or the TSA employees will stand down on Friday. All like minded federal employees could also call out sick Friday. The freak show in the White House and the many enablers in the cabinet and throughout the administration will only react when big money is involved and when you shutdown the airline industry the ramifications will cause immediate action and quite possibly other significant emotional events for the madman in chief like impeachment and conviction. NYT readers please share this comment unless you have a solution that forces swifter and more immediate pay checks and opening of our government because our society can not continue to be held hostage and held in servitude by The Con Man in Chief.
God Bless America we must move on.
8
@libel
By the way the law against federal employees striking can not prevent a sickout/strike in this hostage situation and Congress would pay back pay .
“In passing the Statute, Congress declared that it wished to encourage collective bargaining between federal employees and their employers. ... It specifies that it is an unfair labor practice for labor unions to call or participate in a strike or a work stoppage that interferes with the operation of a federal agency.”
No pay for over 5 weeks invalidates the foundation of that law. No money for food or gas and pretty soon homeless …. Furthermore they can simply declare mental anguish and visit the local mental health clinic.
2
@libel
A mass sickout of at least 25% of TSA screeners would essentially shut down our commercial airports, crush some airlines and really gut the overall economy. And, if they need doctors’ notes, they could probably get them. If not actual physical ailments, they could be suffering from mental stress, depression and lack of sleep. No President could prevail against such a level of response, especially the Con Man in Chief
2
So disappointing to see poor leadership: Speaker Pelosi, who we were hoping would have a stronger second stint as a leader, seems even more dug into her base and more of a partisan that she was under George Bush. Trump meanwhile is dug in an running into a wall, literally and figuratively, led there by Steven Miller. (Miller is the Dick Cheney of Trump, taking him into the abyss for ideological reasons.) The Senate, the great deliberative compromising body designed to help bridge differences, meanwhile shoots competing bills at each side that will not pass.
What has become of our country and how will stand up for the 800,000 out of work?
2
@Tax Payer Can you answer this question? Why was this not an urgent issue when the GOP had control of the House and Senate for TWO YEARS!!!
1
Sure took them long enough!
Don't the Democrats have the power of the purse? Since Trump lies as he breathes, why not say yes,open the government, and then say, oops! And cross that out of the budget. Too childish?Unrealistic? Or, just take it out of the tax cuts given to the Koch brothers, Heritage Foundation, Fox News, etc. I wonder if rich people are hankering for a wall too.
1
They have passed NINE bills to reopen the government. The senate has refused to hear any of them.
2
To end the shutdown, cancel the cable tv subscription in the White House.
9
@MidWest, he listens to talk radio as well. Trump is terrified of only 2 mortals, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. They have him wake up at 3 am to sit on his gold gilded throne and tweet.
2
At this point the issue needs to go to the courts.This deranged leader can only be contained by the rule of law.He first decided he wanted a Muslim ban and everyone ran to the courts to stop this outrageous order.It is illegal to order someone to work without pay-there is a case to be brought.The Court could order the government open while it hears the arguments.Trump is not decent enough to negotiate with- he must be dealt with via the legal system.
6
As a once proud Democrat who voted for all 3 of my reps, I am deeply disappointed and angry. The President, whom I don't often agree with, came forward last Saturday and made an offer that angered his base. Since then my party has responded with the absurd, and telling, "It's a non-starter".
This is now my party's shutdown. They do not care about anything but making a meaningless point and have revealed their intention is nothing but to stand in the way of the White House for its own sake. In doing so they are playing with 800,000 lives as though they are meaningless.
The Democrats need to step up to the table and negotiate. Congress needs to do their jobs and pass a funding bill.
5
Re-read this article and others. Trump shutdown the government over his ridiculous wall demand. The so-called “compromise” he offered is worse than the status quo; plus, the temporary reprieve for the Dreamers is already in place — put there by federal courts.
In short, this “offer” was a gimmick.
The only so,Union is to reopen the government and then have a series of votes on comprehensive immigration reform, without the wasteful, costly, ineffective, and nonsensical wall.
6
@Enslaved
I am proud of Democrat’s for not giving in to compromises that only include things Democrat’s already had and were recently taken away by the administration. That’s like your employer taking away your health insurance and then asking to be praised for replacing your policy with a higher deductible one that saves them money, but costs you more out of pocket. I’m very disappointed in the lack of faith negotiating of Republicans over the last 2 years. They have taken the government hostage.
5
@Enslaved Slightly different timing. Miffed because she was denied the chance to go to the party (Davos conference), Pelosi pre-emptively rejected the President's offer.
Pelosi needs to focus on the actual job requirements, not party with rich people at an expensive Swiss ski resort.
President Fearless Leader really doesn't know how to read. Here's my proof :
Text of Article 2, Section 3:
He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.
The Constitution only requires he give Congress the State of the Union. It does not say he must do it " in " Congress. All it says is it must be given. And since Congress is a co-equal branch of the government, no president can just walk in and demand their attention. The president must ask for an audience and state the purpose. And Congress has the right to refuse such a request.
Speaker Pelosi knows President Fearless Leader craves the spotlight, however, she has the authority to deny him access to Congress. And she is correct he has two options to consider: either deliver the address in writing to Congress, or deliver it via television and radio from the Oval Office.
4
Our Very Stable Genius is setting the stage for a hostile act of aggression against the United States, most likely by his Benefactor Vladimir Putin.
Think about it: If the US is attacked now we have nearly 1 million federal employees out of work, idled, and demoralized by having their paychecks choked off for no valid reason.
Their own President is treating them with great disrespect which has to have an effect on their psyches beyond this temporary lack of household income. They are being told by Trump’s actions, affirmed by the Republican Party, that they are unimportant. They are disposable. They are not on this President’s mind.
This is so wrong on so many levels. And yet the Democratic Party absolutely cannot and must not cave in to this terrorist’s demands. To do so would only embolden the tyrant and further weaken our democracy. My heart truly aches for the federal employees who are the ones mostly impacted. I pray that they will do all they can in 2020 to remove this cancerous blight from the Oval Office.
7
Mitch McConnell is a poor excuse for a Senate leader. The GOP-led Senate voted in December and then Trump changed his mind. Until recently, Mitch wouldn't bring the House bill to a vote on the Senate floor for partisan reasons.
Trump and the GOP need to re-open government, then Democrats will meet to negotiate a solution.
The Trump Shutdown was a worthless campaign stunt that never improved America, regardless of the hat slogan or flag waiving.
3
The Democrats were for the wall until Trump was for the wall and then they were against it because Trump was for it.Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are not the presidents.They really should have no say at all. I think it was disgraceful for them to speak to the American people right after the oval office address two weeks ago.
7
We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall![
5
The Senate led by McConnell will just push forward Trump's bill. It will go nowhere as the Democrats will not be blackmailed by Trump. It's time for McConnell to show some nerve and love for our country. Work with the Democrats and overwhelm Trump!
3
Vladimir Putin can't believe his own eyes. United States government workers on bread lines? People actually quitting working for the government? Seemingly perpetual disarray in the bureaucracy and endless wrangling in the Administration? The death of the 'Deep State' by starvation? This is like cramming the 'Russian Century' all into one quarter. Vladimir Putin literally can not believe his own eyes.
7
This is Trump writ large. How on earth did the country come to this state? Trump is willing to cause needless suffering to get his way. This wall is a symbol of Trump ego mania. The worst part is that it is just another example of a party that shuts the gov't down for political advantage. Which has never worked. This time though they have a player who will take the country to deep pointless punishment. Trump's state of the union will be a loathsome message to his base. The KKK should be proud. The worst of motives to promote environmental degradation and the rule of billionaires.
10
What shutdown? In my Florida town there is no evidence I have seen of a shutdown. Everything is normal. It is all on TV and in the paper. Pictures of food banks giving free food to highly paid government workers. Maybe Trump is right, it is all Fake News. Maybe now is a time to evaluate how much the federal government has taken from the states. If we don’t need employees for over a month maybe we don’t need them at all. Let’s go back to airline funded private security at airports. I don’t see where TSA has been any better. Things still get past the screening.
4
Well, for your state (Florida), the federal government has spent $1.60 in Florida for every dollar Floridians have paid in federal taxes. Not a bad deal for you. https://mises.org/wire/which-us-states-are-moocher-states
6
@Rich Murphy
And the Sun rises every morning. What climate change?
3
trump's toxicity has poisoned Congress, federal workers, every agency run by a trump stooge and a good portion of the population.
Here we have the "most deliberative" group of elected peiple in the world nibbling around the edges of the poison pill crafted by Miller and trump intended to cause the most harm to as many people as possible. He has made mockery of us and congress and appears well on his way to taking complete control of the three branches of government.
The silence in the face of this is astounding. McConnell's rollover is astounding. We are at risk of losing our representation and patriots everywhere accept it.
Toxic Don strikes again. We've become one of his Atlantic City casinos.
7
Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million votes. That's not a mandate to do anything, especially fund a barrier between our country and a peaceful neighbor. A permanent barrier separating our country from our neighbors is a big deal--it should probably require a Constitutional amendment. And it should have nothing to do with paying Federal workers.
6
@Steve
It takes extreme denial to believe that winning more votes in California and New York is a mandate for anything. Ditto for believing barriers don't work.
3
@steve We should require all people entering the country to go through official entry points. There is nothing wrong with that concept and, NO, it does not require a constitutional amendment.
1
@AACNY
All minority popular vote presidents in the past hundred years have been republicans.
“..still, Mr. Trump remained in a bitter spat with Speaker Nancy Pelosi..” Didn’t you mean to say, “Speaker Nancy Pelosi remained in a bitter spat with President Trump..”? Spat connotes some kind of childish disagreement. Are you trying to suggest that President Trump is childish? The wall was the most prominent policy proposal of his campaign, and just to remind you and Speaker Pelosi, he won that campaign..
Childish is refusing to recognize that Trump won the 2016 election, that he and his base beat out all the talking heads, politicos, and arrogant, presumptuous relatives of past presidents. In other words, Democracy won. Now, can we move on?
4
@DB
3M more voted for HRC than for trump and you say democracy won. Riiight.
3
A point that is too rarely made. Everyone talks about Trump's posturing, while forgetting that Nancy barely survived a left-wing uprising. She now has to keep her unruly flock in line by appearing to vanquish Trump. That is why she won't approve funding that would,have been routine under Obama.
4
The government shutdown was not Pelosi’s idea. Remember that Trump was ready to go ahead with a budget deal until Coulter and Limbaugh threatened him. Then he abruptly changed his mind ( government run by talk show hosts). The Democratic Party is attempting to save federal workers from being taken hostage by Trump again and again in the future, according to his whim. The Democratic majority in the House was given power in the midterm election by the American voters to rein in Trump. That’s what they’re doing. Again—not Pelosi ‘s idea to hurt American workers. Only Trump has the cruelty and amorality to do this. He doesn’t care about American workers.
8
It’s about time! Perhaps McConnell got tired of getting paid while not doing his job whereas hundreds of thousands of others were not getting paid while doing their jobs.
5
Keep the government shut until we get comprehensive border control for this country. The democrats will fold, they always do, republicans simply need to out last them.......don't blink!
2
Democrats cry about the poor out of work federal employees. Then in the next breath they refuse to fund a barrier and tell us barriers don't work. Their progressive supporters cheer on their refusal to negotiate. "No wall!"
This is the state of the Democratic Party today. Speaker Pelosi is more interested in stopping Trump than getting the country functioning again.
The end of Trump isn't coming any time soon. Cannot say the same for democrats.
6
“Trump is more interested in shutting down the government to get his wall than he is in getting government running again. Wouldn’t it have been interesting if President Obama had shut down the government until McConnell allowed Garland’s confirmation process? Of course president Obama didn’t do that, as he was a mature and responsible leader and he would never consider threatening the livelihoods of Americans. But can you imagine the Republican outrage?
4
It must be stated that the Dems stance, open the government and then the negotiations begin, makes more sense. The current demand for $5.7 billion is not the end of the requests for the wall. It's not much more than a down payment for a far more expensive process. The Dems must make clear that the GOP and their Fearless Leader trump cannot simply shut down the government for each and every installment. And let's face it, given the size of this project, there will be many.
7
The Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson has recently written and spoke on television about the President's cruelty in a number of areas. For me the number one cruelty is separating infants and children from their mother's and parents and placing them in cage-like detention centers. Mr. Mueller, I appreciate your deliberate, thoughtful, and thorough approach to your investigation. However, the situation for many citizens and immigrants gets worse on a daily basis. Please intervene sooner rather that later to help us all out. Thank you.
6
Maybe someday we'll reformat our government to do Congressional budget approvals like a modern, functioning representative democracy.
4
To add to this budget stalemate tragedy, this fight is not over a long term plan for our country: we have been in a shutdown over funding the government for only a few months. When this one is resolved, then will come the next shutdown with the next demand for more billions for the wall and the next obliteration of other news as we focus on stories about the deterioration of the ability of parts of our government to fully function and the problems the shutdown causes to those who chose to work for the government. Will this fight continue with the hope that finally all social securtity, Medicare and Medicaid funds are poured into a useless wall and the country has rid itself of agencies that support regulations of food, environment etc by crippling them. Is the goal a WALL we venerate as our hope for protection as we sink back into a more Hobsian world of s/he who grabs the most in whatever way possible has power?
Horay for the Democratic plan that at least promised funding for some agencies for a whole year while the funding for the wall or, perhaps, for better security at the borders, better control of tunnel construction, better checking of packages- things that might really improve our security and our lives are hashed out. Horay for those who still believe this is a country with important institutions and people that need to be protected and cultivated so that they can constantly be contributing to an ever improving, strong, vibrant, democratic society.
3
All of this is a desperate distraction. Trump will soon be toast, and he knows it. In anticipation, I am proposing that Americans of my persuasion get ready to institute a new annual National Barbecue Day which will be the day he resigns or is kicked out. The day will be fun for get-togethers, and commemorate specifically the day that Trump's blank was definitively fried.
4
The American people now own a company whose CEO has placed “acting” employees in top positions and decided that withholding the salaries and services of working people is a reasonable idea.
Meanwhile he wants shareholders to fund a vanity project and spends his days tweeting about not being guilty of one thing or another. His corporate brand has become morally cringeworthy. Turnover of staff is criminally staggering. His books are cooked and he added over a trillion dollars to the company’s debt. Oh, and he’s lied about pretty much everything.
Parachutes are golden.
10
The longest shutdown in history of the United States...what an accomplishment for the new year. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed by its citizens both democrats or republicans. We are a country that prides itself in democratic governance, rule of law, and fairness. Where are our skilled negotiators, leaders?
2
It’s a trap the Democrats will step into.
The Republicans will open the government through February 8th, allowing Trump to wallow in the State of the Union.
And now that the government has been reopened, Democrats will be forced to negotiate a settlement or risk looking like obstructionists.
So Trump gets another billion for his wall (another 3-4 billion for DACA protections) and the public wonders why the Democrats didn’t just agree to that in the first place.
This will not end well for the Democrats.
4
It is so painful to witness the demise of the once beautiful, positive and optimistic USA.
Growing up just north of the border during the 60's and 70's, the US was the coolest place on Earth. Oh, how we envied you!
Where now is the outrage of your citizenry, that employees of the federal government are 'forced' to work without pay?!
Why are the workers so passive that they willingly accept bread lines and soup kitchens instead of the paycheques that they've earned? Is this not equivalent to slavery?
It's frightening to witness all this as an outside observer, your northern neighbour.
I cannot imagine how all of this insanity, brought on by trump and his ignorant fans, will end. It all seems so precarious.
I sincerely hope your system of government is able to withstand these terrible assaults, and that the USA will be able to restore itself eventually.
257
@GInaLivin
Don't forget Mitch McConnell in all of this.
37
@GInaLivin
Why just hope? Canada can help by taking in all 12 million illegals, plus the half million waiting in line now. Then we'll be back to our healthy self in no time, and Canada can be morally superior. It's a win-win.
3
@GInaLivin
"Where now is the outrage of your citizenry, that employees of the federal government are 'forced' to work without pay?!"
There is plenty of outrage, sorrow and pain spread far and wide, but Washington DC is extremely insular and detached. The successful institutions that worked from the bottom up to hold some truth to power 50 years ago no longer exist.
The frightening loss of an industrious fourth estate (once regulated and protected from political and corporate monopoly capture). Lots of small companies competing with more transparency in all 50 states. Investigative journalism in the US was another product outsourced, and shuttered as other US factories that made products. Not enough reporters (w/ bylines, accountable to some public reputation) working on Main St like they did 50 years ago.
What passes for journalism on TV is a joke, What's left are a few companies running media echo chambers for Washington (They report what the Dems & GOP advertise, reality must lie somewhere in the middle?). Social media is extremely lawless and opaque, but people are turning to it nevertheless.
The public is left to figure out what to do with all this despair and fear. In come the demagogues and fringe political cults to fill the political void. It's an old story and a powder keg waiting for a spark.
7
McConnell has lost it. He’s on a sinking ship and he’s dressing for dinner.
12
@Orange Nightmare, is it possible Trump wants to make FBO threadbare of its agents. Trump has been against the FBI from day one or before. By continuing the shutdown he probably secretly hopes all FBI investigations against Trump and his family...will vaporize...poof...disappear...because there will be no staff left in the FBI to do their jobs of protecting truth.
1
Each bill should require that all Congress people and the President give up their salaries as long as our US Government workers have been required to give up theirs. Children would call it "tit for tat". It's only fair.
10
Allowing a vote on the House bill gets McConnell off the hook. Now rather than having all the blame for the shutdown, he can share it with the other Republican senators who vote against it, those being the same ones who voted to reward Trump co-conspirator Deripaska with sanctions relief.
9
Tied to any future shutdowns must be a new rule: all of Congress must remain at work 7 full days a week without pay. Missed pay will not be reimbursed retroactively so for however long they refuse to solve the problem, the will be working overtime for no remumeratoon.
Only by having their own skin in the game will they have an incentive to do what we elected and pay them to do - ensure a well run, productive, and efficient government.
Any president for his or her part in the shut down must clean the bathrooms for the duration.
7
As a plan to pay disaster aid to the thousands of government workers being held as 'hostages' - YES! However, if within this time period it then gives Trump his 'spotlight' in Congress, prime time TV and possibly the world, if they're still interested in his alternative truths, then I say NO! The State of the Union is fractured with or without the shutdown and we don't need to hear his lame excuses, who is to blame -blah blah blah. Trump's presidency will be recorded along with the great disaster of 9/11 - side-by-side.
6
@Pauline Hartwig His presidency may actually be worse because the destruction is coming from within.
The Republicans offer a monument to racial prejudice, isolationism and bad relations with good neighbors.
They offer to build a piece of wall whose real cost is as yet unknown, but where real damage to the environment, and to America's branding as a country of liberty, freedom and democracy is known.
They offer a "take it back" plan to half of the Dreamers--they'll leave them alone, sort of, for 3 years, then deport them.
Their whole emphasis is on capture and punishment. They in no way follow immigration law.
Fortunately, the Democrats have developed well-thought out bills that increase high tech border security, which the Border Patrol wants, funds the government and re-opens it, and permits further discussion on border security.
The Republicans wait for instructions from Trump, abandoning their constituents and refusing to do their job as a check to the Executive. Democrats have created viable bills.
Mitch McConnell has refused to present the Democratic bills to the Senate, and hides in secret offices. He took down his website to avoid contact.
Trump has not done America any favors. His intransigence on his racist vanity wall, abusing federal workers and holding the government hostage is not in his Constitutional job description, nor is neglect of duty in the one of Congress.
The Republicans are like those smug, "Make America Hate Again" youths -- snarling at and mockng a single Native American. Reeking of white privelege.
9
@Lilou There is nothing wrong with requiring visitors to the US to use established, official entry points. Not racist. Not immoral. Totally accepted across virtually every developed nation.
Use your critical thinking skills, please.
1
Too bad Trump's Dad is not here to bail him out again. Who loses money on a Casino?
6
@dcnative, Trump's big sister too, how did she become a federal judge, when she participated consciously, in tax evading schemes with her family? That, fellow Americans, is the kind of American injustice and inequality on display, that white rich folks are held to a different standard and easily find ways to stay out of fines punishment and scrutiny, just because they can. The Trumps have been fooling Uncle Sam for decades, and now Trump gets to fool his followers with "the wall" distraction.
2
The wall for comprehensive immigration with a path for citizenship for Dreamers and protection for TPS.
1
@jda, nothing less. "The wall" could be a border security fence, slats, barriers, anything that is suitable to the landscape of the land -- that is something the democrats have been saying for forever as well, they have no problem with border security measures. Politicizing it like Trump is doing, to show his base and followers, look I did everything I promised and I am only half way through, is a gimmick that is typical of this TV showman. Bob Mueller and those who are scrutinizing the President, his administration, are tiny slivers of hope, because we all know the supreme court is heavily politicized and we are all left orphans in this molasses like crawl that is American democracy.
1
I think that we absolutely should require border crossers to use the established border entry points, to support that we need physical barriers.
There is nothing immoral or racist in this.
6
@Margo
Millions of Americans believe this as well. Common sense. Not much in evidence, unfortunately, in the craze to stop Trump.
3
Get the Los Angeles teachers to negotiate a deal and the shutdown will be over in a jiffy.
4
@alexandra, first they should help all teachers in all other states achieve what they were able to do. Our students are owed that much.
1
Donald Trump, the current Commander in Chief, has alone created a state of emergency.
By forcing an unnecessary government shutdown, Trump has weakened our national defenses by land, sea, and air. He’s made us vulnerable to foreign adversaries and terrorists alike. He’s reduced the number of border patrol agents, federal judges and prosecutors, law enforcement agents, national security and counterespionage officers— not to mention federal employees like TSA agents, flight controllers, the Coast Guard, and others who are forced to work without pay while trying to feed families, pay for housing, medical bills, child care, fuel, insurance, and the myriad other bills that people must pay.
Of course, Donald Trump has never had to pay his own way in life.
His father gave him millions and bailed him out with millions more each time he lost money (see Atlantic City). Or he’d borrow from banks and then stiff them, or not pay contractors after they’d completed work for him (see Trump Tower, NY).
The House of Representatives should hold hearings immediately into Trump’s dereliction of duty and malfeasance. He’s broken the oath of office (many times over) to protect and defend the country.
Trump’s Shutdown has put our country at risk and hurt citizens whose jobs keep us safe.
Lastly, shame on Senator Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republican Senators for acting as Trump’s accomplices in this grotesque political charade. We’ll remember you too in 2020.
9
@Eve R
you will have to wait until 2022.
Kentucky just re-elected their FSB preferred candidate.
Of course, this could be disproved by the testimony
He doesn't look like the kind of guy who would stick around for a fight that wasn't fixed in his favor
So, let's see - with 25% of the government shutdown that means we don't have to pay a quarter of the taxes due in 2018 so far?
I know, I'll call the IRS to find out. Oh, wait...
6
The behavior of the Republicans grows
increasingly incomprehensible given the unwarranted hardships it brings to the nation. The whole shutdown drama appears to be the start of manufactured crises that will only escalate and bring irreversible changes to democratic institutions and the way of life that made America the nation it was pre-Trump. A nation founded on free speech has been hoist with its own pitar.
2
Pres. Trump having finally waited enough for Congress to spend a FRACTION of what it had before, he let 800K less-necessary people come off work schedules, and that is always a shame.
Since these people are surely mostly Democrat voters, it is puzzling that the Democrats ignore the Harvard-Haris polling saying that even Dems want the border fixed now.
But Leader Pelosi had decided to haul maybe a dozen tourists from her and other families on a grand tour of Europe, and those people needing a resolution - and the people who will suffer from border-crossing criminals - can just take a hike.
1
Trump is right to force an issue, it has been hidden too long. The Democrats can't really articulate why they are against immigration control, the wall, a broken amnesty system, etc., just offering pretexts and it is time we had that national conversation out in the open. Had this just been about wasting 0.001 of the budget they would not otherwise have allowed the government to be shut down for so long, not even with a freshman Congress brimming with TDS.
The real conversation is whether the country is to become a refugee camp for the illiterate suffering peoples of the third world or not. It is a dispute between the sanctuary Left and the rest of us, an open secret that has kept effectively semi-open borders for decades. 'Sanctuary' 'refugees' and 'amnesty' are all language used for this. The tenacity proves it is backed by religious belief (maybe the Catholic church), globalists, perhaps ethnic affiliation and maybe even business interests for cheap labor. They can't just come out and say this, so push allusions to a wall being 'immoral', a cost, racism, etc. So far they have heisted the situation without owning their motives and want to continue it.
The contrary approach of course is that America should select immigrants suitable to contribute to America beyond manual labor and at a rate that won't create lumps in the melting pot.
This impasse is malarkey avoiding the issue and we need to 'come out of the closet' so we as a nation can squarely decide this and our future.
4
I’m not sure what is the point of 2 competing solutions if neither will be implemented so let’s get back to the actual situation. The government is shut down and the democrats should never agree to begin negotiations without first opening the government. If they did, there would be an artificial urgency; the need to open the government ASAP. An ‘all or none’ approach to this issue would result, to the advantage of Trump and the republicans.
This is a complicated issue with many parts. A solution could take days, even weeks, and every item is negotiable. If they begin while the government is shut down, and democrats do not accept the republican package in it’s entirety, they will be accused of continuing the shutdown.
This narrative would be a total falsehood, but when has that stopped Trump? His experience in business rarely included real negotiations, nor did his first 2 years as president. But Mitch McConnell has no excuse. He is setting up a loaded situation with the intention of ramming thru legislation under the threat of blaming democrats for the shutdown.
Nancy, Chuck, all democrats: Do not waver. Continue to demand the government is opened before any negotiations. Educate the public about the president’s tactic. Begin a new, aggressive narrative that Trump is lying to his supporters and confusing the issues. 24/7 media coverage in which Trump is on the defensive would be appropriate. He has a lot to explain.
3
This is not the first US government shutdown.
I am amazed that no one has come up with a Paycheck Insurance mechanism yet. It would not cost much & should be provided to all government employees & subcontractors, in order to provide them guaranteed compensation for the duration of their employment -- regardless of antics by obstreperous billionaires who are basically immune to financial stresses & utterly devoid of empathy + ethics.
Given what we are currently experiencing, a modest monthly premium that would guarantee funds would be deposited to bank accounts even when federal payrolls were interrupted would seem sensible. It would also remove much of the shock value from the political posturing.
The sight of affluent right-wing hardliners (Coulter, Hannity, Rush, Newt, etc.) pontificating about "border security" while federal workers are facing homelessness, health impairment & incalculable suffering is an intolerable abomination. I am surprised there has not yet been a backlash from consumer groups pressuring sponsors to send a strong message back to the Murdochs & others who play games with the livelihoods of dutiful public employees.
It's time to put your foot down, forcefully, America; and to eject Trump from access to the levers of any kind of power.
Republican Party: you will not ever be politically resurrected. Your brand is dead, decaying like a crushed insect splattered across the accelerating windshield made up of Americans' collective viewing screens.
2
Dual Use? On one hand, Mr. Trump shows his followers the attempt to stand behind his promises, on the other hand, the shutdown may also be very important for him to hinder the Russian investigations with the help of a budget shortage.
2
Ahem . . . We a similar issue in Australia in 1975. The Governor-general stepped in, disolved Parliament and new elections were held. Perhaps out of this a similar mechanism could be instituted in the US where maybe the Supreme Court could do the same. Might resolve the next crisis at least.
2
So the gop is offering limited temporary protections and to properly fund the courts in exchange for a permanent radical overhaul of immigration laws in our country? And in exchange for passing a budget that should have glided through easily? Why are the Democrats always expected to accept the unacceptable in the name of false compromise? Each time pushing out country further to the right and chipping away at the infrastructure that helped us develop a solid middle class. Appeasement never works. Just ask the Europeans how well that worked out for them in WWII. Democrats need to pay whatever price needs to be paid to stand up for what is right and stop is continual practices if appeasement.
3
@SMS Let me clear that up for you.
There is no radical rewrite of our immigration laws in requiring people to use established, official border entry points.
The radical rewrite part is the Democrat insistence on the notion of DACA and allowing those with TPS to remain after that "Temporary" part expired.
The Senate Republican legislative move is less about ending the shut down impasse and more about countering the Chuck Schumer initiated move and thereby reiterate their blind loyalty to Trump and his irrational demand for the botder wall funding.
3
Of course there's a way out of this. McConnell would have us believe that NOW there's a way out of this, but it's been there all along. All McConnell had to do was put it to a vote.
History will demonstrate that it was he - and his boss the Clown - who prevented the full reopening of the federal government and the payment of salaries to federal workers forced into working without pay. He, McConnell, who disrespected our republic by subverting the power of a co- equal branch of government to the whims of a child.
I sincerely hope the good people of Kentucky do not soon forget this betrayal.
14
“America Held Hostage - Day 32”.
How long will GOP continue to let Trump bring down the economy and the government?
They own the consequences that go with it!
Just wait til 2020 comes around, the people will not forget who was responsible.
9
Don't lose sight of the fact that an ego driven wall and border security are two different issues.
21
Democrats need to hammer this home. No one is opposed to more security and assistance for our already overworked border patrol.
This nonsensical wall isn't going to solve the issues that most illegal immigration is the result of immigrants overstaying their visas or that drugs are by and large smuggled through established ports of entry hidden in vehicle's storage compartments.
If Trump delivered on his promise that Mexico would pay for the wall, we wouldn't be in this mess.
2
@azflyboy
There is also the very big issue of Speaker Pelosi's "ego driven" opposition to the wall. She can no longer differentiate between the president and a barrier or any other measure he proposes. She needs to leave her animus behind and negotiate like a professional.
1
Mr. T's behavior reminds me of somebody who has neglected to pay a bill and keeps letting the late fees and interest pile up in panicked and determined denial. But bills must be paid eventually and the government must reopen.
7
If the stock market drops 400 points on Wednesday, it would, and should be the beginning of the end of the shutdown, as it matters little now because of unpaid workers in the federal government, and lower housing starts, etc. if Nancy Pelosi gives into his demand for the $5.7 billion wall, as that what might be needed. It is a very bad poker hand, but if that is the hand she is dealt, she should take it, and spare both the federal workers, and the country anymore long term financial suffering. Get the DACA guaranteed citizenship agreement in that offer, and then let DT stew, or go crazier.
2
What is going on here? I'm a numb nut from Omaha Ne. Yet we had this passed and we're arguing over 5.7 billion. What is going on? Who is waging the dog? Are we enjoying, as Romans did, the savagery of the destructive forces of a violent demise? So strange to see money working this way. The First Lady's coat comes to mind.
https://militarybenefits.info/2019-defense-budget/
4
@nils
It's a refusal by Speaker Pelosi to fund the wall because she despises Trump and wants to destroy him politically. We are, essentially, watching a vendetta in action.
2
If I were to do do nothing at my job for over a month, I would have been fired three weeks ago. This is ridiculous! Almost as ridiculous as the GOP and Trump claiming that Dems are holding things up because they won't let Trump set a precedent of holding the nation hostage because he can't get his way and spend OUR money unwisely!!!
We really have turned into a third-world, banana republic.
23
I just wish that Pelosi and Schumer would work as hard for Amercains Rights as they are for Non- Americains.
5
And I wish Trump got Mexico to pay for the wall like he promised so we Americans didn't have to.
5
@Mike, do you really think Trump is working hard for you? Do you know he takes many time-off moments all through the day? He is obese, lacks attention span, and is addicted to his own twitter account. He does not really care for ordinary Americans. He does not think he is the President of all Americans, he thinks he is Prez of only 39% or so who are his followers. What kind of parent works only for 39% of his children, leaving the rest to social services?
1
trump has become a dictator. He controls the government, and he doesn't care about the many problems his shutdown is causing for many Americans.
If Mueller came out w/ impeachable evidence, that would stop these shutdown tactics.
Since most repubs are w/ trump, there is a possibility of a coup d'etat. Ridiculous, you say? trump controls the Joint Chiefs. A military coup led by trump and his smarmy repub supporters could happen.
6
I never really trusted Schumer, but he appears to be showing some steel in his spine. He's learning well from Nancy Pelosi. Trump's supposed to be a billionaire...let him fund his monument himself.
7
So now women are being held hostage to the wall. Let's certainly not protect them from violence.
2
Maybe $5.7 billion is how much Trump is in debt to Putin.
9
Maybe all of the politicians should be more accountable for the legal citizenry of this country and stop worrying about the illegal immigrants I don't believe that any of these people care about the United states only their own agenda especially Pelosi and Schumer They are as crooked as our government here in Oregon and again they all only care about their own agenda and Not the people they are supposed to be serving
2
What’s with all this both sides stuff? It’s up to Republicans. Not us.
16
This Government Shutdown is unprecedented in length and collateral damage.
Our country is now vulnerable to a weakened Coast Guard, an FBI needing wheels for their vehicles, a DOJ who has put indictments on hold due to lack of funds.
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have committed treason.
This is nothing less than a hostile act against our country.
18
Open the government, shut down the white house. The later has proven to be an impediment to governance.
21
This to Speaker Pelosi. Please stay strong and stand up to Trump the bully.
To the Federal workers who have been working with no pay. Please strike en masse. Enough is enough.
21
Hey Mitch,
In December the Senate voted to keep government open and fund a little "border security" so why the sudden change of heart?
A fair middle ground is opening government prior to negotiations, then legislating DACA in exchange for a fe billion for "border security" other than a wall.
Walls are too easily defeated by: ladders, tunnels, commuter airplanes, trains and vehicles crossing at legal border stations plus ships coming into American ports of call. Any tax dollars for Trump's useless wall would be wasteful and not fiscally conservative.
17
Trump writes (tweets), “Without a Wall our Country can never have Border or National Security.” Then how the heck did we ever make it through our first 200 years as a country?????
26
@SOS We didn't have a Tweeter-in-Chief.
18
Temporarily reopening the government so he can give the State of the Union is like waking a terminally-ill cancer patient from a coma so they can tell you how they’re feeling. The State of the Union is painfully clear; it’s failing...
26
If Democrats give in to Trump's hostage taking to get his wall built, what will stop him from shutting down the government again the next time he doesn't get his way. This president has shown over and over again that he is willing to dispense with democratic norms and giving in sets a dangerous precedent.
34
Democrats should add to their bills reopening the government the bill introduced by Senator Portman (R-OH) to ban shutdowns.
14
Shut downs illegal. Politicians who can't govern should be out. Maybe we are on our way to a more parliamentary system, but we need something with more flexibility and that is more in tune with what the people want and need. That also means no electoral college and easier access to voting for everyone. I'm tired of politicians that want to play games with every aspect or our lives.
14
I’m beginning to think this is more scorched earth politics by the disgraceful Republicans. They lost control of Congress and therefore the ability to originate spending bills. So their responses is they won’t allow any legislation to happen whatsoever. I think they’d prefer to see the government shut down for the duration of the Trump presidency blocking any sort of legislation that could potentially come from a democratically controlled house. Our enemy is in our midst and its name is the Republican Party.
24
I wish the entire lot of Republican Senators, particularly Mitch McConnell, could be impeached now. They're not doing their job, which is to legislate in the best interest of ALL the American people.
They took an oath to uphold the Constitution, yet violate the 13th Amendment against
involuntary servitude by forcing Federal workers to work without pay.
McConnell has taken down his website and cannot be contacted. If you know where his secret offices are in the Capitol, you may find him.
So here's a guy, the leader of the Senate, hiding from the American people and taking orders only from Trump. Clearly this goes against the check and balance functions of the three branches of government.
McConnell also removes the opportunity for the Senate to vote on bills crafted by Democrats. They're reasonable, re-open the government, provide for more high tech border security and allow for ongoing dialogue about the border.
Yet McConnell refuses to present these bills to the Senate, and deprives Senators of their right to vote.
Yes, there are racists and neo-nazis in the Republican base. There are those with heinous belief systems about immigrants with too many children taking too much Federal aid (both not true).
But there are the rest of the Americans who do not fall into these extreme right camps, and Republicans refuse to stand for them.
We are watching a coup d'état, led by a lifelong racist, and Congressional Republicans obedient only to him.
19
The Republicans had control of the White House and both Houses of Congress for two long years and chose not to fund the idiotic wall that Trump bragged Mexico would pay for - obviously Trump and the Republicans could care less about a wall and just use it as a political device to deceive their gullible Cult followers. Now Republicans are killing our Government and it's workers for the sake of a big lie. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to even hold a simple vote to reopen the US Government which provides for law enforcement and National Security - American citizens will suffer and die as a result. Yet at the same time the Majority of Republican Senators found the stomach to vote to lift sanctions on the business empire of KGB Putin's buddy, corrupt $billionaire Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, of whom the US Treasury said "has been accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering." If Trump Cult Leaders were paid foreign agents they could not do a better job sabotaging the United States - the world's most indespensable nation. Obviously the Republican Trump Cult, debased by the serial liar in the White House (over 8000 documented lies in 2 years), are utterly irresponsible, immoral, and corrupt. Are they deliberately destroying the US Government with the intent to build a feudalist oligarchy in the image of Putin's Russia?
17
I think putting 800,000 people out of work due to the narcissistic President & Congress argueing is wrong, wrong ,wrong. Is Trump or his family going without? Is anyone in Congress or Senate going without or worried how they will pay for anything? Most likely not. Everyone in this country needs to realize that the reaso Trump gives for a wall is not the reasons he says. Its a farce!!! He has an alterior motive in his plans. Gangs have been here for over 500 years, the Irish & Italians for example!! Drugs are grown here & also come in on all borders!! Crime? Well Trump is a criminal & who is protecting us from him?
15
When they say History repeats itself they truly mean it...
Reading through this article reminds of the history classes in high school about Hitler. It’s blatant hatred toward a “different” group of people, we have a political leader acting as salvation and protecting from a stigma they created. It’s not politics anymore, it’s people’s lives!! I don’t understand how we can be so lost as a whole in not understanding what the government sets up so they can tear down and create a monster of it.
If President Trump has a problem, he can take his family and go attack the problem himself if he wants, but don’t bring it into my backyard and make it my problem when it’s your own personal issue. If he doesn’t come back, we have a government and a people for a reason! We’ll re-elect! It’s not our problem and neither should it be our money and labour for a single man to pull out his own personal opinions.
We live in a free society, the greatest nation on earth, yet here we are playing the same cards our enemies played against our own people, and it’s downright cruel and against human rights. We should know better...
2
Even more disturbing than the failed governance of the US , is that Canada and the European democracies are faced with Trump and the ignorant majority in Congress who has joined Russia and China in rejecting the institutions such as NATO and the EU that have preserved peace and prosperity since 1945 and have rejected the slogans of despots such as Trump with his 1930’s cry of America First. The US is now considered a pariah state in the rest of the civilized world and its president a real threat to world security. In any other real democracy this man would have been forced to resign or impeached.
15
Please keep the govt shut: we may as well face up to the reality that the USA as such is no longer. The idea of a State of the Union: dividing along class lines; a process beyond control. As a liberal dem (I suppose), I feel no compatriotism with Trump or McConnell at all. Would emigrate but am 72, and Americans not very popular anywhere.
Pay the federal employees!!!Including healthcare. Take from defense budget; start from scratch on a country where the right to a decent life is guaranteed, greed is frowned upon, as is killing, and Paul Krugman runs things with Judy Woodruff, who's heard it all.
8
“The opportunity to end all this is staring us right in the face,” Mr. McConnell said Tuesday, calling the president’s proposal “a comprehensive and bipartisan offer.”
Actually the opportunity to ‘end all this’ has been staring McConnell ‘right in the face’ since the beginning of January when the House passed bills to re-open the government along the same lines that Senate passed in December.
This is the McConnell Shutdown. Federal workers could have been receiving paychecks for their work if McConnell had done the job he has been receiving paychecks for. McConnell knows that the Senate and and House are co-equal parts of government. He doesn’t work for the President although his wife does - also has not missed a paycheck.
25
President Trump has the Constitutional duty and power to keep the government functioning. The Anti-Deficiency Act need not be interpreted as an obstacle to this Constitutional duty and power.
The 1981 Justice Department memo by AG Civiletti -- upon which current shutdown practice is based -- says "The Constitution and the Antideficiency Act itself leave the Executive leeway to perform essential functions and make the government 'workable'."
As each day of the shutdown passes, more and more government operations are becoming essential in order to meet the Constitutional requirement that "the laws be faithfully executed." In the end, decision making deadlock on routine appropriations -- which is where we are now -- can be overcome by reasonable interpretation of the Anti-Deficiency Act.
Such reasonable interpretation of the Anti-Deficiency Act provides the "Appropriations made by Law" required by Article I, Section 9, of the Constitution.
All that is needed to reopen the government is for agencies to recognize the "leeway" they have under a Constitutional interpretation of the Anti-Deficiency Act, make the required notification to Congress, and for the Treasury to follow suit.
This is an alternative to the spectacle and dysfunction of an appropriations deadlock. It would be a terrible precedent to allow threat of a dysfunctional government to be used as a cudgel in negotiations over a border wall.
11
@Abuelo. Interesting idea. WHICH agencies, though, are the ones who would present this to Congress? And how would that work?
1
@Jordan F. It doesn't require further Congressional action. It's spelled out in Civiletti's 1981 memo. Under the Anti-Deficiency Act, an agency can determine for itself what is essential, then they notify Congress. If Congress does nothing (which is historically what happens) then the agency determination stands.
An "agency" could be a federal court. Yesterday, for example, Chief Judge Davis in the Eastern District of Virginia issued an order that the court would remain open, under the authority of Article III of the Constitution. He said the court would make the Anti-Deficiency Act determinations.
Of course, the Treasury still has to disburse the funds and the DOJ could argue a different view of the Anti-Deficiency Act. And the agencies who are suffering the most work for President Trump under Article II rather than the courts under Article III.
Hopefully, this embarrassing dysfunction will be resolved tomorrow, but who knows. It seems surreal for the president to be taking hostage his own duty and power under Article II. What Trump is doing to federal workers ought to qualify as "high crimes and misdemeanors", to say nothing of what increasingly look like failures to "faithfully execute the laws."
I call it the "McConnell Conceit". The subtext here is, McConnell evidently sees value in selling out Congress to the executive. Why? Because at all costs, McConnell wants to prevent a split between the activist, radical, minority of the GOP and "their" president, Trump. If McConnell put the same bill he and the Democrats passed in December, before all this started (with a WH veto threat, after they made all signs agreeing to it), he'd achieve a veto-proof majority.
But he won't.
Because then everyone will see that the GOP is split--at least on a border wall--between the ranting minority that is Trump's base, and the rest of half-way sane America. And McConnell cannot, will not, abide by that. In a sense, McConnell is trapped. And in trying to get out of tacitly admitting a GOP split with a veto-override of Trump's wall, he has put the institution of the Senate and congress on the table.
This is how much government--and the citizens who depend on its services--mean to the GOP leadership: rather sacrifice our public institutions, and maybe even the economy?, than admit a political reality in the Republican Party, that ironically everyone already knows exists!
14
How do we know the if the Democrats approve an immigration bill that Trump would open the government back up again? His history is that his word means nothing.
11
No wall The “ wall” is permanent what the fools offer is temporary No deal.
Open the govt and discuss this instead of throwing tantrums cheese doodle
But no worries you lost already
Weak and dropping .
A cooked goose
4
Chuck Schumer and Nancy have both been in Congress since the 80's.....Are borders are Wide Open/ and they want to keep it that way...Look how long they have done NOTHING. Trump has been in office 2 years compared with there Decades ...and he is Truly trying to secure our border....and it is very plain and simple to see....The Democrats Do not want this ...just like California does everything it can to encourage illegal immigration...in the hopes of Votes-it is that Simple.
@There for the grace of A.I. goes I
Oh? Then why didn't Republicans fund the wall when they controlled the entire government? Why was Obama criticized because he WAS tough on border security? Why did Trump shift ICE from apprehending criminal undocumented aliens to apprehending mostly non-criminal undocumented immigrants? Why did Trump shut down the government? Why did Trump stop the US Coast Guard from being paid who intercept more illegal drugs than a wall would stop? Why doesn't Trump beef up points of entry since those are where most smuggling takes place - not the places he allegedly wants his wall? Why didn't Trump take previously negotiated border security deals? Why did Trump stop the FBI from being paid who risk their lives hunting Trump's dreaded MS-13? Why has illegal immigration been on a down trend for the last 10 years? Why did Trump brag that Mexico would pay for the wall? ...
13
Really, there is net negative flow of immigrants
5
Let’s all try to stick to the facts...
And before you make “the Dems” the problem...
Where were the Republicans the last two years? They had the Hoise, Senate and WH and yet not one single piece of “the wall” legislation! Why? Because the Republicans did NOT HAVE THE VOTES.
And, 5weeks ago McConnell and the Senate passed unanimously the CR to fund the government through 2/8/19 while border security was debate and discussed...
Nope, this mess is on DJT and McConnell.
Mitch could pass the same Republican Legislation and it would be veto proof...
Facts not opinions!
13
You know what, there's well over a billion dollars left in the Border security funding from last year which hasn't been used. WHY?
18
The United States Government is in default.
The Trump/Limbaugh/Coulter blackmail must end, now!
13
We can only hope, fervently hope—
That 13 Republican senators will see the absurdity of keeping the government 25% shut down over, not border security, but a foolish campaign slogan wall.
That will give the 60 votes allowing the bill to move forward. An additional 7 Republican senators would be necessary if the derelict president vetoed the bill to open the government.
8
Trump is used to not paying folks that work for him. “What’s all the fuss about?” he wonders.
21
Let Ann Coulter, rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the other right wing CONservative media pundits pay for their/trump's wall. They are all "Very very rich" as is trump "Very very rich" and a "stable genius" so let the phonies prove they really mean it. Pay up or shut up.
Actually they need to shut up regardless.
13
The United States Government is in default.
All because the eccentric, criminal epic failure of a president listened to Rush Limbaugh's and Ann Coulter's rantings, and Republican Senators are too weak and compromised by the rich radical right to hold the lying President accountable.
Dems need to stand their ground, in the interest of integrity and responsibility to taxpayers. Unhinged presidents cannot blackmail the nation to force through expensive, odd ideas spewed out on the campaign trail. American taxpayers don't want to finance a stupid wall anymore than Mexican taxpayers want to.
All this is a brilliant distraction from RussiaGate and the new House majority getting to work for the American people. McConnell's mob needs to vote to override trump now- with nothing attached to the simple vote to raise the debt ceiling- which they already passed, but backpeddled- thanks to Rush Limbaugh.
11
I believe Mexico is holding all the cards on this issue. What could Mexico do?
"OK, we'll pay for the wall but we will build it, too." Voila, Trump wins.
The Mexico begins to research where / how / what to build. In two years it's likely Trump will be gone and Mexico, who has only JUST started to build, can say: "OK, that's enough," and stop.
President Obrador, what do you think?
7
Coulter knows that without the wall, the Trump presidency is over.
Pelosi knows that without the wall, the Trump presidency is over.
Trumps knows that without the wall, his presidency is over.
The beautiful thing is that Trump cannot please both Coulter and Pelosi.
So beautiful to behold.
13
@Opinioned!
In the end 45's greatest nemesis to bring the tower down will be a woman.
Well, you know, on the plus side, this shutdown for the wall issue has shown the President’s supporters that he is serious about the wall.
He can count on their votes, in 2020.
But yet... overall, it has vastly increased the chances that he will lose in 2020.
There really isn’t any need for a wall. Or at least, the wall would cost much more than it is worth. And with the shutdown, it became even more expensive.
The last 5 weeks have swung over even more folks to the idea that he is a lousy, lousy president.
8
I just heard that McConnell is not going to put both bills on the floor for a vote. Is that true?
1
Republicans conveniently forget that it was Trump who said he would be “proud” to shut down the government and that he would not blame Dems. The president got himself into this mess; he alone must get us out. And not by demanding a wall. No slats, concrete, steel or plastic: nothing.
5
Trump holds a couple of advantages in this situation. First, he has a sociopath's armor against outside opinions. Second, since he is a party of one, he doesn't have to worry about partners falling away from him. However, the Congressional democrats will probably begin to experience splintering as their weak links start to break. The longer this takes, Trump's position will only get stronger.
It seems like some kind of shift in the paradigm is the only thing that will force a change. Something on a tectonic scale. Article 25? Impeachment? Actual stone-throwing riots? The times are getting crazier every day.
2
Let's see. What don't people understand (or remember about) "We're going to build a wall and Mexico will pay for it"? Or...the following from a White House transcript of conversation last December:
THE PRESIDENT: You know what I’ll say: Yes, if we don’t get what we want, one way or the other — whether it’s through you, through a military, through anything you want to call — I will shut down the government. Absolutely.
SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Okay. Fair enough. We disagree.
THE PRESIDENT: And I am proud — and I’ll tell you what —
SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: We disagree.
THE PRESIDENT: I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country don’t want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country. So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it. The last time you shut it down, it didn’t work. I will take the mantle of shutting down.
Democrats would do well to separate themselves (i.e. refuse to negotiate) from this muddled process. Negotiations work only when both sides have a common goal. One party in this stalemate is interested solely in getting reelected, regardless of the damage to the nation.
6
How about this as a compromise solution to end the shutdown: Congress puts up one dollar for the wall for every dollar Mr. Trump personally contributes to the wall and for every dollar Mr. Trump gets Mexico to contribute. If he really believes lack of a wall is causing a supposed crisis at the border, he could spend a couple billion dollars of his own purported wealth before insisting Congress spends our tax dollars. If he does contribute, then this would truly be a compromise. If he does not, his motivations for the shutdown will be further in doubt.
8
This is Potemkin governing, referring to the various House spending bills--negotiated btw House and Senate Repubs, mind you--"a blockade in the Republican-controlled Senate, where Mr. McConnell has refused to take them up."
As quiet as McConnell wants to be, this shows his true colors. He's willing to sell out Congress to the man demanding--at the price of shutting down the government--to have his wall.
Far from recognizing his constitutional role as the Leader of a co-equal, independent branch of government, he is partnering with the hostage-taker. McConnell can't say he's in favor of Trump's wall; he's already been quoted as believing it an "unwise" demand. No, McConnell has abdicated his constitutional duty as a steward of the legislative branch, and has sold it's independence as an institution for partisan convenience and solidarity.
In that sense it functions like a soft coup.
The legislative branch of American government has been captured by the executive branch. THAT should be McConnell's epitaph. "He met Treason...and presided over it for political opportunism".
I never thought I'd see the day American government stoop so low.
18
Republicans believe they are saving the integrity of the party by standing in unison behind Trump. In truth, they are doing themselves irreparable damage. The average American, one who will vote across party lines based upon reason, good faith, and doing what it right, is standing with the Democrats on this issue.
13
If Republicans think this Wall issue is so important why are they making other people sacrifice for their cause. Powerless people are being used as hostages while the whining Republicans sacrifice nothing. How about tRump, McConnell & company give up their paychecks and pay a visit to a food bank to aid those impacted by their fecklessness. I guess sacrifice doesn't apply to the Ruling Class. Only to their Subjects.
8
* All experienced senior cabinet officials fired or resigned
* Federal law enforcement working without pay
* Cyber security incident responders sent home
* Executive posts held by family members of the President
* The only fully functional protective agency is the Dept. of Defense
What does that look like to you? To me, it looks like a coup d'état.
And Congress? A failed state.
What's next. If history is any lesson, nothing good. Mexico may in fact build a wall at their expense -- to keep the stream of US refugees out.
15
It will be interesting to see how the senators from Colorado and Maine vote when the House bill is brought up in the Senate Thursday.
9
Everyone in the house and senate especially the republicans shouldn't receive any benefits or pay until the government is "open".
Furthermore they should ALL have to purchase health insurance on the open market like most of the rest of US. No more 24k tax payer funded healthcare for senators and representatives. IF that was the case we'd see real progress on getting a single payer health insurance system. If Canada, Britain, and MANY other Countries with far smaller economies can manage it, we can too!
7
@Howard Beale
True. We should be able to swing that... but: that would mean the Dixiecrats would have to spend money on keeping minorities alive outside of private prisons.
1
The matrix will loose all second and third world nations have a population and education to where the populous cant win thats whay we have divisions now to keep their strengh
Democrats in the House and Senate should tell Trump the Traitor "open up the government or be impeached next week". Period.
12
“Isn’t there a way to get government services open first and then debate what we should do for border security?” - Sen Schumer.
Lol. I suppose most Republicans were born at night, but not last night.
4
@Conservative Democrat
I remember this guy who ran for President who said that he was going to build a wall and that Mexico was going to pay for it!
9
@Barbara T
Great comeback. Ouch.
1
Pelosi is once again done in by her foibles.
2
McConnell and the Republicans are heartless bullies. I feel like they are a gang with a vendetta to win at all costs.
14
Why the people of U.S. can't learn something from the "yellow jackets" from France? All the federal workers on furlough should march on Washington and go on strike. I bet the shutdown will be over in 3 days.
17
Many of us are not directly affected by this shutdown. Most of us still have the same income, food, and shelter that we were blessed with in December. A lucky few (like VP Pence) have received large raises. But most of us, unlike Trump, do have compassion for the federal workers who are suffering. We are losing sleep worrying about vulnerable people whose basic food aid is disappearing, whose rental assistance is going, going, gone.
The resistance has to be stepped up! Thankfully today the Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz publicly stated that it is unacceptable for his crew to rely on food pantries and donations. Unfortunately, Secretary of State Pompeo is attending Davos summit with his wife and delivering Trumpian speeches while State Dep't employees forgo their pay. All department heads must tell McConnell and Schumer that business is not going on as usual, that they cannot carry out their missions under these condition, and that the shutdown must end now.
10
Count me among those who don't believe a SOTU monotribe will have any value. I would not waste the pennies on the electricity required to receive it in my living room. Pelosi has a point: send it in a letter. The exercise is just that, an exercise, in narcissistic bluster. Do we really have to see it in real time?
What percentage of Americans, really, even want to see and hear Trump on the TV, for an hour or so in a single, commercial free, stretch. Or watch the Republicans, performing their aerobics, jumping up and down from their seats in response, at every comma on the teleprompter, that Trump remembers to pause at. From Trump, the SOTU can be delivered in a Tweet, for all the depth and actual fact it could possibly contain.
And, since I do not have a Twitter account, I would not be distracted from more important things like, well, cleaning my cat's litter box.
20
How can anyone possibly discount McConnell and the Republican controlled senate who could easily pass the same bill they passed in December to reopen the government?
So far this year, the House has voted over and over again passing similar bills to that which the senate approved end of 2018.
It's clear the obstruction is in the senate and with McConnell. This shutdown could have been ended with a veto proof vote weeks ago, bypassing and eliminating Trump's childish antics.
20
The Wall is Trump’s way of holding our democracy and The Constitution hostage, through dictatorial chaos. Remove Trump and we get our democracy and The Constitution back.
16
A reasonable compromise could include limited funding for “physical barriers” with the requirement that an objective 3rd party such as GAO review each proposed contract for design and cost effectiveness. The vast majority of funds for border security needs to go for staff and technology.
6
Senator Graham stated that losing this fight will be the end of the Trump presidency.
When Pelosi heard that, she knew.
Pelosi will let the heavens fall before she caves to Trump. He is taking the fall in public opinion, and Trump and Pelosi both know it.
She is on a mission to destroy Trump right here, right now.
Make your plans accordingly.
9
You mean throw a parade? Humanity will come back to our country, it’s people? Thank you God. And he threw down the gauntlet, what was he expecting? He’s the almighty Trump, a rollover?
3
No, Trump is on a mission to destroy the country and its people, and he’s doing a mighty fine job of it. Pelosi has nothing to do with it.
4
There does not seem to be an impasse in this ridiculous government shutdown. It is possible these federal employees will once again be deprived of their pay check, which otherwise is due end of the week.
At last, we see Mitch McConnell awake and ready for a vote. It has nothing to do with re-opening the government. But, all to do with a vote to fund the Wall. McConnell had all this time to address the government shutdown. But, he would not do it. It is very puzzling where McConnell stands. Does he not belong to one of the three branches of government? As Senate Majority Leader, does McConnell think he has to report to the POTUS, and only have to listen to him? Because, both Mr. McConnell and Mr. Trump are of the same political party? Does McConnell not represent the people? What is clear here is that Mr. McConnell, together with others in his party, place party politics, over the best interests of the country.
Mr. McConnell has said that the recent proposal from our President, is very comprehensive, and offers the solution to end the government shutdown. But, when you review the list, there are items which were brought up before, that did not go forward for various reasons.
Both sides of the aisle are now preparing to present competing bills. The Wall is still at the center of the debate. What remains unclear is a genuine approach to end the government shutdown. Mr. McConnell should work with the Democrats and reopen the government. That should be the priority now.
8
I think trump betrayed McConnell when he brought the earlier, more moderate bill that he had hammered out w/ the Dems. In response to the criticism of Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, at the last minute the prez refused to sign, instead offering his bill which the dems will not accept. And thus, the gov't shutdown began.
Mc Connell is not going to let trump make him look like a fool again. He won't bring anything to the prez that he isn't sure that the prez will sign. He's shoving this back on trump, effectively saying, " Handle your own mess."
That will really back trump into a corner. The only way out is for trump to cave.
1
They already voted on a bill to keep government open before the shutdown. Passed 100-0. They don’t need another.
McConnell can have government open by noon on Wednesday. All he needs to do is... his Constitutional Duty.
21
One possible aspect of this shutdown standoff that nobody is talking about - maybe Trump's goal isn't "The Wall" at all. Maybe it's the shutdown itself he wants and he chose "The Wall" as the hill where he plants his flag precisely because he knows the Democrats won't cave. This could possibly be a last ditch, desperate, hail Mary attempt to undermine the investigations into him and his family. Nothing else he has tried to shut it down has worked, and he could care less about whether the federal government functions or not. It's tempting to think that this is all about Trump's ego and his pathological need for the adoration of his "base", but I'm becoming more and more convinced that it isn't at all that simple.
6
@WesternMass
If you’re correct, and shutting down the government is Trump’s effort to undermine the investigations, that goal is pretty misguided (big surprise). The Mueller investigation is funded from a different source and has continued throughout the shutdown. Of course it wouldn’t be surprising if Trump didn’t understand that and sacrificed the wellbeing of 800,000 federal employees and countless federal contractors—not to mention families, businesses who depend on federal workers, etc. I don’t know whether it’s worse to think that he does understand that or that he doesn’t.
4
@CV Good points We know the Mueller investigation is funded separately - who knows if Trump does, too. If he does, perhaps he's hoping for an indirect hit in some fashion - almost anything to at least slow it down. If nothing else, the shutdown is certainly a massive distraction and is pretty much eclipsing everything else at the moment, including the investigation. And sadly the countless people negatively impacted by this who are suffering don't seem to have much impact on him at all.
Maybe congress should vote to cut the funding to the White House. This may help make Trump realize how bad it is (he is welcome to use his own money to keep the White House open).
5
Who in power is going to finally wake up and realize that the executive is not shutting down the government on principle. He is actively destroying the government. McConnell doesn't care about the USA. He only cares about the dollars it produces. Republican Senators; WAKE UP. Bypass McConnell and REMOVE TRUMP NOW.
46
Authors Stolberg and Davis claim that the shutdown "crisis...has so far been marked almost entirely by partisan posturing." But is it partisan posturing for Speaker Pelosi to refer to the "Trump shutdown" when President Trump himself took ownership of the shutdown on live TV? By the way, it's odd to read that "there was no word from the speaker on how she planned to proceed"--are the authors unaware of Ms. Pelosi's January 16 statement suggesting that Mr. Trump postpone the State of the Union speech until the government shutdown is over? She made her position perfectly clear--why do the authors place any burden on her to say any more?
25
Could someone explain how is it that some Fed employees are working and not being paid, yet Congress isn't working and getting paid?
25
I don't think Democrats can win this fight. Trump simply doesn't care about federal workers, just as he didn't care about the contractors that used to work for him.
7
@Joe, he may not care about Federal workers but eventually, TSA & air traffic control will shut down along with 25% of the economy.
11
Senate Republicans to people trying to come in to the country: "if you try and apply for work, we will send you home!"
Senate Republicans to people already in the country: "If you do not work, we will send you home!"
What have we become as a nation?
9
This is ridiculous. It’s a hostage negotiation, not legislative policymaking. Until the Republican Party tells the President he can’t use extortion to bend Congress to his dictatorial will, this can and should go nowhere. Trump and Trump alone has mandated the government shutdown by issuing a $5.7 ransom demand. He owns it. Force him to justify it.
And anyone who believes that creepy, wet behind the ears, malevolent nincompoop and borderline sociopath Stephen Miller is a ‘senior adviser’ worthy of a bona fide President of the United States needs to have his head examined. Strongly and bigly. Believe me.
44
Anything that Stephen Miller touches concerning asylum is bound to be bad, so Democrats will have no choice but to vote no. But Republicans have very little footing left in this mess, as most people blame Trump for the mess, so their insistence on the wall makes no sense. It’s political suicide.
21
"It will be the first time the Senate has stepped off the sidelines to try to end the monthlong government shutdown."
This is not the Senate stepping off the sidelines...this is Senate showmanship without substance. Neither measure will make it to Trump's desk, let alone long enough before Feb. 8th to do any body any good.
6
trump and McConnell are evil and they must be defeated. trump cannot give a state of the union because the “the state” as run by trump and his followers is a travesty, a corrupt and vile institution completely rotten to its core. Democrats cannot let this happen. Ever.
15
I've got it: here's the solution until a bill passes!
No Secret Service or presidential staff funding.
No president or presidential staff flying on government aircraft.
If it's good for the goose...
23
Congress should take Trump at his word -- that Mexico is going to pay for the wall.
So open up the government and wait for the check from Mexico.
When it comes, start building the wall.
16
The majority of the people do not want fotal amnesty for illegals period. Doing so would only encourage more illegals to come. And open borders is like a trojan horse. Something MUST be done to strengthen protections to stem the influx of those who would only cause future economic hardship for all Americans. Look around you and see that we are NOT The Promised Land for all the world's poor. We cannot even take care of our own who have education and the ability to work because labor hires cheap foreign educated immigrants to make more profit. The very system that supports BOTH Parties through campaign contributions is responsible for our malaise.
5
These are people, not “illegals.” They are also not “aliens.” They are undocumented immigrants, period. Fellow human beings. We are all duty bound to help those fleeing violence. They are not “terrorists,” despite what Trump says.
16
@Peter ERIKSON You do not take on more people in a sinking life raft.
This is just a brawl, started by Trump to get a WIN, period.....
7
The funding for food stamps will soon be running out. Let’s see how tough Pelosi and Schumer are then.
2
Love how this comment takes for granted and passes over what we all already know: there’s no doubt at all the Republicans in power are “tough” enough to just let people starve.
24
The Trump, McConnell, GOP Shutdown is hurting the more than 800,000 government workers waiting for paychecks and a return to work. The shutdown has also begun to hurt the U.S. economy. Meanwhile, Trump and McConnell continue to point fingers and accuse the Democrats of stalling on the presidents proposal.
According to this New York Times article...“In the Senate, Mr. Trump’s proposal…is facing all but certain death after White House officials conceded privately on Tuesday they had tacked on controversial proposals anathema to Democrats that would block many migrants from seeking asylum.”
So the president and WH staff (Steven Miller probably) has poisoned the proposal with things that they KNEW the Democrats would not agree to. How do you negotiate with this kind of petulance and stupidity?
The Democrats and Republicans need to vote to reopen the government, let trump put up the 5 billion himself like he put up the money for the Fast-Food-photo-op Banquet, and Make America Great Again by passing commonsense legislation (Healthcare, Infrastructure, Education, Economic policies based on helping people rather giving it over to corporations, Etc) that the country really needs!
12
Absurd. This shutdown IS the Trump Shutdown. If it isn’t, it’s the Trump McConnell Shutdown. These guys and their abetting GOP are holding hostage funding appropriations for 25% of OUR federal government, that has already and separately been legislated and budgeted, just to grandstand for 5bil in new spending they can’t pass Congress through regular legislative order, for the same project for which, recall, they turned down last year 25bil since that bill included immigration policy that Trump GOP refuses yet claims the Democrats are responsible for leaving broken. The regressive Trump GOP want to fantasize about their mythical American white ethnostate (you know, the one that never really existed year after year centuries ago if ‘you’ were importing millions of black African slaves to build the state you also happen to claim that ‘we built’), and ban abortion so that ‘they will not replace us.’ Trump GOP couldn’t build their fantasy wall in Congress so now they want default paying for 25% of the stuff and workers we have legislated in Congress for inclusion in appropriations. No, NYT, funding appropriations are not ‘spending’ bills, they’re not budget battles, they’re are what are supposed to be routine release of funds for what Congress had already agreed to spend on via all kinds prior legislation, like for the FBI or TSA. By attempting to use appropriations bills this way, there’s no ‘both sides’ here, NYT. There’s just the Trump McConnell Shutdown RIPOFF. Impeach!!!
11
Why not switch tactics completely? Ask for universal medical care in exchange for the wall.
17
McConnell is not a leader he’s a Trump stooge.
10
The article says Pelosi called it a "Trump shutdown" with no mention of why she did. Maybe this will refresh everybody's memory. How soon we forget.
I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck. … I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down," the president said.
19
Correction:So this is another "Trumpromise"
Defined as a deal promoted as a compromise, which is in reality no compromise at all, and gives the proposer of the Trumpromise everything he wanted initially without giving up a thing.
In this case, Trump gets all of what he demanded ($5.7 billion for an unpopular expensive border wall) and, in return, he will reopen the government that he has held hostage for weeks to get his wall.
Trump and Mitch McConnell are merely wasting everyone's precious time and prolonging the misery of the furloughed government workers who cannot make ends meet without a paycheck for the work some of them have been asked to continue to do unpaid.
58% say Trump should withdraw his demand for a border wall; 42% say he should not withdraw his demand.
60% say the wall is not a good use of taxpayer money.
6
And, as we all saw in the NYT El Chapo has many other ways to get illegal drugs into America. A wall is superfluous to those coming for dishonest reasons!
3
The senate leaders are trying to be adults in the room to pass appropriate bills by 60 votes needed to pass it. The upper house seems to be taking the higher ground and that is good. The Republican Congress under speaker Ryan had already passed a bill before the end of 2018, which the senate should take up and pass and the president can sign to both secure the border, end the crisis at the Southern border and end the shut down and get the 800,000 government workers back on their job and receive a back pay.
I am sure nothing is simple as I have outlined above and the uncertainty is still clouding our optimism but after the MLK weekend there seems like glimmer of hope.
4
Democrats need to continue to speak out about the outrageous Immigration proposals put forward by Stephen Miller and President DJT- The Putin Wannabe dictator. Consitutents of Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who are Federal Workers or support Fed. Workers right to get paid for their work must picket the Offices of their Senators,write e-mails and speak out against this shutdown at Town halls.
3
So this is another "Trumpromise"
Defined as a deal promoted as a compromise, which is in reality no compromise at all, and gives the proposer of the Trumpromise everything he wanted initially without giving up a thing.
In this case, Trump gets all of what he demanded ($5.7 billion for an unpopular expensive border wall) and, in return, he will reopen the government that he has held hostage for weeks to get his wall.
Trump and Mitch McConnell are merely wasting everyone's precious time and prolonging the misery of the furloughed government workers who cannot make ends meet without a paycheck for the work some of them have been asked to continue to do unpaid.
5% say Trump should withdraw his demand for a border wall; 42% say he should not withdraw his demand.
60% say the wall is not a good use of taxpayer money.
This has been termed the “Trump Shutdown”. I think it needs to be called the “Republican Shutdown”.
While Trump clearly took ownership of the shutdown, the Republicans have been complicit in it. All it would take is about 20 Republican Senators (in addition to the Democrats) to end this shutdown tomorrow. They could override Trump’s veto, and open the government. But they are not doing it.
Perhaps if we put pressure on the Republican Senators to provide checks and balances to Trump, or else suffer political consequences, it will light a fire under them.
6
There is nothing there to ‘negotiate’ until Republicans end Trumps shutdown. Trump and McConnell own it entirely, they created it, so just have to wait and see.
6
Just a humble question. Why is it not illegal to require anyone to work without paying them.
6
Because they will be paid. And if they do not go to work, they can be dismissed. So no worker must work but no worker is guaranteed a job to return to if s/he fails to come to work.
4
Most will not get back pay.
@Will Eigo
How does that differ from having a slave and promising him that he will get all your possessions when you die? Would you say that slave is getting paid, just not now but at some indefinite time in the future?
"Entirely by partisan posturing."That's a good one. Mexico was the way to pay for the wall. Is Mexico doing the posturing? You continue to insist on your both sides presentation. The question is why?
7
This will be the 50-50 State of the Union. Half of Congress will be standing and clapping the whole time. The other half will be seated and booing. Heck, no one even agrees on whether there should be a State of the Union speech and no one agrees whether the government should be in session. Usually, there is an agreement on the basics. Not this time. I suggest that Mueller announce his indictment of Trump during the Speech. Poetic justice.
4
Re: the State of the Union speech. Doesn't protocol if not constitutional probity require that the Speaker issue an invitation to the President to address a Joint Session of Congress in the House chamber? Otherwise, the speech can't take place there.
That's my understanding at least.
6
No. The Constitution requires a report—not a speech. King Donald could tweet it in.
9
Don't give Trump anything until govt is open. This whole shutting down govt thing is growing old and it needs to be made perfectly clear that it is not a weapon to be utilized anytime a tyrant sees fit. If Trump cant deal with the process by normal means then perhaps he should start looking for new work.
10
If the Democrats cave, it will prove that winning the House was a worthless exercise. Controlling the House is the only leverage they have . . . Give it away and they'll prove themselves unworthy of having won it in the first place.
13
Well, what can one expect when trying to negotiate with a fellow like Trump, who when negotiating contracts for building his extravagant gambling and real estate holdings either went Chapter 11 bankrupt (multiple times) or simply stiffed his creditors out of millions of dollars? 'Art of the Deal' type welching brought to policy negotiations. Sic'em Nancy!
9
Why do I believe that the temporary fix for the Dreamers is just so Trump and Steven “Rasputin” Miller have time work up a plan to deport them all after three year period is over?
9
When is Mexico going to pay for that wall??
13
Shut down trump.
What does it take in this country to remove an incompetent and disruptive president?
14
No wall. Never, ever, ever. Despicable idea from a bully and a liar. No compromise that includes funding for this man's folly.
13
" ... Mr. Trump’s insistence that any legislation to reopen the government include money for a border wall ... " Holding hostages is Mr. Trump's idea of "negotiating".
25
You cannot give in to a bully like Trump. If you do he will gloat over the Dems that he made them cave and how great a deal maker he is. Nothing should happen until he reopens what was closed. Until then keep reminding America this is Trumps mess When he reopens government, then negotiate in good faith. But no concessions until he fixes things. Don't deal with a bully.
21
"...underlining the partisan divide that has helped to fuel the stalemate."
I agree there's a divide, but partisan? That's a stretch. The Senate voted unanimously to advance a short-term budget bill; the House was set to pass that bill until the last Speaker, a Republican, pulled the vote. Since resuming under Democratic control, the House has passed numerous bills to reopen the government. All of these bills attracted votes from both parties.
The shutdown endures because of the Republican president, with an assist from the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate. This isn't a partisan divide. It is a yawning gap between the American people, the President, and his enabler, the senior Senator from Kentucky.
It does one favors to inaccurately characterize this impasse. Doing so is not objective; it suggests an equivalence between our recalcitrant President's limited understanding of the co-equal branches of government and that government.
32
Well, let's see: Dems have the absolute majority in the House and GOPers don't have the 60 votes in the Senate to do anything. So, whose plan has the strongest will-power?
Trump needs 5.7 billions? Ask Trump, FOX News, Limbaugh and Fox and Clowns. They have the money.
8
This is a spectacle that was put into place the day that trump was elected. An incompetent in power who only knows how to fan the flames of divisiveness. I despair and I hope that we will be a better country for it but...there is indeed much more work to be done and messes to clean up.
13
Give Trump the money and let him start building his worthless wall. He will be long gone before it ever begins to take shape, and its remains will be scattered on the desert like a modern Ozymandias, proclaiming "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair." And laugh.
4
Who can laugh over the loss of $5 billion? How about targeting that money for infrastructure, so our bridges don’t collapse.
9
Trump's proposal is a bad joke, and Democrats should resist. Trump took away the DACA protection and now offers to give back some modest protection for a couple of years if Democrats give him is ill-conceived medieval wall. There is nothing bipartisan about his offer.
While the wall is a stupidity conceived by some slogan hammering campaign aides to keep Trump on script at his campaign rallies, it is not the real issue. At stake is the preservation of the constitutional roles and responsibilities of the legislative and the executive branches off government: the President proposes a budget, but Congress decides on it. No President gets all he wants (something the Republicans exercised with great glee during Obama Administration). It is up to Congress to cut out imprudent spending. The wall is a prime examples of money squandered. Democrats have the votes and should strike funding for the wall, even if Republicans are willing to abandon good judgment just to give Trump a "win".
If Democrats cave in, they set a terrible precedent and open the door for future extortion by Trump (or any future President) who does not care about governing and is happy to hold government employees hostage.
8
Precisely on target in terms of what Americans face: a dictator President who, if he wins this battle with McConnell ‘s help, can shut down the government and know he is safe doing that—over and over again!! How is that not a totalitarian regime?
With a “supreme Court “ now no longer an independent part of the traditional 3-part co-equal branch of the government that most of us grew up with, and safely in Kavanaugh’s hands and thus willing to do Trump and Pence bidding, exactly where can Americans look to salvage American democracy?
How long before the next shutdown, assuming this one ends eventually? Only until Trump wants to throw another hissy fit?? Maybe by April???
5
For heaven's sake, forget the partisanship and do what the Constitution tells you to do when the Executive makes an unreasonable demand. The $5.7 billion ransom to build a wall and thus release the 800,000 government workers Trump is holding hostage is beyond unreasonable--it's absolutely cruel and inhumane. Stop enabling Trump and start enabling the Constitution by passing a veto-proof clean budget not for two weeks, but for the entire fiscal year. It's time to embrace democracy and not autocracy; it's time to adhere to the "rule of law" and not the "rule of Trump."
25
YES!
6
How is the NYTimes saying any funding for the wall is compromise. Trump alone caused the shutdown over funding for a border wall. Giving into a child’s temper tantrum just encourages more behavior like it in the future.
“Giving” DACA temporary protection (which is only in question because Trump took it away, but is still effective currently being tied up in courts) isn’t really a concession. Additional funding for disaster relief should be something all parties want (the fact the news is presenting disaster relief funding a gift to the Democrats should show you which party actually cares about America’s well being. All Democrats want is to reopen the government; once it’s reopened then an honest debate can begin that doesn’t include holding Federal workers pay as a bargaining chip.
8
I wish someone in the House would introduce a bill that prohibits these shutdowns. Then we'd see exactly who owns this one.
10
Giving in to this madman posing as a president will encourage his use of shutdowns as a ploy to surpass the legislative branch. It is wrong to hostage our nation and its real security for the faux security wall. Open our government and double shame to McConnell.
6
What “partisan posturing?”
Trump’s wall is an unnecessary and craven expense that is a sop to his base and a colossal waste of money. It is not posturing to deny him this empty gesture that serves only to satisfy his empty whims. Stop reporting it as such. If only the banks had stood up to him when he was struggling to borrow his way out of bankruptcy, then we might not have him hanging around our necks now and ruining lives.
6
McConnell is trying to fundamentally change the way our government works in order to keep his job as Majority Leader - the only position he has ever wanted. Any discussion about legislation that doesn't start with that premise is irrelevant. Those people in Kentucky who have kept him in office for 35 years don't see this insecure ego-maniac for who he is - the same people who elected Trump, the other insecure ego-maniac. Twins. God help us all.
5
It will be interesting to see if they are willing to stop the Democratic shutdown.
1
Was Trump lying in 2013 when he said any shutdown rests the President’s desk? Or late last year when he said he’d be “proud” to own and preside over one? Didn’t he (and you) blame the Democrats after he rejected a bipartisan bill WITH that $5bn for improved security? Just curious.
7
@ Tony J Mann "I'll be the one to shut it down. I will take the mantle. And I don't blame you." - DJT 12/11/2018
9
It’s a Trump shutdown. He took the responsibility, for a change. He is holding not just 800,000 federal workers ransom, but hundreds of thousands more including family members and businesses that are experiencing massive losses. This is costing our economy plenty because he is insisting on a $5-billion wall he said Mexico would build. All to appease the far right on Fox News. This is NOT about protecting Americans. He has done more harm to Americans than we even know, on levels we can’t even imagine. An imposter as president, watching TV and playing golf, making money off his properties while in office, never reading his security briefings or doing any homework. He hasn’t a clue, and isn’t interested in, being a responsible leader. He doesn’t care about the welfare of this country or it’s people, not even those who voted for him. And his impotent Vice President and impotent McConnell are at least equally as bad for this country.
4
The Trump Shutdown must be ended before the Speaker extends SOU invitation to the President.
3
Progressives all so anxious to tax 70% of the next $10M someone gets paid...
GOP – ever the diverse and inclusive big tent – simply wanted to see what things would look like if we just cut to the chase and taxed 70% of everyone's first $10M...
Rounded to the nearest 100%, since the payroll computers all shut down...
2
The “SHUTDOWN” is Trump revenge for actually handing CONGRESS to the Democrats. His his revenge. It takes away from the Democratic Party shine.
3
This isn't rocket science. Trump is holding 800,000 workers hostage because he couldn't handle criticism from Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. It is inconceivable that he should be allowed to use 800k workerx as a bargaining chip.
You do not negotiate with terrorists. You do not negotiate with blackmailers. You do not negotiate with bullies. Nothing else is relevant here. Trump must be stared down.
16
You are so right!
7
Does anyone happen to remember the dozens of times we were told that Mexico would pay for “the wall”?
16
No... It's just another delay tactic to run the clock and extend the democrat open boarder socialist agenda. The lie that this mess is not a cruel democrat ploy to undermine reform of the bloated federal/corporate/anti-middle class worker money train is transparent and choreographed.
So here’s what makes trump such a brilliant negotiator. SCOTUS has said DACA stays for a while, and he’s offering a deal where he gets $5.7B in ego money for his promised irrelevant wall in exchange for DACA staying for a while. What a deal….
No wonder trump the wonder businessman BK’d 4 casino’s.
4
Two years ago Steve Bannon, a self-described Leninist, declared at a conservative gathering that we are witnessing the "deconstruction of the administrative state." And so it goes, and with it, if Trump and his GOP lackeys have their way, our constitutional form of government. The very tactics that Lenin and the Bolsheviks used to destabilize and overthrow the nascent Russian republican government in 1917 are in play here: defiance and demonization of governmental institutions, attacks on the independence of the judiciary and freedom of the press. Beyond that, by hamstringing the very functioning of the government by refusing to pass and sign the funding bills passed by the House--and previously by the GOP dominated Senate--Trump and his GOP cohorts are attempting to accomplish what Hitler and the Nazis did in Germany early on: transfer the power of the purse from the legislative to the executive branch of government. We are facing nothing less than subversion of our form of government at the highest levels, for purposes that may be no more grandiose than to build a hotel in a foreign capital, but which at the same time is undermining the foundations of international stability that have averted a global conflagration for nearly three quarters of a century. Who is going to write the history of this debacle? Possibly no one?
3
Schumer will probably cave. He usually does.
1
@Ronald Giteck
Well he hasn't. The Dem bill goes up for a vote Thursday and he has not flinched.
5
@Ronald Giteck: Unlike Al Franken, who didn't even put up a fight. The saddest part of this, is he was one of the best things to ha;;en to the Democrats.
2
Working hard?
or hardly working?
The Senate has already passed a clean bill. Open the government now and discuss border security and possible stupid wall later. Let these government employees get paid.
5
Where are the Unions to help the affected workers?
Isn't this why members pay dues - to offer protections such as this when they, the employees, are collectively harmed?
3
@Coffee Bean Not all government workers are covered by a union. Not a solution.
2
@CV
You're correct, not ALL gov't workers are covered by a union, I chose NOT to join the union living in a right-to-work state. That was MY choice.
Those employees who PAY dues are owed protection by the Unions.
I still don’t understand what happened to the Mexicans!
Aren’t they supposed to pay for it, or did I hear Trump wrongly?!
5
Even Tom Brokaw believes Democrats are as much responsible for the continued shutdown as Republicans.
“I think the Democrats are as much to blame right now as the Republicans are,” Brokaw said Tuesday in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “They’ve got control of the House, but they’re mostly just ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’re not going to do you want to do.’ I haven’t seen a grand plan.”
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tom-brokaw-says-democrats-as-much-to-blame-as-republicans-as-shutdown-drags-on-senate-may-vote-thursday-on-trumps-offer-2019-01-22?mod=hp_minor_pos19
I'm pretty sure an increasing number of us are fed up with both parties. Meanwhile, not only are federal workers not being paid, but the secondary and tertiary bad consequences are fast emerging. The longer the shutdown lasts the worst will be the consequences and they will not be easy to correct.
1
Tom Brokaw is a fool, clinging to musty ideas. This isn’t the partisan politics of his palmy anchor-chair heyday. This is usurpation of government by demagogues and criminals.
9
I don't understand why the Senate went from it requiring 60 votes to end a filibuster to 60 votes to pass anything. If they actually made the other side filibuster for hours upon hours then it would be far easier to pass bills. It would be political suicide for either party to actually stand up and hold the podium for hours or days to keep the government closed.
2
No one has the foggiest clue as to how many miles, what type of wall or even where the wall will be built. But Donald wants a blank check from Pelosi just so he won't be humiliated any further by Ann Coulter. So much for the low bidder on a construction contract with the federal government's GSA Department. Just cut a check already?
Stephen Miller is writing policy to welcome our new citizens? That is very scary.
Whatever happened to the Executive Branch not dealing with terrorists who take Americans as hostages and make demands of the US government? Who is going to tell the 800,000 "hostages" Donald is trying to intimidate Nancy with?
Donald figured out a way to immorally shut down "our" governemnt. Let him figure out a way to open it up again.
11
To me, the longer-term concern is that if Trump and McConnell get their way, then Trump can shut the government down any time he wants something that the Congress will not “give” him.
That is the level of blackmail the Trumpists now hold over our heads until he is gone.
Doesn’t anybody think that this is anything other than long game, and that it is akin to a dictatorship that has perhaps been the Trumpists’ plot all along? After all, we do not have an independent judiciary any more!
If McConnell holds most of the Senate in thrall to the Trumpists, what is left to keep Trump from shutting the government down whenever he wants or is angry about something?
The GOP that always wanted to “starve” the government—what a sad and immoral way to go about it!
23
1) I do want to hear another pro-racism, pro-wall, lie-filled discourse from Trump, mislabeled as the State of the Union. Americans just heard the same speech a couple weeks ago.
2) Dueling bills as a fake hope of compromise? The Dems may support the bill that re-opens government, but Trump will not. He supports the "lie-filled bill", the one that says we'll give half the DACA residents 3 more years, then deport them, in exchange for $5.7 billion for a wall whose cost is not even known, because it hasn't yet been engineered.
3) The Republicans cling to their racist, xenophobic and environmentally destructive beliefs like life rafts. The kicker is, around 38% of the country is racist, xenophobic and pro-fossil fuel, like them.
4) What the heck are American values in 2019? High school kids menacing a single Native American? Racism, sexism and classism are now permitted, so we can live in the past, while the rest of the Western World advances.. Ugliness and disinterest are on today's U.S. menu. Hope for a better tomorrow is gone, replaced by scepticism, at best.
4) Half of America doesn'tv respect the law, the Constitution and all other tradition. Hatred waits to fill that void.
5) Congressional Republicans must turn this around. Trump will be surprised, but it's Congress's job to act in the best interests of the U.S., not Trump.
4
Three points about the shutdown and the wall:
The US Coast Guard goes unfunded. If memory serves me, the USG has a very high percentage of the total drug interdiction year after year. Thus, if Trump wants to prevent drug smuggling, then fund the people who stop the smuggling.
Texas ranchers are suing to prevent the wall from being built for many reasons, but one of the reasons is a wall will block their view of their land and the Rio Grande. Imagine what Trump would do if the views of all of his buildings were blocked by government construction project. He would be in a Twitter tirade about wasteful government spending.
Some of my friends who are federal retirees have advised they were recently told they are not getting their pension check because of the shutdown. Trump, you are cheating people who earned their pension in the same way you cheated people who performed labor on your buildings. You don’t pay your bills and obligations. The US Government is obligated to pay retirees so sign legislation for what is not in dispute, what must be paid.
8
They’ll vote to allow 45 to give State of Union but not to bring Federal employees and pay them?
Shame on them!
11
By denying FBI income, is the executive branch obstructing justice?
10
No wonder our Congress and Presidency and entire country, really, is so dysfunctional: all the comments demanding hard-nose refusal to engage in any negotiation, compromise and certainly, no effort to grasp each side's intent. Just bash them, or mostly, bash Trump. Tell him this and tell him that. Meanwhile, federal employees are hitting the second pay period with no paycheck, our airports are less than as safe as they could be, people are working with no pay, and no, our borders are not secure. Thousands of illegal immigrants demanding to just be let in is not an immigration policy nor having a secure border. Both sides need to get some, and give some, otherwise if and when this mess ends, both sides need to feel they got and gave, otherwise one side will be so angry, resentful and bitter and the way forward will be so poisoned. It is not worth it, both sides must give.
I view Trumps shutdown because of lack of funding for his wall as unpatriotic, and self-centered. he is willing to let government workers go unpaid, forcing them to take second jobs or, possibly lose their homes, cars, health, and a good possibility a break-up of families. And yet here we are listening to his half-baked reasons why we need this albatros on our southern border. What also is amazing is most Republicans back him. Unreal!!
6
Put the wall around Trump!
Candidate Trump boasted Mexico would pay for the wall. Instead the burden is on the backs of 800K+ Americans.
We have a President who publicly disparages those charged with protecting our nation while praising and concealing meeting notes with Putin.
We have a President who heaps vulgar language on distinguished leaders, loyal and self-sacrificing public servants, business professionals, athletes and on a late prisoner of war-turned Senator.
We have a President who dangerously stokes divisions by regularly holding political 'hate' rallies with HIS base.
We have a President who defends a reckless policy to separate children from their families at the southern border.
We have a President who callously denies aid to Puerto Rican Americans devastated by a hurricane.
We have a President who has justified the actions of white supremacists and equated their violent intentions with the resistance of peace activists.
We have a President who publicly humiliated his Attorney General and FBI Director for following the law.
We have a President who questions the integrity of judges around the nation and Supreme Court Justices.
We have a President who undermines the institutions, traditions and values that both constitute and sustain this fragile and hard-fought democracy.
Put the wall around Trump: Deny him the privilege of SOTU
8
Free the 800,000 Trump/McConnell hostages. End the shutdown.
10
The TSA workforce needs to go on strike immediately.
5
I think EVERYONE should stop referring to Trump as president, and start calling Coulter president.
10
We do not have Senate anymore. We have Trump/Putin agents in the Senate, pathetic.
7
What does Ann Coulter want?
5
Anything, everything
2
Publicity .
2
@EW
The question itself defines the problem we have with this administration and its leader.
3
Bipartisan compromise means that both sides don't get everything they want. McConnell's legislative plan has NO compromise whatsoever. Does he think Democrats are idiotic? The midterms proved otherwise.
8
It's "President Trump" not "Mr.Trump". Show some respect to the greatest president. This is why you are failing.
Longstanding — as in decades, through Democratic and Republican administrations — editorial conventions dictate using the official title on first reference only. So, it’s “President Trump” on the first reference, as is done in this article, and “Mr. Trump” for subsequent references.
4
one respects the Office of the President. as the present incumbent shows no respect for the office, let alone anyone else, there is no need to show respect to him.
6
I think he was called President Trump on first mention, and Mr. Trump thereafter, which is customary in reporting. Of course, I suspect both he and you would prefer some more monarchical sobriquet. Even George Washington favored some regal-sounding titles. My suggestion for Trump would be "His Bigliness," as that embodies an economy of added meanings.
3
Anything, anything authored by the traitor Steven Miller must be opposed. When will it be the time to bring him to justice?
8
Such ridiculous false equivalence: "a crisis that has so far been marked almost entirely by partisan posturing". The Democrats aren't "posturing", they're being resolute in refusing to respond to Trump's tactics, and their reasons for doing so are clear and logical. Please don't try to be so even-handed that you fail at reporting what's actually happening.
13
Odd that Trump wouldn't agree to drop his Trump Shutdown with a promise of future wall negotiations. He sure agreed to less than that when he dropped North Korea military exercises in exchange for the sort of idea of maybe doing something, sort of. Maybe we need to get Kim Jong Un in here to run the negotiations. He knows how to pull Trump's puppet strings.
13
Here's a proposal for a "deal" both sides could agree upon:
1. Congress votes to spend $5.7 billion on "border security," however
2. Only up to $2 billion of the $5.7 billion could be used to repair or enhance the 700 miles of currently existing "walls," barriers," and/or "steel slats."
3. Up to $1 billion of the $5.7 billion could used to create new walls, barriers or slats -- but only in locations where 75% of 4 person bi-partisan panel (ideally comprised of former intelligence officials and border security experts) determine that a wall would be the most cost-effective means of discouraging illegal entry.
4. The balance (at least $2.7 billion) would be used for technology and personnel to bolster security at ports of entry to better detect illegal drugs and contraband, and to improve processes to assure that foreign citizens who entered the country legally leave at the end of their authorized visits, and address the immigration court backlogs.
At the same time, reconstitute something along the lines of "the Gang of 6" to try to work out a permanent, bi-partisan compromise on immigration reform and get a commitment from the President that he will sign whatever passes both houses by a simple majority vote.
4
One of the most stunningly obvious aspects of the shutdown is that it make crystal clear that Trump has no idea, none, nada, zilch, zero, no idea at all, on how to cut a deal.
He has the emotional sophistication, the negotiating skills, and the impulse control of a badly behaved two year old. And when he doesn't get everything he wants, he throws a tantrum.
If he wants the Democrats to deliver to him one of his "important campaign promises" then he's got to offer something of equivalent value in return; one or more important Democratic campaign promises. Anything else is dead out the door.
12
"...White House officials conceded privately on Tuesday they had tacked on controversial proposals anathema to Democrats that would block many migrants from seeking asylum."
Really? Anathema is a noun.
2
Susan, they're missing a couple of commas.
2
Furlough Mitch McConnell. Impeach Trump. That should solve most of the mess. Getting rid of Paul Ryan has already been a big success.
14
If Republicans are so supportive of the 5.7 billion for the wall, then, why didn’t they pass it the last two years when they controlled both houses of Congress???
Did they forget it the last two years and suddenly remember it in the last month???
911
@Frea
Excellent point. It's the Republican Revolution in mission creep form.
34
@Frea
Especially with the caravan of MS-13 bearing down on our nation prior to the elections. Coming to rape, pillage and burn America to the ground. Yea, what gives GOP??
47
@Frea need 60 votes in Senate. While may be fun to bash the GOP, It is not helpful in coming to a resolution
8
This shutdown is a slow rolling Trump coup d'etat where tyrant Trump dictates who works and is able to eat. This autocrat arbitrarily destroys government social and defense functions by failing to fund them. The GOP senate is complicit in this tyranny. There must be a law passed to forbid this dictatorial behavior. Also, please ensure that Trump doesn't declare a State of Emergency to take the power to finish making this a complete dictatorship.
I used to live near the southern border and know that terrain. It is impossible to built a wall across the border, the terrain is too isolated and the desert is too destructive. Any partial walls across that desert would be monstrously costly to maintain and defend. This wall is just a campaign slogan for an idea, use technology to implement something meaningful, not some absurd wall. Trump has not given engineering specs, cost estimates, proof of concept, or anything needed to prove this project and justify funding. Do not let Trump put a poison pill into our government funding by demanding a 5.7 Billion for a slogan.
690
@Terrence there already are laws to prevent tyranny - they are the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. However, they have been blatantly ignored and flaunted since November, 2016.
88
@Terrence "There must be a law passed to forbid this dictatorial behavior. "
I think we need a Constitutional amendment to set mandatory deadlines by which bills passed in one house of Congress must be put to a vote before the other house of Congress.
Until now, I would have thought Congress was capable of handling such basic parliamentary procedure. But CLEARLY that is not the case anymore.
58
@Terrence You make a great point about the folly of defending a wall in remote territory! The Wall is such a farce. Not only is it ineffective in places, it will actually divert valuable resources towards maintenance. Better to just make a "Wall" themed amusement park in states that want A Border Wall, like the Dakotas. Call it Wall World.
29
Let's state the situation clearly:
Trump and McConnell want to hold 800,000 federal employees hostage to get $5.7 billion for a border wall. Democrats will not negotiate while 800,000 federal employees are being held hostage.
I am basically an Independent, and see the Dems argument as strongest, and one most aligned and consistent with the stated policy of our government, which is: We do not negotiate with hostage takers.
1105
Democrats want to allow open borders & infinite asylum claims from impoverished Central Americans. That will be great for our country.
3
@Bobcb
We do not negotiate with hostage takers. Or Traitors!
33
@David
Please cite a single Democrat pushing for open borders. Until then, please stop perpetuating this nonsense lie.
171
It doesn't sound like either Party has a winning bill that can get 60 votes in the Senate, but Schumer's has a chance.
If both bills fail, perhaps the plan is to show Trump he won't get his deal, leaving Mitch to negotiate something that gets 60 votes. Then the Senate will have to negotiate with Nancy to get something that can pass both Houses. She'll be tough and Senate Republicans are unlikely to steamroller her into a short term fix that allows another shutdown.
Once there is a broadly acceptable Congressional bill, either it passes and Trump vetoes it, or it passes and Trump goes along, or it passes with veto proof majorities. Two of the three outcomes should close this chapter in Republican government mismanagement in time for a happy Super Bowl. Those are probably reasonably good odds.
111
Super Bowl is fixed. No “happy” one.
3
@Michael Tyndall
Why are we allowing Trump to inflict harm on completely innocent Americans?
These 800,000+ federal workers have absolutely nothing to do with approving funds for a wall.
I say lock Trump up until he gets a check from Mexico to pay for the wall just as he PROMISED the American people over and over and over!
23
Good post, but there's no such thing as a “happy” Super Bowl!
It's a literal killing field, causing brain damage, life shortening injuries, and sustaining a plantation sports and racist structure (white fans and white owners watching black players being exploited and discarded for their own fleeting pleasure and outrageous profits).
4
Even if the government reopens, it may (and most likely will) shut down again after February 8. Should the temporary bill pass and the government reopen, and if there is good faith compromise on both sides, Trump will not sign any legislation that does not include at least $5.7 billion for his ridiculous wall. The only marginally bright spot is that if the government reopens, even temporarily, 800,000 federal employees will be paid because two weeks is plenty of time to issue back pay “at the earliest possible date.” But that won’t help furloughed contractors, and it won’t be enough to see federal employees through another shutdown.
Hostages released temporarily and then imprisoned again don’t benefit in the long run, and the hostage-takers don’t care about anything other than promoting their senseless and cruel messages.
188
@CV
It's precisely to prevent that Trump shuts down the government again that Democrats (the only ones who oppose not fulfilling the constitutional duty of the government to implement existing law, in other words a shutdown) have no other option than to refuse ANY negotiations during a shutdown.
Only when the GOP sees that they'll never obtain ANYTHING except for plummeting poll numbers once they stop paying border patrol agents, that they'll understand that shutdowns don't work and won't try them anymore.
So it's BECAUSE Trump decided to attach his wall to an appropriations bill that he'll NEVER have any money for his wall (the second reason of course being that for two long years he didn't even try to get money for the wall in the first place, but that's another story ...).
12
Whether you want a wall or not is irrelevant. The point is, our elected leaders have failed us and shown themselves incapable of governance. They are playing hostage games with our safety, security and livelihoods, innocent people are suffering and we as citizens should not stand for it one minute longer. There has never been a more appropriate moment for a General Strike. No work until they get to work and solve this.
270
@Deborah
One slight--but very important--correction: Only one "leader" and that "leader's" party are playing hostage games with the safety, security and livelihoods of Americans.
39
@Damon Levine and her name is Nancy
Hearing an FBI person say no interrupters are listening to intercepted talk internationally, Should be enough for every American to be afraid , and the abuse of power by the so called President is pathetic.
23
I’d love to see the GOP senators dare to vote no on funding the government without a wall.
I mean, no I actually wouldn’t love to see it, I’d love to see them do their jobs.
151
@Jane Grey Maybe you can take the kids to see the great totem to racism one day too. You could feel proud of the fact that you stood behind a Party who was willing to starve people in order to build monumental monument to ignorance and cruelty.
5
@Tedsams you got it all wrong, Jane Grey was being sarcastic.
I may have missed it, but I have yet to see how the figure of $5.7 billion was arrived at. Did the President just pick this out of thin air ? Assuming this was his estimate for a big beautiful concrete wall stretching from sea to shining sea surely it has changed now that he says the wall could be steel slats and not stretching all the way along the Mexican border.
Surely the Mexican taxpayers have a right to know how exactly Trump will be spending their money.
212
@runout49 YES -- he literally, according to his staff, just picked that number. Dems asked for a one-page budget that summarized what the money would be spent on. Never got it.
38
@runout49
Exactly! We’re being asked to buy a pig in a poke. Any amount approved by Congress should be supported by a comprehensive plan that spells out how that money will be spent. Design, materials, expert consultants, labor force, technology, drones, acquisition of private property, additional border patrol agents, timeline, and what percentage of the overall cost does $5.7 billion represent? No real business just throws money at a project without spelling out the detailed plan and devising a budget. And that’s not the way bills usually get passed in Congress.
31
@runout49 Americans won't be that lucky because Mexicans won't pay for the wall. After listening to Judy Woodruff on the PBS News Hour interviewing the President of the FBI Agent Association,Thomas O'Connor, we are not safe now because of the FBI not only not having enough money in their budget to pay their agents while at the same time paying for their investigative programswhich include criminal investigations, counter-terrorism, and counterintelligence. Trump shutting down the government makes us actually less safe. He clearly thinks only about himself, his base and to fulfill the promise he made to his base. He certainly does NOT care one iota what effect his actions has on the government employees or the rest of the US population. He is a "wanna be dictator" and hostage taker and one should not give hostage takers and "wanna be dictators".
29
Remove the line item for 'the wall' from the budget proposal. That whole process needs work that goes well beyond our current kerfuffle. Propose a bill for border security that has a realistic outline of processes that have a chance of working. Submit that for OMB scoring, debate, amend and compromise a solution focused on border security. Don't muck it up with extraneous things like DACA or some ridiculous border wall. That is the way forward.
61
@Buddesatva
Add the line item that reflects 0.1% of federal spending.
1
@Buddesatva
Do you know how much time that takes?
NOTHING justifies not paying border patrol agents during such a legislative process.
That's one of the many reasons why FIRST the government has to be opened again, and then congressional debates about comprehensive immigration reform can resume.
14
@Ana Luisa why would our President do that? Mrs Pelosi doesn't play fair and never will intend to do so.
Say what you will about who did what to who and when, but the stark truth is that Mr. Trump shut his government down, and Mr. Trump can reopen it, and then negotiate for his wall. All of the bills are passed through the House. All he needs to do is stop holding government employees hostage and act.
301
@Patrick Stevens you got that right. Didn't Trump say "I'll take credit for the shutdown." Or are we going to call that "fake news"?
1
It's just astounds me that Senator Mitch McConnell gets a free pass when it comes to accepting any responsibility for this prolonged shutdown.
Why does McConnell work so diligently in securing the public vote every six years when running for office, yet as leader of the Senate he blocks attempts to vote to end the government shutdown.
Oh yes, it's all about taking care of Mitch first and foremost.
374
Follow the dirty $ to his personal bank account
35
@Richard
McConnell is leading the Russo Republican contingent in the Senate that has put much of our government to a halt while Putin's puppet continues to insist on the shutdown from his little Kremlin by the Potomac.
30
@Richard
Free pass now. Hundreds of us already have our travel plans for KY when he is up for re-election. WHENEVER.
21
In my negotiations, I find that instead of continually running into a wall (sorry) it is better to go around it.
I assume Pelosi, of whom I am a great fan, wishes to open the gov't. She also, understandably, wishes to keep the dialog focused on open gov't vs. blackmail. Back & forth discussions coerced by Trump & the Repub's threat to keep gov't closed will shift the dialog from blackmail to compromise because of blackmail, which sets them up for failure and rewards blackmail. It creates a perfect method for autocrats to obtain future legislation non-democratically.
I think it is perfect to continue to offer bills that Repubs previously approved and bills that will open individual branches of gov't.
Pelosi should also offer a separate bill to insure gov't is automatically funded and all debts and obligations incurred by congress paid as a default protocol in the event no continuing resolution is agreed upon. Concurrent with that announcement she should vow she will never threaten to shut down gov't and harm Americans to obtain a concession she is unable to accomplish on its merits through legislative channels. Make all Repubs wear embrace this shutdown.
Passing a bill to fix all future gov't shutdowns would show Dems as the Good Guys. It could be framed as congressional duty and honor and its passage would sidestep a confrontation with Trump- If the Repubs were smart enough to take it . . .
60 senators could give Trump an out and bragging rights.
109
@JT Yes, exactly! No other nation has such a bizarre budget process. A government shutdown should not be possible.
16
@JT .
Operative phrase is...
If the Repubs were "smart enough" to take it...
These "Repubs" are mindless trumpeteers whose brains have been
stripped of all logical thought and re-programmed to ignore Trump's constant lies and blindly obey his every wish.
12
@JM
Totally in agreement. They are petrified for their jobs and being cyber-bullied by Individual-1, as their followers would be shocked they are being let down.
1
Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. and Charles Ellis Schumer represent the very worst bloviating buffoonish iconic caricatures of their region, their profession and the legislative body where they serve.
Calling either man a leader is an oxymoron. After the Supreme Court of the United States the United States Senate is the least democratic branch of our divided limited different power constitutional republic of united states. Every state gets the same number of Senators regardless of population.
The U. S. Senate is akin to the House of Lords. None of the intense multiparty factional intellectual debate of the House of Commons. The greatest deliberative body is self serving mythology.
4
isn't it wonderful that the Senate will introduce two bills that they know will go no where and will guarantee that the government continues to be shut down? they are proving without any doubt that the republican Senators and the President coun't care less about the government workers who must work without a pay check. i suspect that the new slaves are getting a bit testy about now.
6
my wife is a federal employee. she is currently sitting at home collecting unemployment. the state we live in does not go after unemployment after an employee gets back pay.
the net result is that when this is over, she'll get back pay and still have the unemployment. we'll have more money than if there was no shutdown.
the downside is my wife is sitting next to me bored out of her mind and we're really getting on each other's nerves. our relationship is suffering.
she's already turned down a job in the private sector that did not quite offer quite the same salary and nowhere close to the tsp matching or vacation benefits.
*had a stash of emergency funds that could last a couple years if necessary. this is helping a lot. I got paranoid after losing my house in 2007 crash.
4
No deals that allow ant extra funding for “the wall.” As for the State of the Union. Let’s skip it. The State of the Union is chaos. It will be chaos until we rid ourselves of Trump.
12
How is it “political posturing” for the Democrats to oppose the blackmail of a Republican shutdown? Blackmail is completely unacceptable in a democracy. If you don’t have the votes and can’t get them legitimately then you just can’t do what you want to do. The Democrats should not reward blackmail under any circumstances.
17
I am really worried that trump's goal is to ruin our country for his Russian handlers and I wish someone could dispel this fear with actions or facts to the contrary. It's the only thing that makes his actions seem sane. When he was elected I never imagined that the Republicans would simply turn into his obedient lap dogs. I thought that although I disagreed with them on policy priorities that they had some degree of patriotism and would stand up against the barrage of evil incompetence coming from the executive branch, but I was so wrong.
11
At the risk of being politically incorrect, I think it's time to address the elephant in the room. Trump supporters may not be deplorable, but they fall into the not-too-bright class of under educated and less financially secure who fall for conspiracies and lies that most of us laugh at.
8
@mayo gubbins
You're badly misinformed in addition to showing bias -- not against Trump supporters, but against those who are, as you put it, "less financially secure." The majority of voters making less than $50,000 voted for Clinton. The usual suspects, i.e., those who usually vote Republican, many of whom benefit from tax and other Republican policies that benefit the well-off, supported Trump. With a combination of arrogance and ignorance, the attitudes of many in the Democratic Party will further alienate a sizable percentage of the Democratic Party base. Then they'll just stay home, which a higher percentage of them did last time than that which switched over to Trump. I suggest you look at a statistical breakdown of his supporters by income, which you can find with a quick web search. Snobbery is not going to win the Democrats votes, something those who claim to be better educated and more intelligent should have learned last time. (And no, I did not vote for Trump, and am a registered Democrat).
3
@mayo gubbins
P.S. One such source: a 6/5/17 WaPo article with the caption, "It's time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class." The article states that white non-Hispanic voters without college degrees making below the median household income made up only 25% of Trump voters.
4
The clean bill from the house is one that Republican senators already voted for last month and does nothing more than re-open the government and pay its employees. The Republican bill not only includes the $5.7B of Trump's extortion demand, but also an empty offer to temporarily restore the DACA and TPS protections that Trump took away last year and also a new list of Stephen Miller anti-immigration demands. I have a feeling that the clean bill will be more palatable to Republicans than the second one will be to Democrats, but I guess we'll find out on Thursday.
11
Any discussion of the Republican proposal that doesn't also explicitly note that the asylum changes would violate international law is creating a false middle ground between the two sides.
Republicans are pushing extreme changes that would violate international law and calling it "reasonable compromise."
Democrats are demanding the government reopen at funding levels that passed the Republican controlled Senate by voice vote in December (in fact, one of the House bills is the exact language the passed the Senate), before any substantive negotiation on further immigration or border security issues.
There's only one side acting unreasonably and in bad faith here. Any Republican senator who votes against the House passed bill is showing their true colors, and utter debasement before their Lord and Master Trump. They were for the exact language in December, and there has not been any substantive change to the situation other than Trump running scared from Limbaugh and Coulter.
8
After reading the comments posted here two things come to mind: 1. We have an uneffectual government and 2. We need to get rid of the problem. How is by voting them out of office. I find it hard to respect a president who has no respect for this country, but appears to only think of himself and what this power can do for him and those around him. If we as a country don't want this sort of government, we must use our vote and voices in 2020.
9
The only "reasonable" thing to do here is to pay border patrol agents NOW.
THEN there will be plenty of time to talk.
The party that claims to support strong borders:
- refuses to even allow a vote on the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that Obama got through the Senate in 2013, and contained all the FACT-based security increasing measures advised by national security experts for five long years, thereby effectively keeping the border MUCH weaker than what Democrats want
- starts to defend a ridiculous medieval wall idea, that NO national security expert supports, most border state Senators and ALL border district Reps reject, but that ... only some obscure radio talking heads adore.
- now decides to no longer pay border patrol agents, Coast Guards and TSA agents, even though it is the Executive's constitutional duty to implement existing law, independently from whether certain new and highly partisan law projects can get through Congress or not. And of course, no longer paying border patrol agents seriously weakens our borders too.
In the meanwhile, the GOP blocks e-verify. Why? Because that would make employers like Trump pay fees when they continue to hire undocumented people.
The ONLY ones systematically weakening the border here are the GOP.
Enough already.
Teach them that a shutdown will NEVER allow them to obtain ANYTHING, Democrats!
7
The Senate needs to scrap the "60-Vote Rule." It is clearly unconstitutional. The Constitutional provides that all measures except treaty confirmations, constitutional amendments and impeachment require only a simply majority. The Constitution provides that Congress can make its pwn parliamentary rules, but not rules that contradict the Constitution.
The purpose of such parliamentary devices such as the 60-Vote Rule in the Senate or the "Majority of the Majority Rule in the House is to enhance the power of political parties, and party hacks we call majority and minority leaders. The Constitution give political parties no role in government. The system of checks and balances appliers to the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch, not Democrats vs. Republicans.
7
@William Case I'd suggest we go to a 75 vote rule. If a piece of legislation is so odious as to not be acceptable to the representatives of 3 out of 4 American voters, it shouldn't go anywhere. Win me over with the rest of the 40% of independent non-partisan voters, plus a big chunk of one of the two warring tribes, and you got your 75%. Less than 75% and it's just favoring the radical left or right, not Americans as a whole. We in the middle have been left out for the past couple of years and the small number of Senators required to pass something is a big part of that. We vote and pay taxes, too, even if taking a "side" seems unpatriotic to us.
1
@William Case
A wall isn't an appropriations bill.
Only appropriations bills require 60 votes (for obvious reasons; we're talking about billions of taxpayer money here).
The GOP had 52 Senators and the House and White House for two long years.
If they really wanted a wall, they could have passed it on day one.
Instead, they did nothing.
And now they lost the House, so there won't be any wall.
As a consequence, your idea to change the rules of the game isn't relevant here, you see?
It's only because the GOP decided to attach a wall to an appropriations bill that now they need 60 votes for their wall ..
And WHY are they doing this?
Because Trump never even TRIED to convince his own GOP to do the wall, as he knew most Republicans, including his own cabinet, rejected it.
He just waited until he could attach it to an appropriations bill, knowing full well that in this way it would NEVER pass, but he couldn't care less, he's simply using the current situation to try to spread his horrible lie about "open border Democrats", and imagines that he'll win a second turn by turning border patrol agents' paychecks into bargaining chips.
In the meanwhile, his approval ratings plummet ...
5
@Ana Luisa
I agree a wall is not a bill. You wouldn't get much argument from anyone on that.
A senator can block any bill except a Supreme Court confirmation by invoking the 60-Vote Rule/ The Republican-controlled House did not send the Senate a border wall funding bill because it knew the Democratic minority in the Sense would use the 60-Vote Rule to block it. Republican do the same when they are in the minority.
1
Seems to me that if Trump wants the WALL to protect Americans,
then the price for the wall should contain serious gun control laws. That would stop killing 30,000 Americans annually. How could he refuse that offer?
251
@bill Makes sense to me! ;)
10
and serious stop-smoking programs-- tobacco kills 450,000 Americans a year! Tobacco is a major legal drug of concern and nobody is talking about it at all. This comes out to a couple of World Trade Centre deaths per week...
11
@bill
Now you're talking hard ball negotiations! Trump might have to go read his book to deal with that one...
9
I think Rep. Luria should stop trying to undermine the Speaker.
6
Why wait until the Dems control the House to start pushing for a fight when the Republicans controlled all branches of the Government and could have passed a budget for the “wall” in Mr Trump’s first 2 years?
It is no accident, the Republicans know this wall is a stunt and an unpopular idea or they would have passed earlier. They need cover. As a registered Republican I can only wonder how low can Mitch and company go.
25
@Non poll How low? All the way down to where walls begin. That part never sees or knows what's really going on "upstairs."
2
@Non pol
Due to the Senate's 60-Vote Rule, the Senate's Democratic minority could always block legislation proposed by the Republican majority.
@Non poll So true. I lean conservative and like most Americans feel we have a right to control immigration like the rest of the world does. But we could do so much without blowing $5,000,000,000 for an extension to the existing 650 miles of wall Obama finished, just by implementing a national RealID card as a job requirement, and stiff penalties for employers who lure illegals to the US by providing jobs for them. Start fining the people who hire illegals and making them cover the deportation costs and you'd see the jobs dry up. Eliminate the prospects of easy money in the US and the illegals will do a u-turn to go somewhere else. Nobody is talking about the root cause of illegal immigration, so whether it's a white supremist vanity project like the wall or some other scheme it's not going to work until we eliminate the millions of jobs baiting the illegals to come here.
3
Are the Dems prohibited from running ads about the shutdown? If not then they should be running one short ad pointing out and making three simple points:
1. Trump had two years of total control;
2. Trump didn't do the work necessary to get his Wall funding; and most importantly
3. If trump gets away with using Workers as pawns, allowed to get away with this abuse of power and process, he will do it again and again.
63
@Rw
Trump never had "total control." Due to the Senate's 60-Vote Rule, the Senate's Democratic minority can block legislation promote by the Republican majority.
1
@Rw
Trump had "two years of total control."
And therein lies the underlying truth that despite Trump's bluster, there was too much internal opposition within the Republican Party to resist the urge to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. Their corporate ties have successfully lobbied for maintaining the flow of cheap labour from Mexico, et al.
So yes, the Democrats are not alone in maintaining the status quo that support some 15-20 million illegals (not counting the Dreamers) from residing in the U.S.
Both political parties have betrayed their country's lower income residents and legal immigrants in order to satisfy corporate labour and American consumerism's frenzied save-a-buck- mentality above all else.
Even more hypocritical is the incessant virtue signalling echoed by Liberals who profit from the exploitation of cheap labour as much as those on the right who they condemn.
Stop pretending that this is all about some "Wall," when America's immigration system has been broken for decades.
That's on both parties and their constituents.
1
I couldn't agree more. Trump is the terrorist is this. Federal workers are being held hostage. PLEASE do not give in to this terrorist. (And blame him!)
7
Trump feels he needs the wall for his political survival, let alone his ego. In this the Democrats have leverage, but they don't want to give in to xenophobic hate. But would expanding a barrier on the border itself be immoral? Of course, the money could be used in many other productive ways, but the same could be said about government spending in other areas. Democratic lawmakers have previously voted in support of a fence/barrier, after all (under Obama). It is Trump himself and his rhetoric that Democrats find so offensive.
Perhaps the Democrats take the argument on its face value that this is strictly about border security. They request an independent review of vulnerable points in the border that do not have a barrier, then seek a cost estimate. This is focusing on policy, while recognizing our tribes.
America's elected politicians have been punting on immigration for long enough. We need leadership. The country could gain a lot in exchange for giving Trump his "win." We need substantive debate and policy concerning our immigration system. Two things stand out: it is extremely difficult to immigrate legally. Once in this country, many illegal immigrants are exploited as cheap labor with little rights - but they are often given the blind eye. This broken system is incentivizing illegal immigration. This crisis could be an opportunity to start to address these serious problems.
1
@Evan Meyers Sticks and stones can break their bones, but walls can trap their helpless children.
Take the names of every Republican Senator who votes against the clean CR but voted for it last month, then pound them in the court of public opinion, especially if they’re up for re-election in 2020. They have the power to re-open the government if every Senator who voted last month to pass a clean CR votes for it again. That is what the House has already passed, so reconciliation will be negligible. This nonsense has gone on long enough.
20
This is exactly why McConnell should have held a vote a month ago. It puts senators on the record and sends a message Individual 1 and the country how much support there is for any position.
Get it done, open the government, preferably without wasting money on projects of dubious worth and without alienating anyone's rights.
5
Trump and the GOP cannot be rewarded for taking the government hostage over the wall. If they get away with it now, they will do it over another issue next year. It’s spawning the worst bipartisan angst yet. Are there no adults left in the GOP?
16
This shutdown is part of the Republican plan to weaken the federal government and reduce the federal work force. It also weakens the United States as well, which is Trump's plan in his support and work for Putin. So double plus good in Republican eyes. Really can't imagine that Trump would agree to something that strengthens the United States or it's allies.
16
I could be wrong, but I remember it used to take only a simple majority in the Senate. Now everyone says, "You need sixty votes in the Senate." But isn't that a recent phenomenon? I remember it starting when Mitch McConnell was in the minority so he began to filibuster everything the Democratic majority wanted to do.
8
@Realist
Yes and no.
A wall needs only 50 votes in the Senate.
Appropriation bills (= bills funding the implementation of already existing law by the Executive branch of power, the White House, for the next year) require 60 votes in the Senate.
A bipartisan appropriations bill already passed in the Senate unanimously (100 votes) in December.
Then Trump broke his own promise to sign it into law, and decided to attach a highly partisan new law project to it (his wall). But then of course all of a sudden the appropriations bill cannot be signed into law either anymore, as after the House passed the appropriations bill that the Senate already passed (and that's what Pelosi immediately did, upon becoming Speaker), that bill needs a final vote in the Senate, and McConnell refused to hold that vote simply because Trump refused to sign it into law.
All that was needed for Trump to get his wall was to engage in negotiations with his own party anytime during the first two years of his presidency, as they controlled the House and had 52 Senate seats. He didn't ...
4
You misremember. 60 votes, time honored tradition, along with comity and courtesy and independence of judgment and statesmanship
@Realist
According to Wikipedia, the changes to filibuster rules that you're referring to were instituted in the 1970s. These changes included allowing the threat of a filibuster to be as powerful as an actual filibuster, as well as removing the need to have one person continuously stand and speak.
However, Republicans did begin to use the filibuster more than in the past, especially during the Obama years.
So, even though the "rules" about many types of votes in the Senate require just a simple majority once the item is brought to the floor and a vote is allowed, the rules of the filibuster often forces a need for 60 votes to allow something to be brought up for a vote and debate closed.
Stupidity at its finest!
1
Doesn't "bipartisan" mean working together on the same bill? I gather that is not yet happening, but somehow Schumer got McConnell to agree to bring the Democratic Bill to the floor along with the White House bill? Do I have that right?
2
@CJN
Yes it is.
The bill that Schumer is bringing to the floor is that bill that already passed with 100 votes in the Senate in December, and the ONLY bipartisan bill that will be brought to a vote today.
McConnell's bill has attached billions for the wall to it, turning it thereby into a highly partisan bill, that cannot possibly pass neither in the Senate nor in the House.
And the reason why the bipartisan bill that already passed with 100 votes in the Senate has to be voted on again, is because you always need two votes in the Senate. The second vote happens after the House passes a similar bill too.
2
@CJN I'd love to know this answer too.
Just to be clear here: Anti-Immigration bill still has to go through the House. It won't pass. Clean bill has already passed the House. A positive vote on the clean bill could have the government open by Thursday afternoon. House Republicans have already voted for it.
It's a subtle difference, but it's a critical difference. Voting no on the anti-immigration bill is refusing to open a door that's already closed. Voting no on the clean bill is closing a door that's already open. While both result in a closed door, one requires a much more active role than the other.
Senate Republicans may not want to find their names attached to a failed vote to open the government with no strings attached. This is an international issue now. If they thought getting laughter at the UN was bad, look at the recent reaction of Canadian minister Ralph Goodale. I don't think they want to lose all international credibility.
I think Senate Republicans might want to consider their position. John McCain did, and he's considered a bipartisan hero. I should think many would want to do the same.
34
@C
McCain is a Democrat hero because he reneged on his vow to repeal and replace Obamacare.
1
trump is losing...
29
@Carl A lot of good that does. He's taking the rest of us down with him !
3
wrong@Carl
Trump said Mexico would pay for the wall! So, Americans and Democrats need to be left out of it!!!
He needs to open the government and ask the Mexicans for the money!! He said they would pay for it, not Americans!!!
54
@Frea Well, if he told the Mexicans they would pay, then they have no choice, right?
1
@Frea Just as he said somebody else would pay for Trump Tower. He figured since that worked, the Wall would be a cinch.
1
The only way this mess created by Little Putin's man in the Oval Office is for federal works strike en masse. No traffic controllers at airports, no federal police, no White House ushers/cooks/maids, etc.
The shutdown would be over in one hour. It is the type of bargaining the traitor called Donald Trump understand. No carrot, just a big stick to the side of the head.
82
@L. de Torquemada Federal workers cannot strike and about half are furloughed. It's upon the rest of us to speak out and strike because we can.
6
@L. de Torquemada
That worked so well the traffic controllers under Reagan.
Workers at HUD and the EPA are well aware that it would be easy to replace them with private sector workers and reduce the dark state. Hire scientists in place of lawyers in the EPA, which would immediately shift the political bias from Democrat to Republican.
1
@L. de Torquemada The only way this mess... what?
More terrorist.demands by DHS, #WheresMitch, and not Potus. Posturing and.hostage.taking, 800,000 government workers.some forced via.slave.tactics.to.work without pay, or possibly even hope of back pay.
No wall. No terrorist threats. No attrition to force.FBI, ATC, TSA and.other.department workers to lose pay, clearances, and.benefits, in order for these.evil overlords.to move to privatize these.agencies, and.in doing so shut down the courts,..grand.juries, and.investigations. Eric Prince.will be.hired.to bring.in his.mercenaries,..turning.more of OUR.country into a.private.feifdom, run by Russian assets.
Schumer and.Pelosi must STAND.FAST. NO WALL. NO TERROR.DEMANDS.
35
Give the boy his 5.7 grande, but stipulate that the Dems get the next supreme court justice.
9
@Bartolo
That sounds like an excellent idea.
It is about as likely the Republicans would honor the agreement as it would be that if the government were re-opened the Democrats would consider funding the wall.
2
@Bartolo That’s two justices McConnell has rammed down our throats—Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.
2
Millions of lives upended for NOTHING, while Mitch McConnell sits on his hands.
"We get paid to sit around, while we use you as pawns in our extortion scheme. BTW: You will not be paid for your work, and it's against the law for you to not show up!"
Forcing people to work without pay?
This is the best that Donald "Professional Loser" Trump and the modern GOP can do for this country and it's people.
(I wonder how much Mitch McConnell gets paid each week in order to force other to work for free?)
43
@Chicago Guy And don't forget that his wife and brother in law are both part of the Administration!
2
Perhaps we should start funding the government 5 minutes at a time?
9
Mitch McConnell has replaced Michael Cohen as Trump's "fixer" I guess. He will do anything for his boss.
52
It is so hypocritical that Republicans always complain about immigrants not waiting their turn but they don’t complain about Melania Trump and her family not waiting their turn. Did the United States really need more nude models? We do need farm , construction, and manual laborers. We also need people who would pay into the social security system for our aging population.
44
@Gary Ward
How do undocumented non citizens pay into our Social Security system. My big concern is that these undocumented people wind up working for below minimum wage under the table and then receive no retirement benefit. Wrong.
@Liz Cook Actually due to use of fake SSNs illegals pay about $7 billion a year into SS that they’ll never collect. SS puts $ paid via an unknown SSN into a ‘suspense file’. The $7 bil estimate comes from correlating the location of the withholding to known areas where illegals are employed, so the number could be higher.
1
Russia has won, with the collusion of trump and mcconnell. Putin must be laughing out loud to see the depths to which trump has brought the U.S.
40
Neither bills; Dems or GOP; can pass . Stalemate. This is our future next 2 years; Trump wanting crazy stuff and Speaker Pelosi saying NO. Speaker Pelosi told him to find somewhere else to give his State Of The Union. Trump looks weaker every day. Ray Sipe
19
@Ray Sipe that's not even remotely true. For at least one of the House bills (I haven't been able to determine the exact bill McConnell agreed to let come to a vote), it is the exact language that passed the Republican Senate by voice vote in December. The votes for that exact language are there. If Republican senators vote against that language now, they are signing their names to an admission that this is a Republican shutdown.
Everyone should be demanding that every Republican senator explain 1) whether they intend to vote for a radical Republican bill that violates international law, and 2) why they don't plan to vote for the exact language they voted for in December. Make them say why.
7
not with my money, not with my children's money, and not with my grandchildren's money
40
Fully amnesty à la 1986 for the 11 million undocumented already making a positive contribution to the country, and $25 billion for the wall project that will shortly be paid for by regularizing the 11 million. The (different) next president can follow up.
6
Perhaps it is time to put a stop to the formal State of the Union speech. Regardless of party, these events have degraded into name calling ("you lie"), a Supreme Court Judge (Alito) mouthing his partisan displeasure at a President's remarks, the Party in power jumping to the feet every five minutes, the gallery filled with people invited to make a political point. They are pointless as far as advancing policy and are basically campaign events. Go back to the way it was initially and have the Chief Executive issue a written report. Or just have the President give a televised speech followed up by the opposition - but stop subjecting us to the meaningless spectacle. As far as the shut down - this is squarely on the GOP -the House immediately passed the exact spending bills the Senate had already passed with a veto proof majority. Now these bills are not good enough. If this "trick" works this time -blackmailing employees and the public with the budget to get other policies enacted" we are going down a dark road. I also find it disgusting OPM issues guidance today telling employees if they call in sick they are considered AWOL - hey Trumpers- YOU AREN'T PAYING THESE PEOPLE. These should clearly be illegal. You just can't come up with the words to adequately convey how horrible these people are.
49
@dairyfarmersdaughter "... or just have the President give a televised speech followed up by the opposition - but stop subjecting us to the meaningless spectacle. "
Or just don't watch. It's not compulsory.
I would like to see a bill paying for a detailed, fact-based, non-political critical report of various methods of border [including the northern border] control, followed by House and Senate hearings and a Congressional determination. Spending 5 cents must less $5 billion dollars [just to start] to satisfy the Obsessive-Compulsive followed by Narcissist ideas of a guy having zero qualification to pick a Wall as being helpful is laughable. Each and every Representative and Senator needs to carefully review his/her oath and note that blindly following the nut in the White House is outside the scope of their oath.
21
@Bruce... that's exactly what intelligent lawmakers would do. Legwork, data, and multiple perspectives (like using an engineer instead of a contractor to come up with working wall models). That can be said of ALL spending, military or otherwise. Fiscal responsibility is key.
3
@Leah Reitz LOL you've never spent a day in construction if you don't think engineers are being consulted about the wall. General contractors tend to have engineers on staff, or work closely with an engineering firm on multiple projects.
That being said the wall is stupid and pointless, but ignorant comments really don't help get that across.
1
Certainly Trump cannot be counted on to come up with ideas to end his "owned" problem.
13
What is REALLY going on here? The Republicans for whatever reason, are not doing their jobs. Are they putting party over country? Or are they and Trump just following orders? Putin's orders? If so, what on earth does Putin have over this president and republicans? I hope Mr. Mueller soon speaks up. And if he comes up with anything, it must be something truly shocking, truly mind blogging.
23
So glad I voted for Trump. Trump is bringing efficiency to Washington like only a true businessman can. Do we really need the redundancy of a federal government in Washington when we already have one in the Kremlin?
19
@Eric So glad you're glad, Eric. Now what are you trying to say about a federal government in the Kremlin?
1
@Eric You’re saying that because you’re still getting your paycheck. You’re playing with other peoples livelihoods just like your president is.
1
Leaving the country for new job tomorrow. It will be nice to be welcomed since being let go on Dec. 22nd as a federal contractor. I read this article to suggest that the government will not open this week, or the next. Curious why state governments don't have this problem.
11
@James Well, for one thing, state governments often get help from the feds in working out this problem.
The Democrats must not allow Donald Trump and the GOP to rule via extortion.
I'm a life long Democrat, and if they cave on this I will never vote for them again - Period.
15
Ok. But is not voting for a democrat essentially voting for a republican?
1
@Chicago Guy ummm... you can't blame one party forever for one vote.
Baloney! These guys are caving to a hustler who in his long and tawdry life has never done anything for anyone beyond himself.
Is he or his family hungry? Has he ever gone without? Have they? Has he ever worked ? Ever had a calloused hand?
He needs to tell us the state of our Union? He doesn't even know the state of his slipping mind.
I wouldn't give him the time of day.
40
@Ian MacFarlane... Right? What could he possibly say that wouldn't be a blatant lie. Not worth anyone's effort.
4
this is why casinos go bankrupt
16
Mitch McConnell needs to do the job his Republican colleagues elected him to do and that’s to be a LEADER and not a Trump sheeple. It’s sad that the man who is supposed to be leading the Senate which is alleged to be an independent branch of the government and in place to provide a check and balance to the executive branch is nothing more than a Trump yes man.
19
The Senate already passed (Dec 2018) a full budget authorization bill without DT's $5.7 B wall funding. The House should now take up that bill and pass it also. It DT insists on taking his direction from Limbaugh / Coulter, then lets get that out in the open for all of the GOP voters to fully understand.
65
@GTM
The House did take it up, and passed it. But since this is a different Congress than the one in Dec, the new Senate has to pass it again, and so far, McConnell has refused to let the Senate vote on it.
6
@GTM The bill you mentioned, just like the House bill that funded the wall, were both passed in 2018 and both expired with the start of the new Congress. The bill would have to be submitted again and voted on as well. With the new Congress, it would pass the House, but fail in the Senate.
1
This could be a possible strategy toward a possible agreement, by getting the Democrats to consider the idea of increasing funds for border security as part of a series of bills opening the government, and by getting Mitch McConnell out of hiding long enough so he can say to Trump, "OK, we tried. Now we've got to negotiate." The problem: Trump's wall. This is a deal-stopper. McConnell is eventually going to have to unite with Schumer to jam a bill down Trump's throat to re-open the government.
That said, federal employees are facing the prospect of no pay for a second pay period. If this does come to pass, no matter what is happening in Congress, others are going to have to take matters into their own hands. This could come in the form of a strike by federal workers, like that which happened recently in the (apparently successful) California teachers' strike.
Action by key state governors is also possible, if only they can find the political courage and legal authority. Governors in California, Virginia, Maryland and other states could use their emergency powers to grant interest-free loans to unpaid federal workers living in their states, to be paid back once the federal government shutdown is over and back pay is restored.
The situation is becoming dire for many federal workers, and some key government services (air traffic control, TSA, Coast Guard, Border Patrol, NWS, FBI) may soon face interruptions. We cannot allow this to happen.
19
@James Things would be better for the workers if House Democrats had voted for the proposal, in front of them last week, to pay ALL affected workers up to date. They rejected the measure as a GOP "stunt" and threw the workers under the bus after claiming to care so much for their plight. Party over people every time. The new mantra of the Left.
@James- I wish people would get it straight!
Democrats have voted yes for plenty of money for BORDER SECURITY. They are against THE WALL.
BORDER SECURITY and THE WALL are not synonymous.
Hundreds of migrants just tunneled under a wall and turned themselves in.
Drug smugglers for cartels just testified in the El Chapo trial that they smuggle drugs though ports of entry in cars, semi trucks, and trains, bring them over in boats, and fly them over in airplanes.
BORDER SECURITY is not A WALL.
A WALL is a WHITE ELEPHANT.
The people are scared, tired, hungry, frightened people, looking for a better life like our ancestors did when they came here.
The percentage of home grown criminals is much larger than the percentage of immigrant criminals, per number of people. Trump is a fear mongerer, nothing more. It is his way of dividing us, and making us fight each other. It is called divide and conquer.
5
What's missing is acknowledgement that POTUS can't simply demand money for any project because it skirts Congress's power of the purse. Regular order demands a bill and hearings on whether to build a wall or not. This nickel and diming of $5 billion for a structure that would cost more like $30 billion can't be allowed. Ultimately this is about the constitution and creeping authoritarianism and the Senate and Mitch ought to know better.
33
Instead of a government shut down that leaves hundreds of thousands of US citizens without pay, let Congress, the Senate and White House personnel all work 24/7 without pay until they can resolve the issue.
Only then do I think they will feel the motivation required to do their jobs.
19
@James B trust me, I understand the impulse, but that would be counterproductive and simply reinforce that elected office is for the independently wealthy.
I think a better possibility might be something along the lines of Congress members must pay a penalty of 1% of their family net worth above some threshold (call it $1M) each day a shutdown continues. Anything that only punishes those who actually rely on the government salary is just handing negotiating power to the independently wealthy.
1
Presumably, Coulter, Limbaugh, and Hannity have signed off on all this. If not, Congress is spinning their wheels.
I suggest that Pelosi and especially Schumer check in with their media base. Probably not a winner.
Either way, it will be a no go because Washington marches to a different drum - i.e. the oligarchs.
4
Honestly, I'm at the point where I think Congress should just concede and fund the wall . Don't get me wrong, I think the wall is a inefficient and racist monument, but we have people who can't pay bills, research projects being halted due to lack of funding, people not receiving food stamps etc. Regardless of what political spectrum you fall under, this has end.
That's what Trump wants. And if he wins, he uses that to appeal to his base and that's is what he is hoping will propel him into re election. If he wins the next election, it will be even worse for the poor. His long term plan is to cut social services. They have been chipping away at them already.
18
@Alfred Except this is just $5.7B of the $30-50B+ it would take. And next time they'll do it again for another 10B, then again for the rest, then again for their next wasteful pet project. They need to be stopped, better to do it now.
18
@Alfred Actually, Alfred, you are asking the Dems to give in to hostage takers. That is something our country doesn't do, and would set a bad precedent if we did.
What if Trump wants to shut down the government over the national debt? Do you doubt that he would do it if he thought he could get away with it?
4
The authors cite, "Mr. Trump’s proposal, which he promoted in a televised address on Saturday as a bipartisan compromise to pair wall funding with temporary legal protections for some immigrants."
Is it too much to ask that they observe that Trump's proposal was not, in fact, bipartisan? No Democrats were consulted. The proposal waved vaguely at previous Democratic positions, but distorted them in such a way as to make them clearly and without question unacceptable to Dems. Schumer correctly described them as poison pills.
It's true that Schumer is a Democratic partisan. But if a partisan says the sun is shining, and a reporter looks out the window and sees the sun shining, that reporter is not obligated to write, "Partisans declared that the sun was shining." In such a case, reporters are obligated not to write, "Opposing partisans claimed that everyone knew it was dark."
I'm afraid that the Times is going to take its commitment to "objective" reporting on what both sides say to the country's grave.
15
Senate Democrats should vote for cloture to force the full Senate to vote on McConnell's bill. If this is really a bill they can all support, let them say so on the record. If not, that will send a message to both McConnell and Trump.
14
If I want to know the state of the Union, I'm not gonna listen to Trump to find out, that's for sure...
What is really interesting is that he seems set on keeping a promise - for once. He is being held hostage by that promise which he attached his pride to. Kind of reminds me of Jimmy Carter and the Iran Hostage crisis - ONE THING takes over the presidency.
Don't worry, fellow Americans because we have survived worse.
7
@MPW Not a promise kept if Mexico does not pay for it . How can so many close there eyes to that fact? Please explain
1
Again and again and again these days, I remember what Ursula LeGuin said in her final published book: "I used to live in a country that had a future."
Now we're down to having two weeks at a time, maybe a few months at most. Why do people have children again?
14
The democrats are bent because president Trump is a newcomer to politics and not a career politician. Our founding fathers believed in a citizen government and not a professional career government. The democrat's strategy of being total obstructionist is not winning any favor by my means nor by millions of others.
3
@Hank Rockwell Jr How do you know "millions of others" are not in favor of the Democrats' holding the line against an incompetent president, or "newcomer" as you would prefer to label him, shutting down the government because he didn't get what he wanted which, by the way, changes every few days, the "moving goalposts" syndrome that newbies without any proper experience in actually running a really large entity like the country so often exhibit. So, how DO you know about these "millions" of people? Did you personally conduct a poll or gather the data or what? Really, I want to know.
14
@Hank Rockwell Jr-you spelled republicans wrong. If the Wall was so important to the republicans why didn’t they give it priority anytime in the last TWO FULL YEARS when they had total control? A: Because it’s not about a wall, it never was. It was about dividing Americans and making trumps boyfriend Putin happy.
17
@Hank Rockwell Jr
Not a bad point. I like a citizen government. But let's be clear about the obstruction in our national alimentary canal. It is a bully who doesn't have a clue or care one bit for the millions of folks he HURTS while he pines away for a pathetic border wall - one that the experts and common sense suggest is just a political weaon - NOT an effective tool in preventing smuggled drugs or reducing the number of unauthorized humans in this country.
Hank: there are facts - you can find them, I know you can.
12
Yes! There's a way out of it! Forget the wall, open the government and start talking about genuine, 21st century solutions to whatever the problem really is! How hard is that! Oh, I guess, too hard for Republicans.
26
We had a bipartisan spending bill. It was unanimously passed by the Senate. Trump was going to sign it. Well, at least until Limbaugh and Coulter decided to throw a few not so nice words at him. Trump is like a Chinese soup dumpling. Super thin, tender skin, and ready to burst at the slightest provocation. While those traits are admirable in a soup dumpling, they're less so in a person. The fact that someone in such an important position is so easy to manipulate is embarrassing, pathetic, and downright scary. What's to say China, North Korea, or Russia couldn't manipulate him just as easily? While the Trump Administration has been tough on Russia, Trump himself hasn't. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/us/politics/trump-administration-russia-president.html Wonder why he's been so much more lenient than the rest of the administration?
30
Trump created this mess and he should take the full blame. So if the democrats cave in I am giving up my membership in the democrat party and moving to Switzerland and buying a goat farm.
24
"A senior administration official who insisted on anonymity to describe internal deliberations said on Tuesday that the [asylum restriction] provisions were added at the behest of the Department of Homeland Security once it became clear that Democrats were going to oppose Mr. Trump’s original proposal."
So when their original plan proved to be a non-starter, the administration's idea of negotiating a compromise was to make it even worse? This administration is as smart as a box of rocks.
55
What is to stop the President from simply shutting down the government every time he wants something? Clearly not Republicans, who already caved. Democrats control the House and said "no" to a wall. That's should be the end of the story.
Our Founders meant the Legislative branch to be co-equals with the Executive, if not more powerful as they control the purse. The system breaks if that separation does.
33
The push back over preventing what is clearly an invasion of our is absurd! I call it an invasion because the majority of the people unlawfully crossing the southern border refer to where they cam from as "my country", they frequently carry the flag of the country from where they came and they rarely learn English but expect us to learn their language. If they love that country so much that they carry that flag, let then stay there rather that invade our country. The funding for the wall can easily be obtained; 1st, place a fee/tax on all remittances from people unlawfully in this country being sent back to their country of origin; 2nd, audit all banks in the southeast and southwest to discover drug related money transfers and then seize those funds, finally use the seized funds and remittance fees/taxes to fund the wall. Some years ago a major weekly TV news show did an investigative piece on the drug money laundering and determined that banks in the southeast and southwest were earning major profits on drug money laundering. Additionally, enforce election fraud laws by mandating at least 120 months of prison time for anyone convicted more than once for unlawfully voting in any election whereby you must be a citizen to vote. Lawful immigration where new residents have skills we need is fine. Unlawful entrants must be sent back. DACA recipients can remain without a pathway for citizenship, however their children, born here, will be citizens.
4
@Jay
We need REAL border protection.
That means national security measures based on national security experts' reports, not vague ideas floated by radio talking heads.
And ALL national security reports show what Trump's own Sec. of Defense, a 4-star General, declared himself last year from the podium in the WH Press room: it turns out that a wall "from sea to shining sea" is NOT the most effective way to protect the border.
Survey's also show that less than 1% of the current border patrol agents believes such a border will help them and is needed.
And of course, no longer paying border patrol agents for months, as the GOP is now doing, won't increase our border security either ...
What WILL do so, based on national security experts' reports, are 40,000 additional border patrol agents, e-verify, and other proven-to-work measures included in the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that the Senate already passed with 68 votes in 2013.
Unfortunately, since then the GOP House didn't even allow a vote on it.
Fortunately, with Pelosi as Speaker that will change now.
And THEN we'll finally have a REAL debate about border security in Congress.
Needless to add that she will REFUSE to imitate Trump and Pence and as a consequence, refuse to pay border patrol agents during the legislative process ... .
And frankly, whether you believe in a wall or not, I really don't see how you could call yourself a patriot and then NOT agree with Pelosi here. ..
17
@Jay if it’s an invasion, then, why did you wait two years? Who controlled Congress the last two years? Why didn’t you pass it then? Did they suddenly remember remember there was an invasion recently after two years of sleeping, or has the “invasion” suddenly just started?!
It’s a political gimmick that’s rightly being seen for what it is! So, no wall!!! Not a cent!!!
Oh, by the way, what happened to the Mexicans!? Weren’t they supposed to build it!! Did their check bounce!! Go ask the Mexicans to pay up!!!
30
@Jay
Normandy was an invasion. Unarmed people who want to work hard for not much pay and no benefits and who pay billions more in taxes than they get back, and are far more law-abiding than citizens, are not much of an invasion. Five of the top ten safest towns (out of about 16,000) in the US are border towns and their Sheriffs will laugh at anyone who gets hysterical over an "invasion." The people in these town do not even lock their doors.
13
February 8? So then the President can have his rally - aka State of the Union address - to proclaim himself a winner and stoke the same fires. Of course we might be getting that report from Mueller, which could trigger another tantrum - I mean shutdown - (agaIn with the wall as pretense).
28
So the majority of GOP Senators fully support the idea that from now on, instead of passing appropriations bills (= bills that fund the implementation of already existing law for the next year), the GOP will systematically attach highly partisan, new law projects to such bills, even knowing that Congress doesn't have the votes to pass such bills.
In other words, they are explicitly saying that they want a government where each time Congress disagrees on a new law project, border patrol agents, TSA agents and Coast Guards won't get paid anymore. And for months.
THAT is obviously the WEAKEST border security position EVER enacted by any politician ever before.
Dear Republicans, don't just TELL us you love the military, PAY them too.
And as you refuse to do your constitutional duty of implementing already existing law, and now want to make that dependent on getting extremely partisan bills through Congress anyhow, the ONLY responsible solution is clearly for Democrats to categorically refuse to negotiate during a shutdown.
THAT is the only way to teach you that as soon as you shut down the government, you won't obtain ANYTHING at all, EVER.
So you'll know that for the next two years, it won't even be worth trying.
Now do your job and implement existing law NOW!!
60
@Ana Luisa. Their intransigence does, however, pave.the way for such things.as.privatization of ATC, TSA, FBI, particularly if these.workers.have.their.credit ruined by the governments failure to pay them. This leads to the further erosion of actual vetted workers, and.more mercenary type.workers. This is a feature, hiding behind a "wall", designed by #WheresMitch, Roger Stone, Bannon, Gorka, and.the Nazi leaning Miller and.Neilson, with a.side.order of Putin. It's more.obstruction and.possibly.more.treason.
2
Mick Mulvaney, always described as smart unlike most of Trump's advisors, just did something very dumb.
He ruined the President's phony DACA offer. What's geniune about offering half the Dreamers (plus the temporary protected, e.g.,Haitians) what they already have (DACA status, courtesy of the courts)?
The Supreme Court in refusing to review Trump's efforts to undo DACA, signaled the matter deserves full scrutiny from the judicial branch, through Appellate Court reviews. That means no Supreme Court decision until at least early next year. A guaranteed year of DACA for the Dreamers is worth a gauzy promise of three years from a fickle President, particularly when Trump's promise excludes about half the Dreamers.
In these circumstances the President's offer wan't worth much, though some media, notably CNN and BBC treated it as a serious offer. With a PR boost barely in sight, White House Hispanic Haters, led by Stephen Miller, persuaded the President and Mulvaney to seed Trump's offer with Herodian poison pills, meant to inflict further harm on migrant children.
In addition to being bad policy, this dose of White Houae strychnine deprived the President of PR points for making an offer. Mulvaney was gulled by Miller, whose "contribution" was meant to prevent any DACA deal, now or in future.
17
@Frank McNeil
Sounds like your very concerned for people who are here illegaly
@Frank McNeilI
It is all a matter of perspective.
Government employees: The laid off employees will eventually get paid without having to work for it. Most have enough savings (or credit) to easily survive. If not, most have working family to lend them a hand. The economy is so hot now that "help wanted" signs are everywhere. Great jobs? Of course not, but enough to get by on.
The wall: The funds requested is for a package that includes a partial wall plus security to defend our southern border. Every president prior to this (both parties) have supported this concept. Unfortunately, this battle has become a political symbol for each party. There is little evil involved, just a contest to see which will prevail.
DACA relief: The 3 year moratorium is a huge concession. There will be a presidential and house election in Nov 2020 which will enable the victors to extend the moratorium (or make it permanent) or not. The voters will have the power to express their will. Not a perfect solution, but a reasonable compromise. Why is that option being dismissed as a "non-starter" by the Democrats?
In summary: We all wish that our congressional representatives (on both sides) were willing to break ranks and come to a compromise. However, judging from the comments I am reading, most people are unwilling to meet in the middle themselves and would rather berate the opposition with pathetic and mostly false rhetoric. Why expect more from our elected representatives?
These poor unpaid workers cried out for help time and time again, but no Republican Senator answered their calls by overriding the president's veto, of the bill that would put food in the bellies of their children. Though many saw, no Republican so much as called Mitch to put the Houses bill on the Senate floor. They all just watched as government and private workers went unpaid, while trump put his interests before the people's need to pay their mortgages in broad daylight. Republican senators watched as government and private workers went hungry . Now, we must all fear evil men, but there is another kind of evil, which we must fear most, and that is, the indifference of good men. (homage to Boondock Saints).
23
Oh boy! Trump gets to give his State of the Union speech! And that's what really counts, right?
8
Trump and McConnell. The two most deplorable "politicians" in American history. The second worse is the Republican Party, in total.
36
I would like president* trump to offer his resignation during his state of the soviet union address.
22
Trump wants to weaken the US so his Soviet friends can make more money. Nothing like 'divide and conquer'.
I bet he is going to put the US under a 'state of emergency' and start disbanding Congress and the Courts.
Just wait...
12
Rudy Giuliani, the president's lawyer, just admitted Trump was negotiating with Putin to build a Moscow Trump Tower throughout his election campaign. A failed businessman who has to pay $130,000+ for sex would probably do anything for the $300 million he reportedly stood to get from this Russia deal.
Under no circumstances should a man with highly questionable allegiance be allowed to address the nation on taxpayer money unless it's for a confession and resignation. Heck, he should be perp walked out of office today.
Now, what legislation is Mischievous Mitch McConnell proposing to introduce on the president's behalf...?
18
For THIS they're willing to re-open the Govt? His speech?
If Chuckie goes squish and takes this deal, I will join the tomato-throwing on Prospect Park West.
5
Senate Democrats, pass the Repubs unreasonable bill, then go to House/Senate conference committee. Negotiate the House passed and Senate passed bills, and try to come to a reasonable compromise, or at least a compromise that a majority in the House and Senate can live with. If the Repubs keep balking because "the President won't sign" then make sure they get the blame. If the Senate Repubs can compromise, then send it to Trump and let him veto and take the blame or sign it. It is past time for everyone to get out of the "never give in" mode and get our government working again.
1
@Old John the Gardener. You forget that once you give in on $5 bill for part of a wall, you're gonna get held up for the other $40 Bill the next time around, then the $$ for maintenance and security and whatever else the bullies want.
11
What the article doesn't make clear is that Trump and the GOP have already conceded defeat on their own bill. The thinking is that, if it's going to fail anyway, then better to tack on harsher asylum restrictions as a sop to Ann Coulter. Clearly the President feels very threatened and emasculated by Coulter.
The article also characterizes the duelling bills as 'the first glimmers of a potential resolution' to the shutdown. I think that's a bit of a stretch.
Unless Pelosi or Trump knuckles under (neither of which is likely), then re-opening government will be down to McConnell. If it were up to Mitch, he would go to the wall for Trump. (God knows why. If the circumstances were reversed, Trump would throw him under the bus in a nanosecond.) But the pressure on missing-in-action Mitch is growing fast as Republicans in the Senate are taking heat from red states hit hard by the shutdown. As it is, it's likely there'll be GOP defections to the Democratic bill - just not enough at this point.
12
McConnell has been acting as a tin-pot dictator by "allowing" only those bills that he/tRump support to be put to the Senate floor for vote. That is not following Congressional process as provided in the Constitution. That is despotism at its worst.
Trump and the gop have already taken American wages hostage to advance their agenda. What's next? Debt ceiling negotiations? Membership in NATO? 11 million legal immigrants? (Trump actually did threaten Pelosi with that, which seemed more like a soundbite from Goodfellas than a presidential response).
Dems passed numerous bills in the House to end this Trump/McConnell shutdown which, correctly, were sent to the Senate. Where are those bills?
It's the responsibility of the senate to vote on those bills. Tim Kaine called the vote last week; McConnell objected. Where is that headline? The Senate was once one chamber of a co-equal branch of government. McConnell diminished it to little more than a WH annex. Dems need to stand firm to send the messages that hostage taking is not an American tactic; neither is executive and senatorial despotism our way of governing.
21
Yes, there's a way to end the shutdown. And only one way. The Senate will eventually figure it out. Veto override. The president has no part to play. Veto override. Move forward.
25
We are where we are today, you can re-prosecute all the "I voted for it before I voted against" history to infinity. Actual legal status enshrined in law is a good deal for DACA and TPS, gets the Federal employees paid and the government open. $5.7B for the border wall is chump change in the scheme of things in Washington. In the alternate universe that is Washington, both sides can crow all day about victory; only their respective bases hear them anyhow - move on.
1
If both sides agreed to vote cloture on the other side's bill, each bill could pass with a simple majority vote.
Republicans would have the votes to pass their wall bill without any Democrats. But, Manchin, Jones and Sinema could vote yes. That vote could help Jones to keep his seat in 2020. The Republican bill would die in the House so the Democratic votes for the bill would be largely symbolic. The Democratic base would be upset but sometimes it's better to keep the seat.
Democrats would need to find 4 votes to pass their bill. However, Collins, Murkowski and Gardner could probably be convinced without much arm twisting. There's probably sufficient desire to reopen the government to garner one more vote.
If the bill to fund the government were to pass the Senate, it would, of course, pass the House.
Trump would likely sign it. If the government is open, Speaker Pelosi has no cause to deny Trump his State of the Union address. So, Trump could look at this bill as an opportunity to make his case (again) to the American people. If the polls show that people still don't want the wall, Trump can more credibly say to his base "I tried. I kept the government shut down. I made two speeches. We'll try again next year."
But, if something like that were to happen, Speaker Pelosi should push through a change to the House rules that stipulate that any member or guest speaker who lies during an address is ruled out of order and must immediately stop speaking!
4
I am all for getting the federal employees paid but that person should not be allowed to give a State of the Union to a joint session of congress. He is not fit to hold the office of the Preaident. If Congress caves in and if republicans and democrats do not take a stand against DT then his model for the office will be our norm in the future. This is precedent setting and must be not be tolerated by Congress.
17
Well, 800,000 is a lot of votes one way or another. Someone is going to need to make nice with the federal employees.
2
@Tiredashell You forgot about their spouses, families, grown children, extended families and friends. I think we are talking 5-10 times larger than 800,000
3
Listening to Schumer speak inspires absolutely no confidence in seeing Democrats "win" a good resolution to this shutdown. The man is about as compelling as a bookend.
3
@Tom He's no MLK.
2
Yet another display of Republicans caving in to the "Demander-in-Chief" as weak and disingenuous legislative proposals trickle forth from them with yet another stalemate and little hope of getting 800,000+ government employees and contractors back to a normal life.
I wonder if we might figure out a way to have a legally-binding national referendum on the question of the need for a border wall: "Yes" or "No", America?--and let that be the answer coming directly from We the People, this necessary because our representatives have failed us so blatantly.
6
@Cate: Just wanted to clarify my above idea about a national referendum on the idea of a border wall: the U.S. Constitution does NOT allow nationally-held referendums (referenda?).
However, I was thinking in terms of those states whose borders touch with Mexico holding their own state referendums to make the border wall decision--I'm from New Mexico, and ironically, New Mexico's only allowance for referendum is for vetoing of existing laws, not for making laws; we also do not have the ballot process of initiative, so my idea for referendum nationally, or for New Mexico, is not legally possible. Guess the only thing we have left is to contact our Congressional representatives and tell them what we want them to do.
As a furloughed fed, I can tell you two things with metaphysical certitude:
1. Just about all the IT contractors employed by the federal government will have found new jobs before this thing ends in a few weeks.
and
2. The government will shut down again when any CR lapses. And the one after that. And when we hit the debt ceiling. And we will start it all over again next year.
The young feds on my team are leaving - some have new jobs already. I'm moving up my retirement because my engineering team has dissolved, and I'm not interested in rebuilding it. No thanks. I'm going to retire and go teach. Maybe I can train some young engineers to help them get ready to fix this clusterflop of a country they are about to inherit.
17
@Mtnman1963
Well said, I actually believe that our president enjoys the chaos he inflicts on our country. After this shut down nothing will be the same and that is the way he likes it.
4
@Nina Jacobs.. absolutely agree about the desire for chaos. There was a post the other day about how the repubs just want less government, and that perhaps this was their way of getting it. If enough folks give up, perhaps departments will indeed be shuttered. However, if every federal employee did not go to work tomorrow, you can be guaranteed that things would change quickly.
1
McConnell does not care about the people affected and his goal is not to pass legislation. His goal is to protect Trump by shifting blame among the public onto Democrats. McConnell is one of the harshest partisans in government, and his performance in this shutdown is proof, second only to his theft of a Supreme Court seat from Merrick Garland.
8
The worst part is that after Trump announced his proposal, he added additional provisions that were fully opposite Democrats’ interests. It shows again that Trump absolutely cannot be trusted.
6
Maybe it's just me but I sure would like to see ALL federal employees show unity with this year's targeted 800,000 hostages and declare a nationwide walkout until Repubs shake in their studded naugahide cowboy boots.
Next year Repubs may target other federal agencies or all federal employees. They think shutting down the government to get their way is legitimate governance. If they don't have the votes to get their way they grab the ball and bat and yell game over unless the other team spots them 10 runs.
It is long past the time for federal employees to make Repubs pay for their childish petulance which hurts people and the nation. If millions of federal employees declared a day of strike, The People would join them. The nation would come to a screeching halt and Repubs would return to playing by the rules or face tar and feathering. Which is what they've long needed.
11
@JABarry That would be illegal. Federal workers are not allowed to go on strike.
Reading this, I have only one advice. Leave! Emigrate. There is hardly another country in the Western world that shows so much ingratitude towards the people that make the country work. It is really unbelievable, and if I was not aware that it is true, I would not believe it and laugh about the joke... But it is not a joke. How can you live with this and other bad relations between employers and employees...
7
Construction workers among many others are laid off all the time with no back pay, no one cares if they can buy food or pay bills, keep it shut down until a sensible compromise can be reached
2
The Republican's addition of further restrictions on asylum seekers, what Sen. Schumer calls a "poison pill", is anathema not only to the Democrats' traditional position on fairness in immigration policy, but also represents an affront to plain human sensibility to victims of life threatening persecution or disasters in their home countries. It also is, in fact, a violation of international law on the treatment of refugees the US has signed. It is understandable, based on past behavior, that Trump is making such covert and abject additions to his prior oxymoronic "bipartisan and fair compromise" offer, but that the Republicans in the Senate are ready to give it their unfailing support is downright disgraceful. This administration and its supporters is evermore sinking lower in the muck of human indecency.
4
These two senate proposals is what we call negotiations? If this is the best they can do, then it would be better if Congress went on a long recess until our self proclaimed stable, genius POTUS Trump rescinded his order and opened up the government. He started it, so let him reopen the government without looking for people to blame. Pitiful.
2
How about putting $5 billion aside or in escrow in good faith and immediately open the government. Then Trump can present (or fail to present as the case may be) evidence that the wall is necessary or effective. If he cannot prove the efficacy then the money can be used to enhance other protections such as electronic surveillance and more legal entry points. Face saving for all involved.
4
@Common Sense. It’s a creative idea, but Mitch would never allow a vote on it because it would still make Trump look bad, as there is no justification for a wall per se, and this would demonstrate that.
Only Chuck Schumer, god love him, could be stupid and weak enough to fall for this insult. If he votes billions for a wall, he should turn in his half moon glasses on the way out -- I promise that I will vote for anyone that runs against him, from the left, right, center, wherever.
16
@Ted
FYI: as this article states, he REJECTS Trump's plan for a wall.
7
I have long believed that every New York State taxpayer should contribute ONE CENT each to the Chuck Shumer Bifocal Fund. That would easily pay for decent eyeglasses, and maybe for a spare pair. Then our representative could look normal and doesn't have to look over his reading glasses.
3
@Ted
He's not going to vote for the Republican bill. Both bills will come up for a vote, and he will vote for the clean, temporary one. Expectation is that neither will pass.
3
Keep it closed.
Let's see who breaks first. Trump wil stand his ground, Pelosi has nothing more than the radical, socialist left on her side and eventually that faction will pass into the trash heap of history.
Nancy, you've already lost and don't even know it.
2
@Frank
Trump agreed to own this. When he sees his numbers fall enough, someone will have to explain to him that if he wants voters on his side (1M federal, 2M contractors) he better keep them paid. The House has more leverage here. Voters will complain about their representation, but they have a single "I'll own it" person they can vote out next year.
Remember, only 70,000 voters in three states pushed him over the electoral college finish line. Rasmussen has him 12 points underwater and that's a right-leaning poll. He's been underwater for approval since 2 weeks after taking office. You don't win with that.
20
@Frank
I am with you, keep it closed, if he opens it up Pelosi will not negotiate at all
1
Funny. Other issues with recognizing reality?
3
Mr. Trump:
Where are the pesos that you promised over and over that Mexico will give you to pay for your beautiful Trump Wall?
Why are you now taking 800,000 U.S federal workers hostage to force U.S. taxpayers to fund your wall?
38
@Mike C
and while this is going on congress and the white house are being paid. Their pay should be docked during any shutdown. It's their job to run the government. If it's not fully running they should not be paid.
7
@Dave yes, and such shutdowns should be illegal in any case. The rule should be that the prior spending bill remains in force, and people get paid, until such time as a replacement is enacted.
4
I realize it's well beyond this President's attention span, but perhaps someone could give him the Cliff Notes on Moby Dick? Then he can perhaps contemplate the tragic consequences of Caption Ahab's irrational and close-minded pursuit of an object that is out of reach.
33
The Times has already reported that Pelosi, two weeks ago or so, invited the President to give the State of the Union on January 29. Why does this article say different?
3
@Dennis L. Isenburg
There was an invitation.
There was a rescission based on the potential for weakened security given that many federal departments are experiencing sickouts and missing workers who can't afford to get to work based on two missed payrolls.
With or without a rescission, the House still has to pass a resolution scheduling the event in their hall. That's the card Pelosi holds. No schedule means no SOTU in their chambers.
Trump needs to be the bigger person, and that's not his skill set.
6
"“The opportunity to end all this is staring us right in the face,” Mr. McConnell said Tuesday, calling the president’s proposal “a comprehensive and bipartisan offer.”"
Yea right Mitch, Democrats get nothing and you get everything. Your definition of bipartisanship. Remember Merrick?
39
If kicking the can will get 800,000 federal workers and the nearly 4 million contractors who are all affected back to work and back approving grants, foods stamps, etc I'm for it. I'm a progressive, and don't agree with the wall, but if the government opens for just a couple weeks my wife will actually get to start her new position and we'll have some certainty in our lives again. Shame on the GOP for starting this house fire and then hiding the water buckets until we give them what they want, but it is time to put this fire out. I'm sure there's at least a few million affected workers that wont forget this come next election.
18
@Michael
Funny no one cares when ordinary citizens are laid off all the time, who don't get back-pay. No one cares where their next meal is coming from or how they are going to pay their bills
2
@Rick you keep saying this, but it's untrue that no-one cares. Moreover, ordinary citizens don't get laid off en mass like this (even factory closures don't affect this many people), nor is anyone in private industry forced to work without pay as so many are in this shutdown.
4
@Rick
It seems you might be #accidentallydemocrat
as the Dems believe in more worker protections like better unemployment security, better programs for supporting the hungry, full scholarships for those who need to change jobs, and protection for renters and homeowners who are in financial distress.
I'll add that those four million contractors I referenced wont get backpay, most are going to downsize and this could result in hundreds of thousands of private non federal workers getting laid off.
3
Trump's border wall plan is an issue.
Whether or not he gives a state of the union address out loud on a particular date is a non issue.
14
Has Pelosi allowed a budget to come up to a vote? Not a CR, but an actual budget? Nobody's admitting that she holds the keys, and she's keying Trump's car instead of driving hers.
1
@John - Yes, she has. On January 3, the house passed spending bills through Sept. 30 for all agencies except homeland security, for which they passed a CR going until Feb. 8 to provide an opportunity for border protection to be negotiated. Mitch McConnell has refused to bring these bills to the floor of the Senate for a vote, even though they are the budget bills negotiated and agreed to by Republicans.
13
If there is a god, here is what is going to happen: senators will stop working for putin and pass the Democratic bill. trump will veto it. Senate will override his veto. Shutdown will end. Border security can then be rationally discussed and debated.
61
@J Matheson. Thank you! If this pattern (congress working as prescribed in the Constitution) had been followed at the outset, it would have been much harder for the shutdown to have occurred. For McConnell to say he won't allow a bill on the floor that he thinks in advance that the president won't sign is an abdication of his responsibilities, plain and simple.
5
This is what happens when we elect people to office without any experience. They only want to protect they job while not doing their job. To make over eight hundred thousand employees to work without pay over a wall that is truly unrealistic just from a geographic point of view truly reveals the inadequacies of this administration. And it starts at the top. I never thought a president of our country would ever not alone continue to be an embarrassment for all the world to see.
18
What else could 5.7 billion pay for in the United States? Republicans would want to fight to the death to deny a poor kid a hot dog but they would willingly spend billions on a 16th century barrier.
Even in the days of the Knights of the round table, they were smart enough to know a wall was not enough and would create a moat as well.
When the average American can not afford fruits and vegetables because they areas expensive as steak, they will re-think keeping those south of the border out.
14
Mr. President, let's make this personal. Put something that matters in the game. Reveal your tax returns and you get a wall.
5
@Walt Sisikin Forget it. He owes us the tax returns. We don't owe him a wall.
10
So, what is the Democratic proposal?
@Partha Neogy
To reopen the government so that Congress can fashion real (instead of specious) border security.
7
@Partha Neogy
Open the government and then the legislature will fashion a bill for comprehensive border security. That's how government is supposed to work. That is the Democrats' proposal.
If they give in to Trump now, every time he wants something, he will hold Federal workers hostage. This man has no moral compass. He and the Republicans had 2 years of undivided government to get their wall unopposed and didn't do it. The Republicans know it is a colossal waste of money but they will be cynical enough, and scared of Trump enough, to vote for it now. Mitch needs to be gone.
6
@Partha Neo
If for some reason you have not been reading or listening to the news, here are some Democratic proposals and some reasons put out there numerous times as to why the Democrats should not allow $5B hard earned by taxpayer $ to be spent on an unnecessary wall.
1. Let's open the government and talk about effective ways to stop illegal immigration.
2. Let's put money into effective ways, more border security guards as the guards themselves request, require e verify with penalties for employers who don't use it and hire illegals, drones, infrared and other technology to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country
3. Let's not allow Trump to think that every time he doesn't get his way, he can close the government and the legislative branch will give in. He may be president, but he is not a monarch.
4. Let's show McConnell his job as a senator is to be a check on the president rather than get the presidents permission before presenting a bill.
5. $5B may be chump change for you and Trump, but it would do wonders to improve education, healthcare and housing in our own country.
5
Let's see.... Hmmm…He reminded us repeatedly that he paid for burgers, et al, out of his own pocket for the Clemson team; all that bragging over purchasing ~$3000 worth of fast food. Think of the strutting he’d do if he dipped into his fantastic personal fortune – real or imagined? – to pay for The Wall.
Put your money where your mouth is, Prez.
The Trump Security Border…
Two conditions… No loans, and money must be put in escrow (IN ADVANCE) to pay for labor and materials.
9
Thank goodness ! I was so afraid Donald wasn't going to get a chance to make another speech. Huuuge relief !
5
The terrorists won bigly. No real talk of a wall or a fence until 9/11. Now many of us are demanding an enormous expenditure to fund a structure that can be knocked down, climbed over, dug under, planes and drones can fly over it, planes can be flown into it; maybe it's a wall, maybe it's slats, maybe it's just the president being hypothetical (like those rumored ISIS training camps in Mexico). Aren't there enough privately owned guns available to keep us safe? Where is the plan for the "wall?" Who will get the 5- or 25-billion or 80 kajillion billion dollars to build it? The people who separate and lose track of children as an act of malice cannot be trusted with your tax dollars.
The proposed wall is a monument to terrorism sold by a carnival barker. We deserve better.
122
@Albert Ross The wall is only part of the plan to increase border security. Stop focusing on it like Democratic politicians are. They, like President Trump, are using it for political theater.
Along with the wall is money for increased electronic surveillance and border patrol agents.
1
@Albert Ross
And Jerry Brown's $150 billion dollar train to nowhere boondoggle is praised by enviroweenies..we deserve better in the Leaden State.
1
@Albert Ross Yes, I often think of how much our lives were changed by the events of 9/11. The terrorists definitely changed the course of history.
1
Any Dems that vote to give a single nickel to a wall will continue to cast the party as spineless and should be voted out of office.
85
Any speech Trump delivers should be called the State of the (Soviet) Union.
53
Republicans just utterly refuse to negotiate in good faith.
A supposed "good faith offer" that offers nothing and is loaded with "poison pills".
Today's Supreme Court refusal to schedule DACA forcibly extends it for a year, reducing by 1/3 Trump's "offer" to restore what he took away.
You may want a doctor to fix your broken leg but you don't expect to pay him or laud him if he's the one who broke it in the first place!
30
how about if Pelosi offers Trump his $5.7 billion, but the money is sequestered until Jan. 21, 2021?
22
First the State of the Union was closed by Peaches Trump.
Second McConnell said his proposal was the only thin/proposal on the table! WHY IS THAT MCCONNELL?????
Blackmail should not be successful.
10
Frontline (PBS) has already begun laying out the storyboards for this debacle.
9
"Mr. President, you said Mexico would pay for the wall. If you were telling the truth, why the shutdown that is hurting American families?"
"Mr. McConnell: why did you cave into the President after a bill to fund the government and help American workers had already passed "your" senate?"
There is and was no border crisis before this president created one. This is a clear line in the sand. Democrats need to stand firm--- the fallout of allowing dictatorial powers to this president would be tragic.
50
Reopen the government for 3 weeks?
Giving Trump tmcongress for his state of the union ?..which will be a rambling narcissistic series of lies and hateful rhetoric!
This is making America great again?
12
@tom mulhern no, it's just making these folks look like they're doing something.
3
@tom mulhern Trump still has to be invited to the house for his speech and Mrs Pelosi doesn't have to let him do it in the house.
He has the options of were he wants to do it the oval office or just write it and send it over. He has been talking about doing it at one of his feel good rallies. That way it will not be broadcast, (I hope) I will not be listening how ever it turns out !
1
Fund the USG for 17 days. Yes, a triumph for Democrats. can't they do better? Why not fund the USG until September 30? In the long run, a triumph for Trump. Thank you.
4
The bill McConnell is pushing is Bannon's ugly stew of poison pills, and it's dead on arrival because McConnell needs 7 Democrats to pass it -- no chance. I doubt even Doug Jones votes "yes" on this.
16
@Lee Harrison Joe Manchin will vote for it.
1
McConnell Is up for re-election in 2020
I plan to send HIS OPPONENT as much $$ as I can afford.
107
McConnell says he won't propose a bill that Trump wouldn't sign, being pragmatic, even though the Senate could override a veto, since they had voted for a budget unanimously- Democrats and Republicans. (That was before Trump turned on his TV and watched the wisdom of Anne Coulter.)
Yet he will offer a bill even he acknowledges can't pass the Senate or the House.
A unique kind of pragmatism.
19
Last month the Republican Senate passed the standard appropriations bill, with no wall funding, that would have funded the government. Trump vetoed it.
So why are the Republicans and Democrats talking? Neither has anything to do with the shutdown - which was entirely due to Trump's veto.
They should be talking to Trump.
18
@Fourteen False. Donald Trump hasn't vetoed a single bill in his time in office. https://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/TrumpDJ.htm
@Michael
Good clarification. Trump threatened a veto, which stopped the appropriations bill cold.
1
@Fourteen I was not able to find a reference to a final bill from Congress that he would have been able to veto. Best I could find was an appropriations bill that still needed House reconciliation. What I think we have here is the Senate Republicans playing games to aid and abet the President in this scheme to foul up the federal government. At this point, I'm not even sure they care at all about a wall... I think they care more about doing damage to the federal government while trying to make the Democrats look bad. I mean, look at the people they've approved for cabinet positions... it's hard to believe their one goal is anything other than to "drown [the government] in the bathtub". At least the parts they don't like.
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McConnell says this is Trump's 'comprehensive bipartisan offer': "Give me exactly what I want and I will give you little in return."
Trump's approach couldn't even bring his party on board. It shouldn't bring Democrats on board, either.
Congress should use its authority to vote to re-open government and over ride a Trump veto. That would show America that there is meaningful adult control in DC.
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@62Down "show America that there is meaningful adult control in DC." Can we really show what we don't have?
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@62Down-- That has always been the correct approach, but McConnell is as much an obstructionist as Trump. Let's get rid of both of them in 2020.
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It's confusing but getting clearer.There are two bills in the Senate. One of them favors opening the government and enabling funds backs into disaster aid for recently ravaged areas. That's all because the border security issue of the wall is put on hold.
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Please. The Democrats are pulling a “John Kerry” because they were in favor of the wall before they were against it. Even Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton voted in favor of barriers on the southern border. Now the Democrats are against it because Mr. Trump is for it, and so the Democrats don’t want to give Trump what he wants.
Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats should give Trump his wall, simply for the sake of the Federal workers. In a few months, it won’t be important. With all the scandals and outrages, if the Democratic Party can’t put together a victory in 2020, then they don’t deserve to be a party.
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@Larry-- There are still some people who believe in principle. You don't give in to dictators.
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@Larry
Be careful about who you refer to as a waffler. We have a waffler in chief. He said Mexico would pay for the wall and now he wants to use our hard earned money to pay for it. He said he would own the shutdown, but now is looking for a scapegoat.
There was a wall built in areas that were porous. Dems, Pelosi and others you mention think that more wall will not be necessary or effective. That is not waffling.
This is not a child's game of giving or depriving someone of what they want. This is supposed to be a government whose purpose is to work for the people of this country.
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@Larry Find me one credible reference where Obama or Clinton or Pelosi or any other Democratic leader stated their support for building a wall along the entire border between the USA and Mexico. That is the proposal that Trump has put forth-- he also had several very specific plans for getting Mexico to pay for the wall, none of which he has pursued at all so far.
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It is surprising to me that some Republicans do not recognize this impasse as the ideal opportunity to do an end run around the President and thus separate themselves from him and his chaotic, negative, divisive administration and move toward rebuilding their party for 2020.
The shut down, and American’s clear disdain for it, is the perfect time for the Senate and the House to create powerful, positive, and creative compromise legislation, pass it, and send it to the President thereby forcing him to veto it.
He then takes full responsibility for this crisis, for the wholesale unwillingness of his administration to align with the will of the people and their elected representatives…and allows all Americans the opportunity to see it – and him – in the clear light of day.
If only we had a functioning government looking for positive, powerful, provocative opportunities that serve the public they were sworn to serve...
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@Kelly Grace Smith
That's exactly what the Congress should do. Trump has the Republican Congress under his thumb and that would be a way for them to squirm out a bit. If it does not happen, then something more is going on, like a larger strategy above this opportunity.
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@Kelly Grace Smith-- Most Republican Senators would like to do that. But McConnell wont let them.
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@bobbrum
Yes, this would require courage, integrity...and a willingness to genuinely fulfill their duty to the people they have sworn to serve...sigh.
I am old enough to remember Republican leaders with integrity and courage...even though I am a lifelong Democrat and served as a Democratic elected leader in my own community; it seems McCain was the last real and reasonable (sometimes!) Republican...
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I'd give Trump his $6 billion for a wall in exchange for his and Pence's immediate resignations. Let them truly put country ahead of themselves and save us all from the spectacle of impeachment.
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@M.
Heck, I'd give it to him personally for his resignation.
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How about the House work on alternative paths to releasing funds to furloughed government employees...a measure that goes around the Senate and the President. Let McConnell and Trump display their outrage that the country can function without them. Let this be a grassroots initiative that supports our fellow countrymen who are suffering.
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No to Republican policy extortion.
They don't have the votes to impose the cruelty they'd rather, so they hold federal workers hostage to force Democrats to support wildly unpopular policies by Trump, Stephen Miller and other heartless sorts within his hearing range.
No to using this technique as a method of "governing". There is no limit and no end to hostage-taker demands
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By what possible measure could this be seen as "bipartisan"? It destroys DACA and replaces it with a christmas-tree of punitive, destructive measures that have already been declared dead by Sen. Schumer. I am so saddened to see this paper running cover for racism passing itself as policy.
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McConnell describes trump’s proposal as bipartisan. In what sense? Does he mean that it has the support of both male and female GOP senators?!!
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@RickyDick
"Bipartisan" is a talking-point or "focus" word or attention-grabber used to attract media attention because it's quotable.
The media will propagate "bipartisan" because people will naturally wonder, "What could Democrats and Republicans possibly agree on?" Subconsciously we'd also think it must be important.
"Bipartisan" makes people think you're being fair by extending a hand and trying to reach agreement. The goal is to push blame for a failure to agree onto the other side.
In reality it's a false equivalence because "bipartisan" is usually, "I get 90% and you get 10%." When you will not take that bad deal, you get the blame.
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The asylum changes are indeed a poison pill. McConnell never allowed a penny to be spent on the actual wall for the two years the GOP controlled Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court. The name of the GOP game is blame, not governance.
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Open the government first. Then we’ll talk. We might be open to a bunch of things, but no government, no go.
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Very good compromise. Both parties could show goodwill by committing to the 60 vote threshold to end debate on both bills.
The wall bill will not psss the House. The temporary CR to February 8 will pass the House.
If Trump signs this allows federal workers to start working again, receive their back pay and restore services to all Americans affected.
It will also give both parties a chance to negotiate a border security bill - with the government open - that includes (1) more money for “fencing” even new fencing (Dems you have to give here), (2) more money for judges and improved housing infrastructure at the border (Reps you have to give here) and, (3) higher tech border security measures that both can agree on and want.
Win-win-win
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@Michael. This myth of the immoveable Dem, who refuses to discuss ANY sort of "barrier method"--- is just that, a myth. Dems want security, and at some points a physicql barrier may be the option. And for many areas it will NOT be the best option. Not ever discussing this, tho, gets us nowhere. And as long as our government is held hostage by toddler terrorists this will be the case. Kids will still be in cages, air travel will still be less safe every day, more slave.class workers will be created by #WheresMitch and Cadet Bone Saws. Deplorable doesn't go nearly far enough.
Children required to seek asylum from their own countries, where they are subjected to suffering and violence?!
It is hard to imagine the lack of compassion that exists in a country as blessed as the United States. Since these leaders feel no shame, I feel it for them. God forgive us.
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@Samantha Post
How can toddlers and infants, even teenages have whateverit takes to apploy for asylum in the countries they are fleeing?
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Please fact check McConnell comments, as Trump's bill is NOT the only one the Senate could vote on. The House has offered at least nine bills to reopen government.
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At the Trump rallies, did his base yell “End DACA! End DACA!”? Of course not. They wanted and Trump wanted their wall. It was Trump’s political raison d’etre.
So here’s a crafty strategy that Trump and the anti-immigrant hardliners think just might get them their wall.
First, Trump ends DACA with the support of the anti-immigrant hardliners.
Second, Trump shuts down a good part of the government, demanding $5.7 billion for his wall. The base loves this, as of course do the anti-immigrant hardliners.
Third, Trump offers to bring back DACA for 3 years, in return for his wall, and ending the shutdown.
Fourth, the anti-immigrant hardliners scream bloody murder. The base doesn’t really care, since it’s the wall that they actually care about.
This fourth step is the final and critical step of the strategy. It is meant to make the Democrats and the public to think that Trump is making a very major concession. And why is it a very major concession? Because the anti-immigrant hardliners are boiling mad at Trump. Really going at him. If the Democrats go along with Trump, they’ll still scream at him, but they will get what they really wanted all along, their wall.
That’s all part of their devious plan, that was hatched back in 2017 when Trump ended DACA. A devious conspiratorial way to get their wall.
Don’t fall for it. You will be like Humpty Dumpty if you do.
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@Pete Thurlow
Yes, a good strategy is often three steps forward two steps back. Those two steps back give you cover.
But Trump is transactional not strategic, he does not think sequentially or with a sustained focus or plan.
Trump may well be working your strategy but not from 2017. He breaks this and that every day, then selectively takes advantage of the new opportunities that arise.
He is an opportunist that makes his own opportunities by wrecking things. After salvaging whatever value he can piece together, he skates off while everyone else is left with worthless wreckage.
Trump is both the wrecking ball and the salvage yard. He created the shutdown and the Wall and the anti-Immigrant fake crisis and ended DACA, now he's selectively picking over the rubble.
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I don't understand why all furlong Federal employees don't all call in sick one day to protest for not getting paid. That would end the shutdown.
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It’s not that I don’t care about all of those federal workers not getting paid, but I sure was delighted to know that the “heavy-breather in- chief” was not going to get to give his State of the Union rant. Please, please, you guys, could you just hang in there until after that previously scheduled date?
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1. It is Americas Wall---not Trumps!
2. We do not need more diseases brought into the USA---chicken pox infected border crosser was caught last week How many others did that one person infect on his way to the border, and how many after he arrived in the US? Remember the Ebola that came in from Africa 2-3 years ago?
3. Amreicas Wall was needed, and supported by top Dems and Pres. Obama just a few years ago. What has changed the need for the wall? More caravans are on their way!
4. The savings to the government from the stoppage of illegal immigrants will more than pay for a 27 billion dollar wall in less than one year! To not save that amount of money annually forever is a dereliction of duty by the Congress.
5. Please tell the Dems there is no shame in building Americas Wall.
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just wondering how the wall will stop Africans, who arrive by plane & then overstay visas. in fact, that is how most illegal immigrants come here now. perhaps walls around the airports would be useful?
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@dickydo 1) It's Trumps wall
2) Anti-Vaxxers bring more disease than aliens. Are you concerned about them?
3) Dems support a wall where needed. Not an arbitrary 1000 wall
4) It's not the money. Can't take away Dreamers and the Govt and hold them hostage.
5) Yes, there is shame.
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@dickydo Republicans had two years to fund this Wall but for some reason decided not to. Where is your blame for them?
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Reuters report 1.12.19
“Baltimore rail tunnel with water infiltration issues…will cost $4.5 billion…”
“Amtrak…needs more than $30 billion as it seeks to introduce next-generation higher speed service by 2040.”
“The biggest immediate need is… a $13 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River.”
The wall? A measly $5.7 billion. Pelosi, Schumer: end the shut down. FUND THE WALL.
http://www.ncwcom.com/~ctnehrenz/P&S.jpg
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Seems like you just articulated why the money would be better spent elsewhere.
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@Clyde Nehrenz The $5.7 billion is merely a down payment. Still too much too pay for an ineffective, environment disaster.
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@Clyde Nehrenz
How does wasting $5.7 Billion result in another $47.5 Billion magically appearing for other projects? Current Federal deficit is around $1 Trillion. with debt approaching $23 Trillion.
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This is the moment in history that the Democratic Party should seize upon. Why oh why isn’t any Democratic leader, newspaper or major media house pounding home the fact that our “president” had control of both houses of Congress for 2 years and couldn’t get his wall passed then? Even the republicans wouldn’t fund it. Why is it suddenly the Democrats fault that it won’t pass? Why are the Dems not shouting it out loud? And now that the Dems truly have the moral high ground here, why let it go? Dreamers being used as pawns after they Trump took away their protection! Govt. workers same thing. This shutdown rests squarely and only upon the shoulders of the Republican Party and their rather disgusting leader. Democrats... Carpe that Diem!
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@Timothy H.
The "Dreamers" who were born in a foreign nation would make a great "Peace Corp" type group, that would probably greatly benefit their homeland, by taking their USA education and knowledge of "semi-functioning" (the USA) democracy to their nation of birth.
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@Timothy H. The Dems are clear as you are on their messaging. Follow their Twitter feeds. But the MSM likes a dog fight. Remember NYTs Hillary coverage? How they beat her in the head with an email server, “because they thought she would win”? Let’s think about that; the NYTs wanted to deliver a President Hillary with a head wound to a GOP Congress ready to impeach her and loser candidate Trump tweeting from the sidelines. The media get paid to cover the show, so they do.
Why in the world wouldn’t we reject asylum claims that aren’t filed in a timely manner? It’s one thing to allow people to come onto US soil and then make their claim. It’s another thing to just let illegal immigrants flood into our country and then use asylum as a get out of jail free card only when they’re finally caught by ICE or CBP.
The Democrats are once again demonstrating that they simply like illegal immigration and want to undermine US immigration law to have de facto open borders.
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@JP Nope. It's in the Constitution to take in asylum seekers.
Second, pass comprehensive immigration reform, which the Dems tried twice in the 2000s to be shut down by the Republicans.
So the solution to nothing getting done is to build an arbitrary 1000 mile wall??
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I think the House should offer to appropriate a few million for a feasibility study, an environmental impact statement, actual drawn plans, and a realistic budget for a border wall. These things should be required before any multibillion dollar construction plan is even considered for a vote.
How could the Republicans possibly claim that we should not do these things?
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@jan The answer to your question is simple. If this fiasco was actually about designing a system to enhance border security your suggestion is both logical and a reasonable first step. The problem is that this has NOTHING to do with border security. The Great Wall of Trump is a monument to Trump's ego and a bone to his ignorant supporters. Logic and rationality have nothing to do with it. Republicans won't challenge the stupidity of a wall because they live in fear of their base.
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A temp stop gap, if it passed might defuse the standoff predicated on Trumps catchy three syllabal slogal. Build That Wall has little to no real technical merit, humorously demonstrated by a mexican politician with a ladder and the not so funny narco submarines feeding American drug habits. Trumps persona drives him pathologically towards black and white brinkmanship and GOP support is, in part, fear of his vindictive nature. It is an effective MO that got him where he is so providing a narrative and perception that he didnt back down might put people back to work and just might facilitate meaningful discussions afterwqrds about what is actually needed to control the southern border, more and better x-ray at ports of entry to name one example.
A long shot but I still suffer from optimism now and then...
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Please work together... edge Trump out and put people back to work. Do what's right... would be a wonderful start to a new beginning!
15
McConnell lies through his teeth:
“It’s a strong proposal, it’s the only thing on the table,"
No the House has passed multiple bills which he has prevented from being debated or voted on in the Senate.
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The Republicans voted previously to allow Schumer's clean CR to pass. We'll see Thursday if they remain consistent or if the vote against cloture and remain in Mitch's pocket.
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