Go ahead, shut it down Mr. Trump. You and your bluster about getting Mexico to "pay for the wall" was nothing but hot air from the get go. And your poor, easily swayed loyalists believed it. And now it's give you the money or else! Throw a little tantrum and the GOP buckles and bows and scrapes. Spineless bunch! The only walls that will be built are the ones closing in on you.
2
Gee, I guess I missed the part of the Trump campaign promise that said US taxpayers would pay for the wall. Seems like even if Trump gets this ridiculous funding, he's still breaking a campaign promise. Hello, Fox?!?!
And the wall is a ridiculous idea.
1
Simply, House and Senate Republicans are gutless. The only thing they know how to do is kowtow to our lying and ignorant president.
1
This article described the wall as "a project that he (Trump) once promised Mexico would finance ".
This is inaccurate. At every one of his campaign rallies he went on and on about how Mexico would PAY for the wall, not finance it. This drew shouts and cheers from the lunatic members of his cult. It was his biggest applause line. When Trump, hat in hand, begged the Mexican President to help him out, you could hear Peña Nieto laughing all the way in Washington,
How many of his deluded followers have even noticed Trump's bait and switch?
1
When #45 pushed for this wall, he claimed that Mexico would pay for it. Now he is demanding that the budget include funds to fulfill his pipe dream so that America can pay. The orange man wants to shut down the government (taking money out of the pockets of Americans). Why hurt Americans in order to "Make America Great Again?"
I don’t recall Anne Coulter, Sean Hannity if any other Fox News “personalities” being on the ticket in 2016.....
1
Hey, there, President Master-of-the-Deal, where's that Mexican funding?
When you "promised" this wall for fake border security, you also "promised" that Mexico would pay for it, not
Embarrassing to watch the USA in such Chaos.
Surely you have an avenue to remove this clown via impeachment. Its time!
1
Just build the wall. Give Trump what he wants so we can move on to other things. Democrats are failing as a political party and will not win the 2020 election if they don't show strong support for border security.
1
First, let's see what, if anything the Senate does today. So what happens if Trump's "I own it" shutdown lasts until 1/1/19. Then what? New result?
When the president uses the budget and the ability for government to function for his own purpose of passing through his desired legislation that didn't pass Congress, it's called intimidation. Obama did this as well; wasn't a fan then either. Why, over the past 12 years, has the President been allowed so much power over the country? When Dems like it (Obama), it's okay somehow. All those executive memos and orders coming back to roost. Give us our 3 branch checks and balances back!
At least with the shutdown the people who yell 'get the government off our backs' will have their wish for awhile. Sorry for the rest of us.
Always looking for a brighter side, maybe this will be another small nail needed to change inhabitants on Pennsylvania Ave.
2
A wall was a good Idea back in the day when we used horses for transportation. Just like banks use to have a Security Guard walking around the banking floor. 5 BILLION dollars for a Wall that can be climbed over or tunnel below. Those 5 billions dollars should be used for 21 century means of protecting our borders. Oh a Wall looks good as a deter, so does a Junk yard dog protecting your home.
3
ex·tor·tion
/ikˈstôrSH(ə)n/
noun
the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.
How is what Trump is doing not the same thing? How can a President get away with this?
3
I hope some sanity returns to Washington after the House changes hand. The Republicans let this wall debacle get this far by cow towing to this misfit we have as president. Mitch McConnell leads his band of clueless elves in the Senate and Ryan in the House.
The bully in the White House who understands nothing is still playing at president unfettered and fostering chaos. He still thinks he's in Trump Tower immersed in his shady dealings and acting like king of the hill. He wallows in his own ignorance on a daily basis.
1
He's in construction. What did you expect? A diplomat?
2
We don't have to build a wall between the U.S. and Canada. But we do between the U.S. and Mexico. Why?
These immigrants come to the U.S. primarily to escape problems in their native countries (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) which includes a stagnant economy, high levels of crime, political corruption and widespread drug use. There is a legal way to request a green card to enter the U.S., however unlawful mobs entry is not allowed. Shame and disgrace of all these central American countries and their governments who fail to feed their people, to give them medical care, good housing, and jobs.
Sorry that your country does not love you anymore. To find true love you need to find and walk on God’s Holy road which will one day open the gate to His Kingdom in Heaven. The road you are currently walking is man made and will only bring you tears and despair, darkness and regrets.
According to a New York Times article dated May 7th 2017 there are still 90 lawsuits open from landowners from 2008 the last time the government tried this.
2
Trump speaks to his disciples like he is teaching third world children English, “ build a wall”, “lock her up”, “ no collusion “ etc. simple phrasing with no substance, just words. Everyone agrees with securing the border, a mid evil solution to a 21st century problem is not the answer, we have much better technology than a wall, plus, as with everything Trump we have very little detail about the wall such as; how do you handle the river, what is the total cost, what will it look like, nothing, just build a wall. It’s just another con that works on Trumps cult and innocent people will suffer and ironically border security will be shut down in the process of his shut down.
2
Senator Democrats. Do not give in! Come January the house won’t support this and it will be off the table! We are counting on you!!
2
The vast majority of American’s (about 70%) despise the very thought of Trump’s foolish racially prejudiced wall not to mention the enormous expense. We will do our best to see it doesn’t happen. If we must march we will. Meanwhile we must rely on the inept Republican party to delay this odious plan.
1
My disgust for the so-called "Freedom Party" has grown by leaps and bounds (free to die without healthcare? Free to starve?). I cannot believe these people continue to be re-elected. Must be due to Jerry Mandering.
Am I missing something here? On the campaign trail and beyond, all Trump has said is Mexico is paying for the wall. Why is congress even debating this? Why aren't they throwing this back in his face and calling him a liar?
2
If they had enacted the 25th Amendment when they should have, the Republicans could have saved face. Now, no matter what they do, they lose. Not only is this the worst president in American history, he is a very bad person in general. I work for the Federal government. This will hurt me badly. I am willing to take the body blows to call this bully out.
1
I thought Mexico was paying for the wall. Trump said so, it must be true. You mean he lied?
2
We are still a democracy. At least, I hope we are. Trump doesn't have the votes for his wall. In a democracy, without the votes he doesn't get to simply dictate his desired outcome.
1
Democrats are losing a big opportunity here. They are allowing Individual 1 to use the terms "border security" and "wall" as if they were one and the same. They're obviously not.
Democrats should be talking to the public about whatever this funding bill includes that is related to real border security. What border measures DO they support? Emphasize that ... or you're allowing him to spread the fiction that you want "open" borders.
7
@AG
The Democratic Party IS talking about those things....
Sadly the fools on Faux "news" that so many business keep showing are ensuring the willingly uneducated stay in the dark about that; it's easier to demonize the Democratic Party that way.
2
If Trump campaigned on the promise to build a wall with $25b of U.S. taxpayer money, would he have been elected?
$5b is not the total cost for a 1,200 mile wall. Trump himself said the total cost is >$25b. Of course, he said we wouldn't pay for it either.
4
One way to resolve this wall issue is to put it to a vote similar to the Brexit vote in England. Let’s fund the government now without funding the wall and before we face another shut down hold an election and let the people decide.
1
In 2006, 80 senators including Chuck Schumer voted to fund 700 miles of fencing. Now with Trump trying to do the same thing, they are all infuriated? I don't understand. The current plan is to strengthen security in areas where there are the greatest incidents of human and drug trafficing. We do need some system for taking in refugees from other countries. But, letting people sneak in is unfair and unsafe.
1
Wall street is crumbling and if funding for the wall does not get through the impossible target pf 60 votes the government will shut down at least the non essential services.
1
Trump is apparently planning to get his wall by not paying our federal workers at the border, currently facing down la few caravans of people wanting to enter. Perhaps those workers should all go home until their pay is restored, leaving the gates open as they go. This might also get Washington out of the habit of shutting down the government willy-nilly when one party or the other doesn't get its way.
1
No lawmaker should vote under fiat of Presidential Tantrum.
The fact is, we have enough border security. Mexicans and South-Americans are not criminal drug-runners and rapists. They take jobs Americans don't want to do, like farm labor.
It Congress wants to add $5 billion to the budget for American healthcare, equal education, environmental protection, THAT would help protect America.
If the Republicans are so keen on immigration, they could include funds for hiring more border staff to process immigrants and those seeking exile, according to existing law.
But succumbing to a tantrum? No.
Trump said he would take full responsibility for shutting down the government. Now he's trying to blame lawmakers, but, nuh-uh, it's all on him, and any legislators who cave in in the face of such babyish, bullying behavior.
4
We would be better off spending five billion dollars improving economic conditions and assisting governments fighting gang violence in Central America. Like many immigrants before them, they are desperately trying to escape poverty and violence. An ounce of prevention.....
2
The experts agree that the wall is a terrible idea. It won’t work and $5B is not nearly enough to build and maintain it. But if the GOP thinks it’s so important, then they should propose a measly 1% tax on incomes over 1 million dollars to pay for it. They could even add on some stiff fines for anyone caught using illegal hiring practices. Even with this source of funding, it will still never be built.
4
I don't know where Trump gets his political advice, but it's terrible. He hasn't gained one supporter and has lost millions. Maybe it's time he turned off the tv and started to talking to real people outside the tv and the White House for a reality check on where the people of this country stand.
2
Wait. Wasn't Mexico supposed to pay for the wall? I feel certain that the president told us that Mexico would pay for the wall.
7
Another moronic move....the vast majority of citizens do NOT want to waste money on a wall that has been proven can be breached.
Don the Con is getting played. The maneuverings of the Far Right get Trump dance like some puppet in a sideshow. They are both suffering from the clear loss of authority as their numbers shrink.
Likewise, Putin pulls a bunch of other strings near Trump's wallet, teasing him with a potential cash cow hotel in Moscow that Trump needs to buttress a not too profitable future. Trump has jumped the shark. His benefit to Putin is reduced every day as the clock tics and the Mueller Report is finally released.
1
Notice how Republicans embrace the lie that a wall equals border security? They are truly revolting.
4
McCarthy forgets that the GOP holds both houses of Congress and the WH for 2 years and have yet to fund this idiotic wall or even govern beyond a tax cut for their corporate donars. But the shutdown is the D's fault. Right.
1
Here we all are .. stuttering and stammering .. frothing at the mouth .. about a Wall. Exactly what he wanted. We took the bait. Again.
3
I'm sick and tired of being angry all the time over Trump's antics. I want him removed from office. Who's with me on that?
3
Fox News should move into the White House as policy wonks. After all, they are the only "advisers" Trump listens to.
4
Five billion dollars? That’s it? And the dems are so addicted to this pipeline of unskilled future democrats that they are willing to shut down the government? Pathetic. Please don’t cave Mr. President.
3
@Thor
Mexico is supposed to pay for the wall. Trump said so on national television.
"I want, I want, I want or I will hold my breath until my face turns blue".
Finally, every parent has something they can relate to Trump.
Although, to be honest, this childish play phase usually ends when the kids are 3 or 4 years old and does not last when they become President of the USA.
But I am not really certain what freaks me out more, the 3 year old commander in chief of the world's largest nuclear force or the robot like admirer Pence who admires his 3 year old president and not even thinking of replacing this kid by an adult.
Maybe they should get some potty training together to relieve some stress?
It is the right of Congress to override any presidential veto and as regards his threatened government shut down the Republican Congress should finally man up and stop Trump.
2
Override the Veto, then open up a congressional probe into the Russian Trump linkage.
3
The 5 Billion dollars requested could house all 38,000 homeless veterans in this country in a home that is built for 131,000
5
Want to stop the insanity of this useless border wall? Take action today before the senate vote at noon ET.
Phone: Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.
Email: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Here is the message I am sharing:
Senator,
69 percent of Americans believe a border wall with Mexico shouldn’t be a priority for Congress, according to a new Marist Poll released this week.
Every country has a right to secure its borders. But this wall will not protect us. President Trump wants this wall as a political trophy to placate the minority who support him. Don't let him shutdown our government to please fewer than 40% of our people - especially when the president promised Mexico would pay for the wall.
A wall with Mexico will not stop illegal immigration. Two-thirds of those who joined the undocumented population in the U.S. entered with a valid visa and then overstayed their period of admission, according to the Center for Migration Studies.
A wall with Mexico will not stop the flow of illegal drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, 95% of drugs coming into the US are entering via container ships and other vessels.The rest are smuggled through legal entry points on the border, airports, tunnels and even drones.
Please do the right thing and support the will of our people.
3
The end of this report offers a wonderful solution to the situation. If the extremists in the Republican Party want a wall then let them pay for it out of their own pocket via a crowd funding effort.
Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, the two greatest propagandists since Josef Goebbels, would be great telethon hosts, and considering how popular this must be with their constituents, should be able to reach the five billion dollar goal in a day or two.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus can do live reports from their home districts, relaying brave stories from constituents who have pledged their life savings to this noble cause.
They can even erect a large tote board above the south portico of the White House that continuously updates how much money they've raised.
8
Fund the wall and be done with it already.....
1
@There's
Yes, it's hard to understand all the tsuris over a wall. It's childish. Democrats' taking a position to appease an angry base makes for bad immigration policy.
2
The only wall that Congress should be approving is the one that should be Trump's jail cell for his acts of treason and at the very least for his breaking of civil and criminal laws.
4
An obvious question: who will benefit financially from building the wall? At this point Senate Democrats should offer a compromise. Like a longer CR, say a year or 9 months. 2 months is too short. Why go thru this again in 2 months? Interesting that the GOP put disaster funding into the House bill. The way our defense spending will be shrinking Trump can get the rest of the money from the DoD.
2
Why is 5B or even 20B or even 50B such a concern. Small potatoes in the trillions we will spend.
But it is an important concern to rational Americans because it symbolizes the dishonesty, vapidity, the prejudice, the narcissism, the unscientific irrational business approach, and the narrow-band non-modern America that Trump and his GOP espouses. It cannot be given a pass.
Why are tying our security progress to a symbolic wall? It makes NO scientific proper business or moral sense.
US not being overrun by hoards of very nasty and/or negatively contributing illegals coming surreptitiously over the border.
Illegal border crossings are at the historically lowest levels,
The primary contributors to illegal numbers are people that entered legally and are overstaying their authorization mostly because of personal reasons any human could appreciate, bureaucratic malaise, or because their employers failed to secure the proper documentation.
Many have been here decades; many were children when they because "illegal".
The scientific consensus is that overall illegals are significantly POSITIVELY contributing to the economy and to tax revenue.
The preponderance of honest scientific evidence says that a grandiose wall is not going to solve any real problem.
It was a technically silly campaign promise meant to whip up base support.
A promise insulting to our friendly neighbor, our rationality, our fairness, our greatness.
On principle we must stand firm against it.
2
This is totally nuts. The wall - paid for by Mexico, remember? - must never be built; but Cry Baby Donnie wants his wall or he'll pick up his government and go home! The House Republicans want to flex their waning muscle by throwing $5.7 billion, better spent on anything else useful (election reform would be a good place to start), at a symbolic and unnecessary wall to try to make Cry Baby Donnie and his radical right-wing fringe happy. Meanwhile, the market tanks, the country faces an anxious Christmas and the world shudders at America's astonishing descent into madness as one of the last adults in the administration, Gen. Mattis, says he has had enough.
We citizens have had enough, too. This crisis has so many moving parts, none moving in any sort of right direction. I didn't think things could get worse, but they have, daily. My guess is that nothing will change for the better until we depose the tantrum-prone emotional 3-year-old in the White House and his sycophants in congress. I'm waiting to see if anyone with legal power has the spine to do that, but I'm not holding my breath. And the craziness continues.
4
As Democrats do we really oppose a wall as a signature issue? Sure it is a waste of money . Perhaps we could revive the wpa and use it as a jobs and training measure for the unemployed to get some value out of the expenditure. Inherently concrete isn't evil. Let the wall be built. It won't solve immigration issues but is it worthy of a filibuster? Trump has made building a wall a signature issue. Why should we agree and make it central to the running of the government ? Let him have it and then struggle with its uselessness.
2
I can't wait for the reaction to the photos of Trump playing golf during his long vacation at Mar A Lego.
1
Canada now needs to build a wall...to keep Trump out. And the Americans have to pay for it.
7
This presidency went completely off the rails a couple of weeks ago, and now that Secretary of Defense Mattis has submitted his resignation letter, there are literally no adults left in the room. Donald J. Trump is POTUS which in and of itself is terrifying, but now that he's unsupervised - we've entered the realm of dangerous.
HURRY! UP! MUELLER!
2
Little Donnie throws another temper tantrum and all the adults have left the room. They can start by shutting down the part of government that funds his expensive uber golf trips on Air Force One to Florida. Then take away his personal cell phone -- I'm sure all of those calls to Putin are costing a fortune. Then give Little Donnie a permanent time out in the form of the 25th Amendment and/or Impeachment and indictment.
2
When the Republican leadership gives in to the President's demands for a wall, knowing full well his arguments for the wall have little to no basis in fact and that it is an expensive and useless folly, they embolden the President to do things like abruptly abandon our global allies and withdraw troops from Syria. Don't stand there and bemoan the Mattis resignation while you give in to the President's tantrum about the wall. All of these events are made possible by weak willed Republican leadership that cannot find the courage to stand up for what they know is right.
2
I have yet to hear a single cogent argument for why the wall would solve the immigration problem. I don't care for slogans or politicians with 'promises', i want data. If you can't give us data, then stop spending our money on useless, wastful, boondoggles.
If trump wants a wall so bad, he can pay for it. he's worth $10 billion, it would only cost him half his fortune and wouldn't effect his lifestyle at all. He can build more with his gofundme account. At least that way, the people who want it so bad can put THEIR money where their mouth is and leave the rest of us alone.
1
So Ann Coulter is now running the country.
My family came here as refugees from Ireland and Russia.
Between the two, going back to Ireland seems by far the better choice.
4
GOOD NEWS! We are saved.
Trump knows technology better than anyone, so he KNOWS a wall is the way.
1
It is within the power of Congress to overide the presidential veto of the bill preventing government shutdown. They should use this power and for once NOT cave in. In fact the survival of the Republican Party depends on their finally doing the right thing.
2
The wall is perfectly unnecessary and the bulk of the American populace doesn’t want it. There are more pressing needs in America like feeding the poor, fixing the bridges and highways and above all Raising. Corporate Taxes so American can eat.
1
Trump said about the wall at a rally "and guess who is going to pay?" [cheers from the crowd] "Mexico!" That's the ticket he run on, at no cost to the American taxpayer. Our elected representatives should keep that in mind.
5
So, Fox News and Ann Coulter are running the country now!! They have ably, and now visibly, filled the vacuum of leadership. How pathetic! They were always doing this surreptitiously, but now it is out in the open. Even on something as serious as the Trump shutdown toward which the nation is now careening, the President is driven by Fox and Ann Coulter. How ironical that the same week that the President failed to listen to the advise of General Mattis, the President listened without hesitation to the advice of Fox, Ann Coulter, and Company!!
4
Oh that''s just swell. Ann Coulter and that other very scary lady bullies Trump towards shutting down the government at Christmas. And over a lie no less. Trump NEVER promised a wall that Americans would pay for. His promised a wall the Mexico will pay for. Talk about "alternative facts"!!
7
Trump is fighting the Democrats for the safety of the American people. The Democrats are fighting Trump for illegal immigration.
3
@P McGrath
Democrats are on the wrong side of immigration. Once again.
2
Not one bit of any of this surprises me. There were millions of us who knew this man would be an utterly corrupt catastrophe as president.
How did so many people miss all the blatantly obvious signs?
3
We've all forgotten the fundamental Trump gambit -- distraction!
With Mueller closing in, with the shocking revelations of the corrupt Trump Foundation, with the economy slowing precipitously, with Mattis resigning, Don the Con is always scrambling to divert attention away from his self-inflicted troubles.
Voila! Pull the troops from Syria. Presto! Shut down the government. Ta-Da! Attack the Fed. And Now! send up a trial balloon to quit Afghanistan.
Trump always has something up his sleeve, just in case he feels a bit of heat.
Trumps last stand.
2
Trump keeps his campaign promises and Trump promised the Mexicans will pay for the wall. Trump would not lie!
2
Like a petulant child at some point you must step back and let them crash and burn. Agreeing to his demands only begets more and worse demands. The silver lining in this may be the beginning of the end for Donald Trump and his ultra conservative supporters. Tragically people may die and/or endure needless hardships because of this ideologue. Putin Is certainly enjoying his success in modifying the world order. Islamic radicalism in Syria most likely will increase while America's alliances with allies are permanently damaged. Sit back and prepare for impact.
1
Pres. Trump does have the $10 billion for the wall. Nancy and Chuck just gave it to him with their pledge to Mexico, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, i.e., as a bribe to send even more mouths to feed by the U.S. next year!
2
Mexico’s not going to pay for anything. Nor should they.
Instead, the Feds should levy a special tax per head on sanctuary cities (and states) and withhold Federal funds from same to help fund acwall.
Trump failed to get Mexico to pay for the wall, so now he's going to punish the country for his failure? Now somehow it's Democrat's fault because he lied? We're supposed to look the other way and simply pay billions to assuage his ego?
There is something seriously wrong with Trump. Time to invoke the necessary Constitutional provisions and fix this mess.
5
I'd never have thought this possible, but our Reality TV President has succeeded in making George W. Bush look like a combination of Albert Einstein, John Quincy Adams and Dag Hammarskjold.
4
Call it Trump Folly. Call it Trump Christmas Without a Paycheck. Call it Trump Chaos. Call it Trump Concrete Mess. Call. It Trump I want to Waste More of the People’s Money. Call it Trump Colossal Waste. Call it Trump Temper Tantrum.
There are lots of things to call What he wants - just don’t call it border security, because it won’t add to border security in the 21st century. There are better, more effective ways to protect our borders. And if Trump wants to deliver on a campaign promise, he could work on the “beautiful, cheaper, better health insurance” or “I can act Presidential” or the best I’ll build a big beautiful wall and MEXICO WILL PAY FOR IT”.
This is the height of stupidity. A shutdown is his failure as a President. His Administration is falling to bits in a cloud of chaos because of a throw-away line he uttered when he descended the Trump escalator into our political scene.
I can’t help but think this chaos is just a way to divert attention from the Mueller investigation. He’s throwing up so much sand and will fire Meuller in the midst of the chaos. He knows he’s been running a criminal enterprise for years and it’s all getting to close to him. I’m worried.
3
This wall is a mere fixation with no real thought behind it. Germany had a wall, South Africa had a different kind of wall. What kind of wall is this one? Walls also wall people in.
Remember Humpty Dumpty ? He had a wall too.
2
Isn't Mexico supposed to be paying for the wall? Where's the silly Tea Party crying about how Trump is going to increase the national debt by reneging on his campaign promise? Why aren't the bleeding heart conservatives, who feigned outrage over the mere unfounded thought that Obama might do something that would needlessly pass a bill to the American taxpayers to pay, crying foul? Here we have Trump flip-flopping on the sole pillar of his presidential agenda and he's now unabashedly insisting the American taxpayer pay for his $5 billion wall. Where are the shouts from the right? Where's the outrage? Oh, I know, they are bald-faced hypocrites who don't even believe their own rhetorical...bile.
3
OMG! The only solution I see here is for both houses of Congress to approve by a veto-proof vote the stop gap the Senate approved Wednesday (by voice vote). This won't resolve the Mattos, etc. situation, but we need some break in the current chaos.
2
And then we need a "huuge" roof over the continent to prevent aerial attacks and giant dams to filter incoming water from our surrounding oceans. And then we have to find a way to vet all those incoming birds crossing the Atlantic.
Can't be too careful.
1
Build as wall and put 45 outside of it
2
Bravo. Shut it down until we get a wall. Trump was elected to do just that.
2
What a week for the grifter. Assumes the role of a magnificent warrior, a leader of men (well, not so much), tweets about his Secretary of Defense leaving, in disgust, can't find a new chief of staff so he resorts to finding someone, anyone, who will do the job, for a short period of time, Miller, his minister of all things, oops, never mind, is back at his role of erecting a wall of racial divide.
The Fed, bless their souls, are doing the job they are supposed to do and now feel the wrath of Darth Trump.
The Republicans, those who show up to work, are now, now, waking up to the fact we have a whacko for a president, and the whacko president will hopefully face the music and have some real checks on what he believes to be unfettered power.
And red hats are still clamoring for the Trump Vanity Wall, yet, are unwilling to pony up the tax money to pay for it, resorting to a go fund me thingy. Go figure.
Yup, what a week for the tent revivalist charlatan.
Now, with Mattis gone I believe the real carnage will be seen, soon.
2
Testing. One, two, three, four. Testing. The child-king tests and tests his boundaries.
When will there be people who will stand firm against his crazy and impulsive acting out? Mad-dog Mattis finally found his moral compass and walked away. There is no one now to stop Mr. Trump from continuing his erractic “terrible twos” behavior. Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are now dictating what Trump should do. They’re the ones he listens to.
People who are paying attention are frightened. Where are the infallible checks and balances? When will it be enough? He WILL start a war somewhere, whether it’s to create distraction or because someone pushed his buttons. Let’s not kid ourselves that he wouldn’t.
Everything he does now sets a new low. The word unprecedented has lost all meaning. He holds our future in those little hands. And he is truly dangerous.
4
But I thought Nancy said he didn’t have the votes?
3
Why are 60 Senate votes needed? We have a majority...
What is to be done when the child in the WH wants to jump up and down on the bed in his silk PJs? Because he wants things his way? Close the bedroom door quietly. And walk downstairs, where the adults can have an intelligent conversation. How to bring said child to reason?
His own parents gave up, shipping the spoiled brat to a military school. If Trump weren’t so dangerous, this all would be funny. But it’s not funny.
1
A 10-foot-wall is great business for 11-foot-ladders.
Want to stop the stream of migrants coming to the US? Massive development aids and do lean on tin-pot dictators to move on voluntarily or be convinced to do so, Lbyan style. VP Pence is good at brandishing the Libyan stick.
1
"Trump said the United States was spending too much money in the Syria fight and questioned whether the effort is appreciated."
So instead, Trump wants money directed at an equally idiotic idea, but one that will have his name attached to it for many decades to come and will forever be a memorial to his gullible and oh-so-fervent worshippers who believed anything and everything he ever said, no matter how outrageous a lie he told or how many times he told it.
2
It looks like the house is on fire and the Republicans cannot find the exit. They are reaping what they sowed with their unhinged puppet of a President and his allies from Fox News. The next thing we will find out is that Ann Coulter will become Secretary of Homeland Security, Rush Limbaugh Secretary of Defense and Sean Hannity Secretary of State. What a team of advisers! Everyone is abandoning ship and Americans and the world are getting hurt by all these senseless decisions coming from the WH. Isn't it about time to pull out the 25th amendment?
4
Trump couldn't run a chook raffle in a country pub, let alone organise building The Wall (with Mexico paying for it).
1
When the senate votes today on the just passed House Bill, do they even have enough votes to win a 51 vote majority? How will Jeff Flake vote? How will Bob Corker vote? Collins? Murkowski? Flake's vote will be interesting regardless of the vote outcome. Ho often complains the loudest about Trump's behavior, then turns around and votes with him.
3
The answer is simple: override the veto. Presidents do not have the ultimate say. Congress has a way around him. Yes, it may weaken the imperial presidency, but it is past time to do so when you have a would-be dictator in the WH.
Trump, comforting our enemies and rattling our allies all to pacify the likes of Ann Coulter and Fox and Friends. Is this what we want? A country run by a faux news outlet? On any given day the question is who is setting the agenda, Putin or Fox? Is there really a big difference between the two?
Trump is a gutless wonder who plays "strongman" because he feels so weak, so exposed, so vulnerable to criticism - not to mention the law.
Congress, do your job! Nullify his veto.
3
How about some bipartisan veto-proof legislation, Congress? Think outside the box
1
We were told repeatedly that Mexico was going to fund the wall. What happened to the that promise?
4
In a battle between the Statue of Liberty and the likes of Ann Coulter & Mark Meadows its a no-brainer. The Statue of Liberty wins-period. NO WALL.
2
This whole, 'we need 5 billion to the build a wall' issue is shameful. Sickening on so many levels. Keeping people frightened about alleged rapists or gangs when not one shred of evidence of such has been presented to the American people. Shutting down the government over it. And to think what FIVE BILLION DOLLARS could do to solve REAL verifiable problems, like, say,addressing poverty and crime in South American countries from which the families at the border are fleeing; or rebuilding infrastructure in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands; or feeding starving children worldwide, to name a few things.
Shame shame shame on all those who believe building this wall is more important than helping humans vs showing hatred for them with this wall. Shame on all of them.
6
What the GOP base seems to forget is that their much wanted funding for the Wall will come at the expense of Social Security and Medicare funding, programs on which many in the base depend to survive. Mitch McConnell has already said that reforming these safety net tools was necessary to address the huge deficit created by the GOP when they passed their huge tax giveaway for corporations and the very wealthy last year.
So let’s pose this question directly to the people: Will you agree to fund a border wall in exchange for reductions in Social Security and Medicare? I bet that even the most hardened Trump supporters will say no. Confronted with that reality even they may change their tune.
8
@CEA
Fortunately, actual reality governs this GOP base: Social Security and Medicare funding are not at all threatened, the tax cuts were enjoyed by millions of Americans (of all party affiliations) at all income levels, and the border wall is necessary to protect all of us. The $5 billion expenditure will not interfere with anything except the illegal attempts to enter the US.
1
If one were merely to read the breathlessly negative, largely incomplete and dismissive opinions here, gloom and doom about our nation would prevail. As usual, a mass hallucinatory rush to affirm these reports with lockstep anti-Trump talking points abounds.
A wider canvassing of the week’s news would relieve all this silly hand-wringing; give it a try.
President Trump signed a massive farm bill yesterday, we’re finally pullung our troops out of any further entanglement in Syria, a serious US designed middle east peace initiative is afoot, prison reform ignored by the several previous Presidential administrations was successfully put in place, and routine profit-taking on Wall Street continues. It’s okay - breathe and relax.
3
Sorry, folks, Trump promised voters he'd build a structure on our border to make it harder to cross than jumping a fence. Over 60 million people voted for him based on that promise. Clearly, plenty of Americans support a stronger border.
7
And he promised MEXICO would pay for it. Suddenly none of you care about that part of the promise? Just add it to the US debt, right? The hypocrisy boggles sane minds.
3
@Marcia Buhler
Yes, he did, but despite that, Americans, tens of millions of them, want a solid barrier at our border that immigrants cannot simply hop over or pass through easily.
Quite frankly, if democrats cannot understand this, they are either willfully blind or slaves to partisanship.
2
@AACNY, 10s of millions want a wall and don't care that taxes go up to pay for it.
10 times as many people do not want to pay for the wall and think it is an ineffective solution. Your outnumbered, AAC.
Trump’s wall has nothing to do with border security. Terrorists don’t hike across the desert to attack us.
Pretty big price tag for a unnecessary symbolic gesture of fear and hatred.
14
Aren't we in the lame duck period of this legislative session? There should be NO votes on anything until the next Congress is sworn in - we have a precedent for this, with Sen McConnell and his refusal to even consider a Supreme Court nominee by President Obama. Why doesn't someone carry THIS argument forward?
3
I say not one dime for a border wall. If Mr. Trump is hellbent to satisfy his campaign promise to build a wall, let him build it with his original promise - Let him get the money from Mexico.
Every time the powers that be put any kind of barrier in place, whether it is a physical structure or written rule, there are people who will find a way to circumvent it. In the case of a border wall, does no one realize there are boats and the U.S. has three coasts? There have been people in Cuba who risked the trip to Florida. There are people in North Africa who have braved the Mediterranean.
And if one is prone to seasickness, there is always a way through Canada. A border wall is a total waste of money, and I can hear some future Mexican president cry "Tear down this wall."
10
The GOP is still afraid of its base even after losing big in the mid-terms. Ann Coulter and all the others should understand that the base might be able to pick a winner in a primary but it is a fish out of water in a general election. This shutdown will bear a stamp of GOP intransigence and will be looked at in history as the destruction of the Republican synthesis. The last time something like this happened the radicals called themselves the Know Nothings, they cratered the Whigs and gave us the GOP. Looks like history is repeating.
5
The Berlin Wall was nearly 27 miles and contained 302 guard towers (with armed guards) and 55,000 anti-personnel devices. East Germany militarized the entire border with the West, laying over one million land mines and deploying around 3,000 attack dogs, according to the German government. Yet 5,000 people still escaped from East to West by going over, under or through the wall.
A 2000 mile wall is not going to stop anyone who wants to “escape” from south to north. It will be truly a #SAD day if we then sink to the East German model when Trump realizes a wall by itself doesn’t stop anything. There has to be better, more cost effective ways than a wall.
11
@Dave Shaw
there is throw trump out of office
1
Congress should be capable of doing a cost/benefit analysis and
be willing to share its findings with American taxpayers. If for every dollar spent on building a wall, it saves the U.S. taxpayers $2 or $3 dollars in various services to illegal immigrants, then perhaps from an economic standpoint, money for a wall can be cost-justified. I say this with the full acknowledgement that we must continue to allow legal immigration for humanitarian reasons. And it forces Washington to pass immigration reform. But that's not how Washington works. This is a classic example of politicians digging in their heals because that's where we are today in our political discourse; and why Americans have political fatigue.
3
The border wall is, for me, one of the most revolting of Mr. Trump's many undesirable wishes. I hate the image of my country as being walled in so that we can wall people who are different from us out. And, NO, they are not murderers, rapists, or germ machines no matter what Trump says. I agree that we have very long needed immigration reform, but I will never, ever understand the people who cheer this man and his "big beautiful wall." It makes me sick.
18
I don't know why the Democrats are bothering to negotiate anything with Trump.
They need to reach out to President Rush Limbaugh and Leader Ann Coulter.
Go to the real power behind the empty throne.
15
Trump is desperately grasping for American's attention so he becomes the topic of discussion at the nation's family gatherings next week.
7
This was reported in the Washington Post:
"Inside the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump was in what one Republican close to the White House described as “a tailspin,” acting “totally irrationally” and “flipping out” over criticisms in the media.
Trump vented to his advisers that signing the short-term spending bill without wall money would make him look weak and make his base voters think he broke a campaign promise."
So there you have it. An unstable and irrational president whose only concerns are for himself. And it will only get worse.
19
The absudity of Trump's willingness to shut down the government over funding for a wall that he only wants because he promised it. Even though, it is the least effective border security measure, in both cost and as a deterrent. The tunnel, the enemy of the wall, will find a way to breach it. For much less than $25 billion, the US could fly drones, build watchtowers and man the whole border. It is all political farce. Small hands syndrome.
14
Trump has already scheduled his holidays (he plans to stay away for 16 days, I believe), and if he triggers the shutdown, he would be obliged to stay in Washington. So the shutdown is not going to happen.
5
According to the AP, "a 2013 report by the University of San Diego says the number of firearms smuggled from the United States was so significant that nearly half of American gun dealers rely on that business to stay afloat... an estimated 253,000 firearms each year are purchased in the United States expressly to be sent to Mexico and Latin America."
It is safe to assume the firearms being shipped to Mexico and Latin America are not hunting rifles but rather assault weapons, the very weapons being used to drive the migrants north.
16
It was clear that this was going to happen the moment that Fox and Friends said he looked weak compared to Nancy Pelosi. HE is so predictable.
I also find it interesting that no one discusses the fact that there is no way the border wall can be built with $5 billion. (It won't be built at all, but that's another matter.) Sinking $5 billion now would mean another $5 billion within a year, and probably another $10-15 billion thereafter, without even considering maintenance. So much for Republicans being the party of fiscal responsibility.
19
@Andrea Illegals cost American tax payers 135 billion a year. The wall is cost effective. And Trump will get it built because he knows his re-election depends on it.
Since it applies to "nonessential" government functions, can they shut of the heat and power in the west wing?
16
@ZOPK55 Maybe not the heat, since that would be naughty. But the power to the TVs, now that would be nice.
5
Since neither Mexico nor Congress will pay for the wall, apparently a GoFundMe website has been set up attempting to get private citizens to pay for it.
The site has raised $7 million. The wall will cost $5 billion (at least).
For context, at 2000 miles, private citizens have only contributed enough to build the first 2.8 miles of the wall.
This about sums up American support for this debacle.
17
@DispatchesVA GoFundMe has raised 9.7 million in 3 days. And it continues.
1
"Ann Coulter and members of the House Freedom Caucus warned that if he did not veto the Senate-passed measure that failed to fund it, he would lose the backing of his core supporters"
Oh, sure.
They'll just vote for a Democrat, instead. Of course.
Have another drink.
7
The President and Republican legislators shouldn't rely on Ann Coulter for advice, as she's completely unqualified. Her prediction, that Trump won't get re-elected without $5 billion for the wall right now doesn't make any sense.
The election is in 2020. Two years into the future. No one will base their vote in 2020 on what happens now. They won't even remember it. Plus, voters will be choosing between Trump and a Democrat. Republicans and other Trump supporters won't vote Democratic just because the Republicans can't deliver everything they promised. They'll blame the Democrats for it. And Trump has already broken his promise that Mexico would pay for the wall but his supporters don't care. They'll vote for him no matter what happens.
7
I wonder if trump understands the USSS agents protecting him and his family will have the Christmas leave cancelled and will be working for no pay?
Someday, we may be governed by adults again.
4
I think the wheels are coming off, but I’m willing to go along for the ride. I’ve watched my stock portfolio sink. I know I would do better if Hillary was in, but I couldn’t stand her. I realize this is a nightmare, but better getting it over with now than putting off the inevitable.
2
@Edward
So you couldn't "stand her." Well I couldn't stand Trump and his supporters, especially the ones at his rallies. I couldn't believe those people were even Americans at all. Did they know nothing about our government or our history? The answer I'm afraid is yes.
I had and still have respect for Republicans and the Republican party. However, that respect is diminishing at a rapid pace when they go along with Trump's insanity.
2
In addition to his consistently destructive actions and so-called policies, Trump is now adding totally erratic behavior, sometimes contradicting himself from the day before.
This is seriously destabilizing our nation!
This erratic behavior provides clear evidence of Trump's shocking incapacity to fulfill the role of resident and should itself be grounds for his removal from office.
Especially since it compounds his criminality (Foundation, etc), disdain for the nation's laws, tampering with justice, political thuggery, and collusion with the likes of Putin.
8
Sen Pelosi got quite the standing ovation from her supporters when she stood up to Trump and told him he didn’t have the votes in the House for the wall. But the reality is that our savvy and experienced Leader isn’t so good a vote counter after all. 217 to 185. Ughh. Time for new leadership.
4
@KJ
Time for new commenters with a grasp of how the government works, the U.S. government that is. Ms. Pelosi is not a U.S. Senator. She serves her California Congressional District by serving in the House of Representatives. She is the House Minority Leader and will be Speaker of the House in January. (when the majority in the House of Representatives shifts to the Democrats.)Then her title will be Speaker Pelosi.
3
OMG! A mistake. Rep Pelosi indeed. The rest stands. Rep and soon to be Speaker Pelosi proudly dared Trump on national TV to go for it. “You dont have the votes”. She was lauded for it. But didnt have the count right.
1
One million middle class , underpaid , under appreciated workers will not get paid for the holidays. Insane and counterproductive. You owe them the money and they will not be able to pay their bills causing a a downturn in the towns they live in. These shutdowns happen so often now is the reason droves of federal employees are leaving creating. A giant problem for the government.
3
I live in Chicago. I drive to work sometimes instead of taking the “L”. The drive to and from work puts me on sub-level of streets called Randolph and Columbus near my destination. That sub-level has become an encampment for the homeless. Heartbreaking to see at the start and end of every day. So here is my question: Instead of spending billions on something that many say won’t really add anything to our border security - a wall (like China built hundreds of years ago when it didn’t have today’s technologies) - how about spending a few million on helping the homeless? What have we become? It’s never too late to change.
12
@MSM
The same could be asked about funding illegal immigrants in this country (no, they do not pay for themselves). Could not that money be better spent on our own citizens?
1
I was thinking we could get those characters from the LEGO movie, and they could build a wall for Trump, out of Legos.
Mur-a-Lego.
15
This is classic Trump. Browbeat the lending officers into loaning him vast sums of money to build a carbuncle that nobody wants, that nobody needs and will be monumental money pit until it is declared it a failure and assigned to the bankruptcy bin of history.
7
Congress should pass a bill that "authorizes Mexico to spend $5 billion on the wall." How could Trump refuse to sign that?
7
The last lines of the article aren't telling. Paul Gosar is an AZ congressman who won despite several siblings who took out an add saying he was extreme, motivated by hate and too unstable to be in public office. This is the type of person with influence in the R house caucus.
6
Here's the political calculus: The House Republicans have nothing to lose by demanding a wall and supporting Trump. They're out of power in 2 weeks. If they stand firm on the wall, at worst they're blamed for a shutdown, but why should they care? They'll try to blame the Democrats in the Senate, and paint the new House Democrats with that same brush. When you're going down, take as many others with you as you can. What a disgraceful way to serve the country.
5
@Ken L
The Senate will not go along with the lame duck House bill, period. "End of story" like those on the wrong side of an argument like to say.
Congress and the media need to use the, broken record technique, in replying to Trump's demand for the U.S. to pay for his wall. It goes like this," No, Mr. President you made a campaign promise that Mexico will pay for the wall. You need to make that deal you promised. Americans are not paying for your wall." Repeat, Repeat, Repeat..... If you change it up then he has room for his rhetoric.
4
@Lee Khoury
Smartest comment of the day.
Only problem is Democrats are too cowardly to stand up to the traitors, bullies and foreign operators in the white house, instead they will try to pretend they are dealing with rational intelligent people with the countries best interest at heat and seem compromise, BIG mistake...
1
I haven't read all 1500 comments, so mea culpa if I'm repeating a recurrent sentiment. Not signing the funding bill is but another Trump diversionary tactic, with the Syria pull-out a little mustard on top. Notice that news of inquiries about conspiracy and election funding irregularities has been pushed into the background? Trump's ultimate slogan is, "My ego right or wrong." When the House passes a bill of impeachment, he won't resign, he'll invade Iran.
2
Trump not the Dems takes full responsibility for the shutdown. Remember his statement at the joint news conference? Let him get the funding from Mexico as he promised...Dems are not opposed to appropriate border security measures--just not useless wasteful measures like the wall.
3
The government shutdown includes DoJ. Is the wall funding just a convenient excuse to let Trump starve Mueller of funds, even if only for a few days?
A steel slat wall will be easy to get through with a cutting torch or gas powered abrasive wheel saw. Or just buy a tall ladder and rope!
We talk about this shutdown so we don't talk about Trumps legal problems. He's going to prison someday and when that day comes, I will celebrate.
4
Scary that Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh are the leaders in our downfall. You would have thought Trump voters would have picked someone with with smarts and not someone who governs by tweets. Yup, a once proud nation brought to her knees by 23 characters and the highly paid entertainment of Fox News.
1
In a textbook case of karma, Paul Ryan goes out with a wimper. Legacies belong to those who meaningfully contribute, Paul. You, on the other hand, will be forgotten.
5
I never thought it was possible. It all seemed like a distant, apocalyptic fantasy. But it turns out Trump is going to get his wall. It's absolutely going to happen. It's a foregone conclusion now, and nothing can stop it or change it. The American People have shown him that we don't want it. We voted the Republicans out of the House to demonstrate to them that we will not accept it. But it's coming. House Republicans have passed a spending bill that includes wall funding. Now it goes to the Senate, where every single Republican will vote for it. There will be no defections. Neither Flake nor Murkowski will oppose it. Corker and Collins won't even consider opposing it. Democrats can filibuster it, but that just means Trump gets to blame the shutdown on the Democrats. And he will not end the shutdown, because he couldn't possibly care less about the American People. We are nothing to him. We are insects. Donald Trump despises Americans and would gladly kill millions of us if he could. So the shutdown will continue until Democrats occupy the House. Then it will go on for weeks, then months. It will go on until 2021 if Democrats don't cave. And eventually, they will. Nine Democrats will give in to the overwhelming pressure to end the shutdown. And then the wall will get built. Sorry, Nancy. You were too late.
@Ian Carvin
For some reason that I don't understand, it will take 60 votes in the Senate, votes that Trump and the Republicans don't have nor will they have.
Trump could be excused for his wall obsession given the growing evidence of his lack of personal courage and general ignorance of history, but do any of these GOP hacks in Congress really believe a physical wall along the border will make any difference in immigration? The Great Wall of China didn't stop invasions and neither did Hadrian's Wall, nor the Great Wall of Troy. Even the Wall that protected the Seven Kingdoms in the Game of Thrones was ultimately a failure (although it did require a zombie dragon to beat it). Now, that's a lesson Trump certainly should heed because zombie armies, as everyone knows, are filled with murderers. And, of course, some of them are nice people, or at least as nice as you can be when dead.
Incapable of governing while controlling both houses of Congress and the White House, Republicans make a strong case for being swept from power in 2020. They are devoid of ideas, ideals and purpose.
2
It's hard to understand how so many democrats can oppose...a wall. It's a simple matter really. They are making a big mistake by turning this into a political issue, when it's...just a wall. A wall.
You'd think democrats had something against a barrier at the border.
5
@AACNY
The Democrats will not pay for it because Trump's promise about the wall was that he would get Mexico to pay for it.
1
Yeah, but how does Putin feel about the shutdown?
17
Yep. Because to quote Conan, “THAT’S what’s important. That’s what matters.”
To Trump, anyway. It occurs that this’d be a happier country had he taken up bowling, as opposed to golf.
1
The article suggests the Senate needs 60 votes to pass major legislation, reflecting the 200-year tradition of cloture. But the GOP has already trashed that to pass the tax bill and was prepared to do it for Health Care (only to lose a simple majority). Imagine making one of those homeless guys that talk to themselves president. Dress them in a suit with a red tie and surround them with all the trappings of government. Is this really any different?
15
They lost their chance for a simple majority when they rammed ACA repeal through wit budget reconciliation. They wouldn’t have another opportunity to do that again until 2019, and with a Democratic House, that’s not happening.
16
@David Glasgow
Thank you David for explaining why 60 votes are needed.
Let Mexico pay for it, Ms. Coulter. That was a promise.
42
Good! Do what PELOSI said - Go ahead and pass it in the House! Prove you can do it, Trump - be a MAN!
10
Let the government shutdown start with the Secret Service in Florida and the White House staff so that Trump has to spend his holiday in the WH, alone.
22
How long before the NYTimes caves and starts to blame "both sides" for the Government shutdown even though Trump already claimed ownership?
(I already know that Trump will lie that it isn't his shutdown, that it is the Democrat's fault, is coming from him, cause with Trump one should now see if one can state his lies before he does).
The only question left is when does the NYT fall for it!
Come on Times! Both sides do it! Both sides do it!
We all know it is coming lets at least cheer it on.
4
Paul Ryan gets called to the White House, takes a dressing-down from the Toddler-in-Chief, and comes out emasculated, eviscerated and more spineless than ever. Does his Congressional retirement medical plan includes spinal reconstruction surgery?
26
My goodness, Ann Coulter is running the country.
33
Let’s see, first I will not demand the wall, oh then I when the bill arrives will demand it. Pathological liar who is a conman, not a president at all.
9
There are videos on YouTube of caravan members scaling the wall with ease. These should get wide tv coverage, to should the absurdity of the wall, the utter insanity of the proposed expenditure.
9
@Allen Polk
"scaling the wall"??
You mean the existing wall --
which of course is not the much higher smoother-surfaced wall Trump is proposing.
1
Just imagine what a difference 5.7 billion dollars in health care would make to the American people.
Whose interests is the "Don" serving. Do Ivanka or Jarad own, or have an interest in a 'Wall Building' company?
17
@mikelp
$5 billion would make very little difference in the health care of the American people.
America spends over $one trillion annually on health care.
$5billion is a drop in the bucket.
It is also far less than the $20 billion America spends on health care for illegal aliens.
3
I thought Mexico was paying for the wall? Look, I'm in the ladder business and I'm patiently awaiting the wall and the dragons that's gonna go flying over it.
12
If necessary, just shut it down.
No wall. No budget. No problem.
Oh, and don’t give McConnell any more judicial nominees until Senate Republicans are fully on board with funding a wall.
Trump will win the public relation battle and get wall funding.
If not, then he will just destroy the credibility and electability of Koch Brother/Profit First Republicans. As a lifelong Republican, that wouldn’t bother me in the least. If there is no wall, I’ll never vote for or financially support another Republican anyway.
6
@John
Democrats are consistently on the wrong side of immigration. Now, too.
1
Is it just me or did he get exactly what he wanted? Now he can blame the senate for the shutdown and got his five billion into the house approved bill. For a misanthrope he sure does seem to win a lot.
5
Perhaps Trump should convince Saudi Arabia to pay for his coveted wall. They certainly owe him one.
10
It will be a bloodbath in the markets tomorrow, this will not be pretty nor will it be merry...good luck fellow Americans!
6
@Cannon I suggest those with 401K investments to shelter them in stable funds. It will be a wild ride for months to come.
And Trump will blame someone else, as usual.
1
"It was an ignominious end to the tenure of Mr. Ryan..."
They won't have Eddie Munster to kick around any more.
7
The ideal result would be for him to veto it and then for Congress to override his veto. That’s possible but would rely on Republicans finally finding their spines. It would serve to let Trump know that he can pursue lunacy all he wants but that the Government can run without him. And then in January, the House can impeach him and the Senate can do what it should have done a year ago...remove him from office.
4
Wow....
Ryan rallied the troops to add 100,100,000,000 pesos to the continuing resolution for the beautiful steel slats!
A proud legacy!!!
No requirement that the steel be American made?
2
I hope the Democrats vote against the wall funding. I want to see them spite Trump, the Americans who voted for him, and the people dead from heroin, drugs and violent crime. I want to see them say there is no room in a in a $4.1 trillion dollar budget for a $5 billion to build a wall to keep America safe and reduce the hundreds of billions spent each year taking care of illegal immigrants and billions of economic damage from drug trafficking, violence and use. Tell taxpayers and over a third of the country they can't have their $5 billion wall, while we spend hundreds of billions keeping the rest of the world safe. Trump is absolutely right. Let the Democrats own their open border insanity.
7
@TL
$5 billion won't buy the whole wall. Besides, Mexico is going to pay for it.
We need a deterrent at our border, one that works. A deterrent that hampers or cripples the drug cartels; one that gives every migrant or potential migrant time to think through their plans and determine if it is worth the risk; a deterrent that puts a halt to human smuggling and child predators and rapists. It is called a wall. It is dignified and humane. It prevents profit from false hopes. The wall would also spur, if both parties in the House and Senate divorce themselves from lies and hypocrisy and get serious, about Immigration Reform. For the undocumented already here, an expedited path to citizenship and that would include the old and the young. Reform and citizenship are needed.
If an elected official is sincere in his/her belief about the need for a wall/fence or not, stay the course. Otherwise, one is a hypocrite.
The NY Times could do America a favor. Deep research on who voted for a fence/wall in years past. As a start, here is a link to H. R. 6061 Secure Fence Act of 2006. Please look at the votes. Chief among the Democrats at the time were Obama, Clinton, Schumer, Biden and many others. One has to ask what changed besides leadership? No doubt politics is ugly, but hypocrisy is far worse. It shows a lack of character. Unfortunately, todays voter will believe whatever is printed today, and do no research into the past. And the media is just as guilty by piling on unrelated problems not associated with a story's title such as stock prices tumbling.
9
@old sarge You do realize that a vast number of illegal persons arrived here the old fashioned way-on an airplane and overstayed their visas.
Second, there is no proof that the Wall Celebrating Trump's Vanity will have any yuuuuuge effect on stemming the flow of drugs or human trafficking.
1
@old sarge
In 1986, we offered just under 3 million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. It was to be a one time action that would end all further illegal immigration. But it inadvertently had the opposite effect. It encouraged more people to migrate here illegally on the gamble that they, too, would eventually be offered an amnesty.
The PEW Trust estimates that we now have approximately 11 million illegal immigrants. Professors at Yale's School of Management say the number could be as high as 29 million.
If we were offer them amnesty, as you suggest, it would encourage even more people to illegally move here.
1
Someone has asked "who is running our country"? Is it possible we have shadow presidents, unknown to anyone outside of Washington?
2
I have a dream: the Senate overrides his veto. They could do it, they could justify it, they could run on it. Instead of acting like sniveling cowards because a small number of Trumpites are still clinging to the idea of a wall as the solution to our immigration problems.
6
here's an idea--keep the senate, house and the president in Washington, working non-stop thru the holidays if necessary to arrive at a budget that satisfies everybody. No vacation time, no holiday in Florida, no golf game. Nobody plays the blame game, no name calling. Just negotiate and finally come to an agreement that lasts longer than a month or two. No more band-aids!!!
13
I hope this comes to a vote and every single one of the Republicans who Trump primaried and then subsequently lost to a Democrat votes against any bill that has border wall money in it.
What goes around comes around.
3
Putin is pleased we're leaving Syria, and Rush Limbaugh egged Trump on. So who is really running this country?
15
Yesterday I predicted that Trump would change his mind because he can't hold a thought longer than it takes to type a tweet full of typos. When will Republican leaders come to grips with the fact that Trump is no more competent to be Pres than he is to do brain surgery? 25th amendment can end this nightmare in a jiffy.
12
The man has no backbone. Anyone can push him to any side. A little push back from Pelosi and he folds. A blowback from Coulter and he goes under his desk. So much for his legendary negotiating skills.
17
Trump throws a last second hail mary in a vain attempt to garner a small victory for his wall. This made necessary by losing the House. Unlikely the Senate will pass the new House version thus becoming the whipping boy for Trump, Coulter, Meadows, Fox crews. Theatre without the popcorn and coke.
2
Feliz Navidad, Mr. President.
And Paul Pinocchio Ryan gets no presents from Santa this Christmas.
2
This is because Ann Coulter called him out.
7
As with most of Mr. Trumps seemingly random actions/ reactions, we would be well advised to take a step back and try to ....... FOLLOW THE BREAD CRUMBS!! Could this be a 'smockscreen' for sanctions being dropped against our friend Deripaska? That is less of a crumb, than one big loaf!
Could the timing of Trump's Syria withdrawal be his 'genius' move to stymie some impending revelation from the Mueller investigation. What we have learned from all of the many many investigations into this administration is that no human suffering or misery is too big if it helps them to beat the rap.
1
Everything Trump does is designed to destabilize America in order to make Russia great again.
11
How about a wall around trailer parks?
Irony: Trump wants a shutdown that will shut down border enforcement. What a genius!
6
Is veto override an impossible hurdle for this lame duck congress?
1
Furlough the Secret Service. Let Pres. Trump figure out how and pay to keep himself and his family safe on such short notice. Yes, I know this would affect the Bushes, Clintons, Carters and Obamas too. Well, if Hollywood stars pay for their own bodyguards, I suppose those families are rich enough to pay for their own protection too. The president proudly announced that he preferred rich people to run the government when he nominated his first Cabinet, so they don't need to use taxpayer money for protection either. In a fair world, that is the price Pres. Trump would pay for disdaining all those federal workers and the American populace who depend on them. He'd lose the services of the federal workers he depends on. In this unfair world, his penalty must be a thorough thrashing on November 3, 2020. Let us never forget that. Don't count on Congress (Lord knows), don't count on the special counsel, don't count on the Southern District of NY, work to get the American people to show the president that most of all, the American people count.
7
If Trump thought through his position, he would have not mentioned the wall, signed a bill to keep the government operating, then blamed the Democratic house majority for stalling the wall. Instead it now looks like, as he might put it “weakly caving” on the wall, a position that will disgust a portion of his base.
1
Fine. No wall. But a tamper-proof national ID card for citizens and legal residents, and a stamp on a valid passport for visitors and visa holders. No card or valid visa? No services beyond emergency medical, and immediate, no-questions-asked, don't even think about coming back to visit deportation if neither card nor visa can be produced. And eVerify for employment, school, and driver's licenses.
8
@Observer of the Zeitgeist
I think a national ID would be sensible. But some states -- my own Arizona, for instance -- believe that a national ID is something like, well... I haven't heard this one in a while... we wait for the United Nations to come in their black helicopters and take away our lives, privacy, whatever. I'm not sure if this has been fixed. But it was that, sometime soon, I couldn't use my Arizona driver's license for ID to fly around the US because it won't meet national ID standards. (I have a passport, so I'm covered.)
I predict that solving this problem won't be quite as simple as you suggest, although it sounds appealing.
The only wall in question is the one in Trump’s mind which separates him from reality.
7
“On the basis of his self-interest alone, he must know that if he doesn’t build the wall, he has zero chance of being re-elected and a 100 percent chance of being utterly humiliated,” - Ann Coulter
Trump-shutdown is happening. '45 and his Re-Pubs will leave their job posts in DC for the holidays while they furlough workers and hold hostage the American people. But, if Ann Coulter is correct, the lump of coal in our stockings may be just a diamond in the rough in 2020.
3
Ann Coulter should mind her own business ! Trump has already lost his chances of reelection ; for far too long , she and all the so called conservative talking heads have held our country hostage with their wrongheaded agendas .
7
This sad little man who acquired the title of POTUS without the knowledge or skill to do the job is now relying on wingnuts like Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity and foreign leaders like Vladimir Putin to guide his policies.
If Trump even had the guts to admit he is in over his head and get some advice from a range of advisors it would be a big improvement.
But, since he has already claimed that he knows more than the generals about ISIS, more than scientists about global climate change, and more than doctors about the echanisms of immunity and vaccination, I'm thinking that the US is out of luck for the next couple years.
Sad, bad, and totally predictable.
5
Not surprising that despite overwhelming bipartisan support across both bodies of congress (how often you do you even hear those words) the Toddler In Chief once again reveals that he thinks he is the CEO of a privately owned company. So many autocrats and their families around the world getting wildly rich and I truly believe that he saw himself in their likeness once he was elected. Through that lense how could you not admire someone like Putin who became arguably the richest and most powerful man in the world directly through his control of government? There is a reason that he cant bring himself to criticize autocrats and egregious human rights violators personally even though he has no problem ripping poor foreigners from the same countries stereotypically. I bet he wishes he was President of the Phillipines...
There’s an old joke...
A man meets a woman in a bar.
After some brief chatting, he asks her if she’d consider having sex with him for $1,000,000.
She answers, “Yes.”
He then ask her if she’ll consider having sex with him for $50.
She says, “What! What do you think I am?”
He responds, “We’ve established what you are. Now we’re just haggling over the price.”
I thought of this ‘joke’ in light of all the things that are going on in our country.
Putting parties completely aside, and just dealing with the bedrock things we’ve always claimed to be,... our foundation...the things that make us who we are...a land of freedom, equality, justice, truth, honor, diversity, opportunity, and compassion....We all know the litany.
Most of those fine principles are being brutally abused...and yet, some still look the other way, supporting the assault. Will there come a point where, even they, finally say, “Enough”?
It seems we all have discovered who we are.
Now we’re just haggling over the price.
4
“...... he must know that if he doesn’t build the wall, he has zero chance of being re-elected and a 100 percent chance of being utterly humiliated,”
Speaking of humiliation, isn’t this the same wall that Trump said Mexico will pay for?
2
Trump has the authority to call a special session and pull every runaway Republican back to vote for his wall. Does he have the votes? Will defeated-but-still-seated GOPers stay loyal? If so, he bucks the bill to the Senate where the Democrats are certain to filibuster it. From there it becomes: Once again the Democrats are placing their partisan loyalty to "minorities" above...blah, blah, blah. But it depends on the votes in the House. Does he have the guts to take the risk? On the other hand, he might just call the special session, and while they're sitting there, surround the Capitol with tanks.
2
Republicans say "Trump campaigned and was elected on building the wall."
Yes, and Mexico paying for it.
5
Trump will cave in once he finds out that absent settlement he'll have to spend the year-end vacation period in Washington rather than at Mar-a-Largo, Florida.
2
Little insecure Trump didn't want to offend Limbaugh, Coulter and the 5% of base.
3
Since when does Ann Coulter run the country? Seriously, why would anyone with real power listen to her?
2
Am I misunderstanding something? This whole issue of border security has me confused. President Trump has made a pledge to improve border security. His priority is to build a wall to secure our Country’s border. Now, I also see where Schumer, Pelosi, Obama and others were in favor at one time. So, why are they objecting to this now? It can’t be that everyone is against border security. Can it be the cost? Is $5 Billion too much money? Can’t be, they spend more then that on many more ridiculous items. Oh no, do not tell me that its the Dems still mad at Trump gaining the Presidency instead of Hillary or Bernie? Both of these two were in favor of border security. No, it appears that they hate Donald J. Trump and don’t want to see him get any victories. I think its time, time for Mr. Schumer to finally get a non-political job. He is sixty-eight years of age and has never had a non-government job. Now Nancy Pelosi is another story. She is seventy-eight and frankly should have been retired long ago, but she’s from San Francisco and that explains that.
We need border security and a far more affective and less expensive method is the “wall”. Let’s stop this nonsense with trying to side track Trump and Congress DO YOUR JOB! The will of the majority is to protect the lives of tax paying Americans over the liberal agenda of feeding, clothing, paying and providing shelter for those non-Americans that the Dems are giving more Rights to than proper, tax-paying Americans
6
@BobsOpinion
There's no good reason to oppose this. None.
1
Why do we need a new wall? Four very secure walls await Trump here in Western New York in Attica. If he insists on being a bit closer to home, they say that Auburn is nice in the summers. Sing Sing, nice location, but forget about it. If he gets a whiff of "Old Sparky" and panics, he may request a transfer to Leavenworth. Trump has tortured and embarrassed New York for too long, and so we must retain him here to return the favor.
4
Stop calling them "conservatives". They are extremists and/or radical rightwingers.
7
This story is OK but it's missing an important detail: how many votes are the House and Senate away from the 2/3 approval that could overturn a president's veto?
2
Ms. Pelosi was so astute in that White House meeting with Trump. More like an experienced teacher dealing with a third grader: "Then why don't you send to congress now and let's see if it will pass?". Beautiful.
3
And the voters made their opinions clear. Trump doesn't have voter support and neither does his party.
3
Trump or no Trump,
America needs much stronger immigration control,
and that includes much stronger border control,
including much stronger physical barriers,
including the Wall.
Cost $25 billion?
Worth every penny.
Whether or not Mexico pays for it.
For decades, Dem pols pandering for Latino votes
and Repub water carriers for the pro-cheap-labor
business crowd at the Chamber of Commerce
and the CEO Guild at the Business Roundtable
have acted in Un Holy Alliance to sell their respective Dem and Repub bases, along with the American people in general,
down the river into open borders.
America already grants over one million "green cards" annually,
the right to legal permanent residence.
That is plenty.
America does not need more than that.
America already has 330 million people.
That is plenty.
Labor shortages?
Immigration as a solution to alleviate supposed labor shortages?
Nonsense.
Immigration as a solution is a giant Ponzi scheme --
the mother of all Ponzi schemes.
In 40 years -- max -- and likely much sooner --
those supposedly young, strong "migrants" will themselves be demanding pensions.
The solution to supposed labor shortages is raising the retirement age. Modern medicine, public health and agriculture have increased life expectancies by 20 years. Half of those additional years can be devoted to longer working lives. Better than the 40 years working out of 50 years in adulthood that justified retirement in years past at 60 or 65.
4
This issue has brought out the worst in all sides. I am as opposed to the wall as the next guy but I really think that this has become a test of wills between two political factions wholly disproportionate to the relatively de minimus amount of money involved at $5 billion. It seems that the far right and left just want to stick it to each other to show which is the superior political force.
Perhaps we can have a DACA settlement for a $5 billion expenditure?
2
Already tried and failed due to Trump.
4
When a political party is so far right that even a moderate position is called far left. Respectfully, this wall idea is just terrible wasteful and ridiculous policy. It’s so far beyond ideology or partisanship.
3
If there ever was a time for the 25th Amendment it would be now.
6
Do we really need a physical wall? Are “smart” border controls enough?
Yes we do and no they aren’t. Here’s why.
Smart border controls like sensors, cameras, and blimps simply tell border patrol agents that someone has crossed the border and should be apprehended.
Unfortunately, asylum scammers WANT to be apprehended, the faster the better. Once apprehended, they can utter the three magic words (i.e. “I request asylum.”) that guarantee them several years in the U.S. About half of them won’t even show up for their hearings, and will simply live in the underground economy.
This is the new golden ticket, which is why the number of asylum requests have gone from a few hundred a month to about 10,000 per month in just a couple of years.
The only way to stop this scam is to prevent the scammers from even stepping foot into the U.S., where we are legally obliged to process them. The only way to do this is with a wall/fence.
Of course, no wall/fence is perfect, just like no doors/locks on our homes are perfect. But we used them anyway, since the lower the probability of a break in.
A wall will cost each American about $50. For just this much money, we can finally enforce the laws that Congress has already passed.
6
It's not the fault of Congress that Trump got out-negotiated by Mexico in the Who's Paying For The Wall Game.
Trump failed to get the funds. He lost. Game over.
Now will someone start running our country?!
3
One frightening certainty is that he'll never back down from this position....not for the interest of our country, but for his image.
2
We definitely don't need the wall now, but I wonder about the future. (Honestly, I wonder. I don't have a fixed opinion. I'm not Democrat or Republican; I'm not liberal or conservative. I'd like to decide an issue on the merits.) What I'm thinking of are the many times that immigrants from Africa have "rushed" the southern European border fences. Both in Europe and here, I wonder if, as climate change gets worse and people's lives south of the borders become even more desperate, will high-tech sensors and "boots on the ground" really be able to stop would-be immigrants from getting into the US? (Should we build a wall in places that aren't sensitive, and use the boots on the ground in areas so rugged or endangered that a wall really can't be built? (Yes, I remember former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano's statement something like "show me a 50-foot wall and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder").
The wall would be (and already is) an ecological and social disaster. For instance, it blocks the people of the Tohono O'odham Nation -- who live southwest of Tucson on both sides of the border -- from crossing to see family on the other side. But still, what other solutions do we have for controlling the border? To me, it's a terribly difficult question. I'd like to hear some thoughtful responses -- not just a fixed position said loudly, but some explanation and reasoning, please. (By the way, I'm writing this from Mexico City. I love both this country and my own.)
2
So because I do identify with a political party, I don't decide issues on their merits?
4
How about funding an economic development program in the communities on the Mexican side of the border? Make it more desirable to stay there instead of coming to the US.. $5 billion would go a long way in such a program.
But alas, Republicans will never support such a plan; it doesn’t punish brown people for being brown.
2
At a recent meeting President Trump read statistics from notecards arguing a wall was effective. The Democrats do not want to support a larger wall. Are the statistics that President Trump cited incorrect? If so, how so?
1
@Mark W. Miller
Easy. Trump moved his lips.
1
He needs to give their source.
1
I've lived a long life in this country and it's only in the last 10 years that any one in Congress or the Presidency has threatened to shut down the government, if they don't get their way. Is this the sandbox? Are we all 4 years old? Those who govern our country should govern and stop acting like children on the playground. They have no right to shut down our government! What about all the people who depend on the government for their livelihood or their ability to live? Grow up and govern! And swallow the consequences if you don't get your way!
20
God forbid a more serious crisis comes along that requires presidential leadership. The current occupant of the White House is not only unable to make a decision that requires maturity and thoughtfulness, he is being nakedly manipulated by amateurs such as Ann Coulter and members of the Freedom Caucus.
14
By now even Trump's most reflexive supporters must be realizing what a dangerously erratic and irrational individual occupies the Oval Office. He can't be counted on. He is running the U.S. government the same way he runs (and is still running) his private business: into the ground.
7
@Black Dog, who wouldn’t be a nervous unpredictable wreck after trying to stay out of the teeth of an angry pack of blood hounds for two straight years. Any dog that gets bitten on the nose brings it on themselves and has no reason to complain to the fox about it.
1
How will Trump protect this wall from ladder technology attacks?
8
@DM Or Tunnel technology attacks? Or boats going around it in Gulf of Mexico?
1
@DM
Sorry, but this is not a very compelling argument. Making our border more difficult to cross than simply hopping a fence is a good idea. The fewer access points, the better.
Those opposing the barrier need to answer the question: Why make it so easy to illegally cross our border? Do they have a problem with actual border control?
OK... This may seem extreme to some... but instead of a wall and a social security card...
Have every US citizen carry a tamper-proof photo-ID card with a thumbprint and an embossed hologram ....It can be used to vote, employment and proof of citizenship. Enormous cost savings verses a wall and can be tied into existing social security cards.
5
We're letting ourselves as a nation, fall prey to the not so perfect storm. There is some real irony in that. Film at 11:00
If Trump vetoes the bill to fund the government because he didn't get HIS expensive, wasteful wall (when there are alternative more effective ways to patrol the border), then McConnell needs to either get Trump to resign or to start impeachment proceedings against a highly contrary, ineffective, lying and highly damaging, thoroughly incompetent president with very poor judgment at every choice point.
How much evidence do the Republicans need?
7
@PB Enough to prove they didn't do it. It was all those other Republicans that got him into office.
1
Reality check.
Trump is doing this, removing our supports of the Kurds, bragging about the taxcut, confusing tariff and trade, ... solely to feel strong about fulfilling his campaign promises.
SO ... he wants $5 billion for "The Wall" ... what and where and how seem not to be talked about. but a 30 foot slab of concrete sure is macho.
Even if approved today, it would be years before the surveying and planning and seizure of property were done.
Well, there are all of the completed plans for fixing barriers and building new ones and improving our border security that started under President Obama.
Sad that, at this point, people like the House "Freedom" Caucus and Rush and Hannity rant that anyone and everyone inside the beltway who isn't a lemming and following Trump's campaigning is a liberal or Democrat of RINO or ... all of whom need to be gotten rid of.
4
Oh sure, China engages in a little industrial espionage and it’s the end of the world but Trump blatantly seeks to steal their 2,500 year old wall-building technology and no-one makes a peep
7
"Sir, I have just one more question. If you gave a guarantee Mexico is going to pay for the wall, and your guarantee is always followed, then why would the wall be in doubt? Why would it be necessary to have it funded by Congress? Why the two orders? Mr. President?"
7
“The time to fight is now,” said Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, who joined the pair Wednesday night on the House floor in railing against the lack of border wall funding. “I mean, this is stupid.” They need to take it up with Mexico, that was trump's promise.
4
You know your political system is broken when the
wimpy leader of the trumpicans in congress first
blovates over the broken political system and
then emerges from a discussion with the boss big gut
to say:
“We want to keep the government open, but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border” ... “We have very serious concerns about securing our border.”
Speaking such vapidity in the current context is a quintessential example how the political system broke apart
under the accumulated assaults by evidence free
ideologues and foaming at the mouth xenophobic
paranoids.
Since big gut knows in his gut that ryan is weak he also
knows he can just push and push and push some more
and he and his cronies will cave. Isn't that exactly
what's happening...
4
Chuck is right.
Trump is ready to sign the bill that would avert a shutdown but the far right led by Stephen Miller made an attack against Trump and as usual, Trump caved in, the coward that he is.
Stephen Miller is the real President of the United States.
7
Good. Let's make it even more clear how isolated, intolerant and harmful he is even to his hardcore supporters--who are being suffering economically as much as anyone.
1
Oh, come on - several comments below are more emotional - and I dare say more histrionics.
Let's stick to the facts.
The POTUS withdraws troops from Syria - he is accused of running away from a campaign - for what - defending borders of a failed state. And I dare say - a failed region.
Here, he insists and he has been insisting since he campaigned, won and in his two young years of presidency - defending our own border is his solemn duty.
And he is attacked now - because he insists on staying the course.
Which border do these critics want him to defend??
As a Republican - given recent events on our southern border - not to mention that heinous crime committed by twice deported illegal in California - I say - more power to POTUS.
The Majority Leader - whom I greatly admired - had often said - whether you like the occupant of the Oval Office or not - without his signature - bills are worth the piece of paper printed on.
If after two years of our POTUS - cajoling, pleading and begginng for funds for the Wall - that he won his office on as a campaign - he should make his signature worth a bargain for his funds.
A separate but equal branch - is our Republic.
5
“We protect nations all over the world, but Democrats are unwilling to protect our nation,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders...
Which nations has the USA built WALLS either around or between?
Right from the start in January, 2017, the personnel in the public relations branch of the Trump administration have proven uniformly incapable of thinking statements through before speaking them into a microphone.
What in the world does our participation in NATO have to do with the construction of a medieval wall along the Rio Grande River?
5
He still wants to be able to say, look what the Democrats made me do.
2
Who is keeping an eye on the nuclear football tonight?
Seriously.
5
On the contrary, Sarah, Democrats are trying to protect this nation from the wasteful and hateful policies of the Trump Administration :)
2
Trump is taking dictates from Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter! The minute he gets negative press from the alt-Right, he caves. What kind of nonsense is this? Why have a House of Representatives when Fox News is dictating policy to the American people?
Citizens of America! Please understand that we don't have a president any longer! We have a slavey who takes orders from right-wing TV personalities, from Putin and the Russians and from Saudi Arabia. Nothing matters except that he projects his infantile desires on our nation and basks in adulation from a shrinking base of sycophants. We are lost until we somehow get rid of this cancer on our nation.
7
OK, give him his "border wall" money...contingent on him releasing his tax returns.
3
Oh the Season of Joy watching the GOP factionalize and destroy itself.
3
A stop-gap solution is the best way for the Dems to start the budget from scratch in February.
Meanwhile, "This is stupid" is right! It's ridiculous to hold up a budget just because Trump will lose face. A physical was is the worst solution of any. First of all, you can easily defeat a wall with a a piece of knotted rope, a grappling hook and a thick rug. A wall is something a 3rd grader would come up with.
The Democrats as well as Trumps highest military officials agree that the best border protection is done with drones and electronic surveillance. It's not only a lot CHEAPER than a wall, it's also much more EFFECTIVE in protecting our borders.
3
So the likes of Ann Coulter and the so-called Freedom Caucus are running the show and forcing the yellow-haired nincompoop in the White House to risk shutting down the Government unless a measly 5 billion of tax-payers dollars given to build the wall that this fool promised his supporters? It all boils down to how long and how many more outrages most Americans can put up with before they rebel against being ruled by a minority of a minority of far-right conservatives? Things are going to explode one day.
7
Border security? From what? The seven-year old girl who died from dehydration while in custody of the Border Patrol?
The problem with lying all the time is that eventually nobody believes anything you say anymore.
11
How many fake crises can Trump manufacture? He created the DACA crisis by abruptly cancelling the program, he creates a fake caravan crisis by claiming they are terrorist and gang members coming to invade us ( half of them dressed in pampers), he created the immigrant parent-child separation crisis by his intentionally abusive policies and now a debt crisis because he wants us to pay for the wall-- that Mexico was supposed to pay for, he has created another crisis in the middle east by withdrawing forces abruptly...Please, Mr. Mueller save us from this grifter!
4
Building a wall on our southern border would need to be 2000 miles long. It would be the second largest building project in human history after the Great Wall of China that both didn't work and was built in 2000 years with slave labor.
Trump thinks that it would cost $5B? That's less than $500 / foot. You couldn't build a high chain link fence for that!
And then there's maintenance. By the time you got halfway done building the wall, you'd have to stop and go back to the sections built earlier for maintenance.
Anyone who believes this is possible is a nincompoop.
4
If the government shuts down, let’s hope that there is also no money this Friday to send the King to his taxpayer-funded sojourn in Florida.
6
I'm all for the government shutdown if the Secret Service agrees not to go to work until it's over
6
The House should pass the bill, pronto! Then there will be no doubt who owns the shutdown.
1
@Joyce And you think his base will be moved because......
Maybe Air Force One should go on furlough since the government will be shut down. Maybe if Trump is forced to stay in DC, he'll be compelled to act like a normal human being.
4
5 billion is chump change. Shut it down. Lets watch the Schumer/Pelosi hand puppet show.
3
@FLP,
Sorry.
We keep forgetting.
Repeat after me:
"Deficits do not matter when the koch-owned gop is in charge. Deficits do not matter when the koch-owned gop is in charge."
We'll never forget again...promise.
2
@FLP,
Sorry.
We keep forgetting.
Repeat after me:
"Deficits do not matter when the koch-owned gop is in charge. Deficits do not matter when the koch-owned gop is in charge."
We'll never forget again...promise.
By the way, the estimated total cost is closer to $30 billion...with hundreds of million per year afterwards for upkeep and staffing.
But again, cost scmost right?
2
@FLP
Democrats are going to get hammered on immigration. Schumer and Pelosi don't realize the hammer was ripped right out of their hands.
No question, by far the biggest enemy of our country in my 70 year lifetime is Donald Trump and his corrupt and incompetent Administration, Cabinet and Family, and the corrupt and treasonous Trump sycophants in Congress. C'mon Mattis...be a Marine, be a man, and be an American patriot and resign from this disastrous mess to set an example of honor and integrity that at one time back at Quantico you pledged to do. If not, I guess the only Marine left who shares the ideals of the Constitution and Corps, and has the guts to act on them, is Robert Mueller.
1
Do you think he would sign if Republicans threaten him with impeachment,god knows they have enough evidence even without paying off the girls.
1
First Putin pulls Trump's string to get him to leave Syria, and now Ann Coulter is pulling his strings to build his beautiful wall. Trump has no backbone, he is just a puppet to people who are far more clever than our genius president.
3
What else in new?
There is no caravan.
America already has excellent border security.
The number of illegal immigrants is down considerably. Those are the facts!
But in Donald Trump’s alternative reality and in his demagoguery to his loyal and uncritical base immigration by Mexican rapists and drug infested criminals and building his wall are the most critical problems facing our country. Trump exploits this rubbish with utter cynicism and contempt for facts.
He is without decency and devoid of honesty.
This is a President who has a hand on the nuclear button.
It is madness to have this unqualified and disturbed
man making any decisions concerning our country.
He is unqualified to hold any public office.
He should be removed from office forthwith. In my opinion he should be indicted for a life long history of criminal behavior and activity. He is deplorable!
3
Isn't there a wall between Egypt and Gaza? And don't they just tunnel underneath it?
@Adam
It's a lot harder to tunnel underground than to hop a fence. The idea is to make it much harder and with fewer access points.
He took ownership of this mess - proud to shut down the government and if his followers and groupees want that, it's all his and the GOPs. He glories is destruction at all levels.
2
We have the incredible capability to read the license plate of an automobile driving 60 MPH down a dirt road in Iraq or Afghanistan with a spy satellite hundreds of miles in space. Yet this buffoon of a president wants to apply 15th and 16th century technology and build a " Chinese wall" to achieve border security.
6
@jwgibbs Simple symbolism sells well. Trump's a naturally gifted salesman, con man and carny barker, so he knows that instinctively. He transferred that instinct to elective politics and won. What else is elective politics than a sales job if not a snow job?
Can you please stop calling the wall “border security.” It’s a vanity project, and potentially another avenue for self-dealing. This is not about security.
4
Let trump shut down the government. Let him own it. Let him embrace madness, chaos, dysfunction, and callousness as he always has.
2
Wait, he didn’t need it in the budget...Mexico is paying for it..trump must have forgot
1
How many times can Trump regift a fruit cake that no one wants.
3
- Trump gives allies reason to "balk" at the US decision-making process and its output.
- Trump provides US enemies with leniency re their attack on democracy in general; the term, "leniency", is generous.
Now Trump scoffs at the internal law-making machine in attempt to further his moronic and despotic agenda.
Is there anyone in the GOP willing to counter with reason? . . .
1
Whatever happened to Mexico footing the bill?
Just ignore him.
Don only does these things to get attention.
DO NOT give him any.
Let’s all pretend he’s invisible.
2
How have we reached the place in this so called Democracy where we have a One-Man show, who forgets there are no television camera rolling,on set..So we ,the audience have to watch these episodes of idiocacy and immorality sweep across our view.Should some be called out:
Wall building
Child separation
Muslim banning
Prositution payoffs
Alliance destruction
Nation dividing
etc,etc
PLEASE let us have a few moments of "normalcy"..so I don't have to increase my Prozac dosage anymore.
An infatuation without representation.
Does this shut down the trip to Palm Beach by the president? Surely that trip is non-essential.
5
Is there a trumpist who might be indicted in the next day or two?
2
Another Christmas and another threatened shutdown. Seems like these threats are as perennial as snow. Let them shut it down, perhaps they will all just go home and the rest of the country can just get on with our lives
No need for wall money to be in the US spending bill.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
I'm getting thoroughly sick of being mis-governed (or more accurately pillaged) at every opportunity by a gerrymander elected, and already replaced lame duck Congress and their minority and lies elected President.
1
Ground Air Force One until we have our government back.
4
Mark Meadows and his merry band of extremist right wing fascist racist tea partiers have twisted Trump around on various issues - especially issues connected to immigration and border funding. He and his cohorts deep sixed a supposed "deal" a year ago in similar 11-hour fashion. Time to have this group called out and tagged with this. They need to wear this shut down (and grandstanding stunt) along with Trump. Merry Christmas to all those federal employees who will be furloughed in time for Christmas. My guess is this will include many supportive services that assist the families of our military, who may be caught very short as a result of this stunt.
2
I thought Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall? What did I miss?!! Oh I am sorry , are they not paying?...
3
Hey congress...Override the veto?
1
Certainly Mr. Trump will cancel his Mara Lago vacation plans if there is a shutdown. He would never vacation when so many Americans would be suffering because of his actions.
Come on, Mr. Trump. You don’t want to miss all that golf for a wall!
3
Oh, yeah, to all of those several hundred thousand US Government employees who are about to get furloughed (and to all of their family members), and to all of the members of the public that this shutdown affects, Donald Trump wishes YOU ...
(drumroll)
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Oh, yeah, ... HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019 too.
(We will get around to paying you sometime in the undefined future. Enjoy the holiday.)
3
This is blackmail, plain and obvious, though not at all surprising. Trump will soon leave for one golf course or another and he couldn’t care less about the people, anyway.
He demonstrated this well before and during his presidency. He thinks about a reelection in 2020 and tries to appeal to his ‘base’ with his nonsense wall, his insults and his lies.
Let’s really hope Mr Mueller with the help of a Democrats congress can end this shameful person and stop all the damage done.
1
Don’t you just love fake Christians like Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, Devin Nunes, Matt Gretzky, etc?
Their Bibles have deleted most of the New Testament, especially the parts where Jesus tells us to share what we have with the poor, and to love our neighbors- especially the strangers among us.
4
It seems like time for our congressional members to @man up” and override this guy.
1
Ms. Pelosi, tear down this wall ...bill.
2
Let him take his ball and go home. What do we have to do to get our America back? Maybe we should go on a tax strike like the founders did.
1
Steel slats? We ain't got no steel slats! We don't need no steel slats! I don't have to show you any stinking steel slats!
With a tip of my Stetson to "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre."
1
Tired of Republican drama?
Get rid of Republicans. All of them.
2020.
2
You can spend money on technology, surveillance, more border agents, even better care for migrant children. But none of these--not one--meets the standard: a monumemt to Donald Trump that will stand for all time. That will be visible from outer space. That's what this is about.
For Sarah Sanders to say that Democrats or any Americans aren't interested in keeping themselves safe is, as usual, disgraceful and dumb.
3
The optics of Trump golfing in Florida during the holidays during a government shutdown will be 100x worse than him capitulating on the wall for the second time in a week.
2
Mr. President. I'm not in favor of supporting you in any of your delusional, ill thought out plans, no matter how grand you think they might be because you thought of them.
The wall won't work. It is too expensive, even if it would work. And while you don't care about the environment or the animals that live here, many of us do and the wall is just plain wrong.
So how about you going back to your room and think about this awhile, realizing you are not serving the people of this country, but only your narrow, incorrect, views of this situation.
1
Even the Republican Congress is not on board with funding for an ineffective wall that will NEVER be built.
Let the Republican base whine and and if its members really want to waste their own money, let them donate to
https://www.gofundme.com/TheTrumpWall. So far $5 million of $1 billion raised. What a joke. At least the rest of us won't have to throw our tax money at a manufactured problem.
1
By holding the appropriation bill hostage, Trump thinks he can pressure Mexico into paying for his Wall.
As usual, "Huckleberry" spouts garbage after being instructed by her boss. Look, the GOP controls the government right now. "Lead, follow or get out of the way". The wall is nothing more than expensive and useless pandering to an ill educated, xenophobic and bigoted base. Don't bend Democrats. The GOP owns this mess.
1
"You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately... Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go! "
Oliver Cromwell
1
Solution is simple. Let each Trump voter donate $83 to their beloved wall.
1
So much winning I can barely stand it. A wall we don't need to control our southern border, that is very difficult to enter as it is. What happened to the vile and dangerous caravan of pre-elections days, President Liar? Isn't it President Liar's job to protect the southern border in a responsible manner? What laws has he proposed? Asking for a personal favor, the wall, President Liar is like a priest asking to babysit children.
1
Support for a border wall should be a political tombstone. Or perhaps Republicans can't wait for a Democratic president to say "Tear Down This Wall" — and even better with the Republicans who voted it in wearing prison stripes working on a chain gang.
2
A brick and mortar wall is not necessary, given all the other 'reinforcements' to control the U.S. border, anf vulgar Trump knows that; he just wants to simulate that his demagogic promise that a wall would be paid by Mexico was true (nothing further from it!). And his con man per excellence, Paul Ryan, ought to know better. This capricious whim is not politics, 'politicking' instead. And this farce must be stopped now, and avoid shutting the government, a stupid preventable cost, and an injustice to thousands of workers that make it work.
I am a federal contractor. If I don't get paid next week, I can't pay my sub-contractors / vendors in January. Happy New Year to ordinary people thanks to corrupt billionaires and spineless Republicans.
2
Ryan: Can I go home please! I quit remember? :)
Schumer should had kept it quiet and not rouse the tantrum throwing toddler.
Trump in a temper tantrum, like a petulant child who can’t get his way, choses to penalize all Americans by shutting down the government. How could we ever have elected this man-child to the Presidency?
2
Everyone with half a brain knows this is an attempt to draw attention away from investigations, more investigations, possible impeachment, crime, fraud, jail terms, collusion, nepotism, and more. The border wall is a joke, and those with a quarter of a brain know it. Anyone who continues to genuinely support this administration and believe the deep state nonsense promulgated by Fox "news" and others, needs some critical thinking skills, at the very least.
It's time to get rid of this criminal gang and put people who put country first, instead of their own pocketbook and power. It's shameful.
2
Wow. Even Christmas can’t change the heart of this Scrooge President.
1
What is worse for Trump - no wall vs wall not paid for by Mexico? Either way he does not do what he said.
1
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running our country. Isn't that wonderful!
3
Mr. Trump, Mexico is going to pay for the wall, RIGHT??? My tax dollars should not be used to pay for this wall which will be totally useless anyway. All this baloney to appeal to his base. What a way to run the country. I can't wait until he isn't the president anymore. Democrats, hold firm. Him and the spineless Republicans OWN the shutdown. What a ridiculous reason to shutdown the government.
1
Who’s paying the secret service agents that will be protecting him on the golf course ?
Jan 3, 2019 is only two weeks away.
2
It is against the law for an American citizen to call for the assassination of the President of the United States of America.
1
Trump and his wall - he's a modern day "monuments man...
...The Kamikaze caucus flexing the last ounce of relevance before Jan 3, 2019. It will be a sick joke if the president doesn't avert this shutdown waterloo just few days before Xmas, then this is the real war on Xmas. Not the phony war on Xmas outrage by self-righteous folks.
1
The Republicans, now and for the past two years, have controlled both the senate and the house and the white house.
Still they can't get their act together and haven't managed to do anything other than that tax bill that helps all the very richest in the country plus the big corporations. They don't care about the country, or the American citizens (unless they are white). It's time for a big change - get rid of all those old, white men!!!!!
2
In so many ways, what Trump is doing to this country amounts to treason...and the penalty for treason is death. I say go for it.
2
If shutting down the government includes Trump's twitter feed, go for it!
1
Wow, the stock market is tanking again on this news. Take a look at your 401ks, those of you Trump supporters who have one, and lmk if you are getting a little nervous yet.
1
To paraphrase the famous Jim Mora 'playoffs rant':
What's that? Uh...a Wall? Don't talk about...a Wall? You kiddin' me...A Wall? I just hope we can pass one piece of legislation!
If the Republicans had half a brain between them, they'd work with the Democrats, write a simple common sense spending bill, pass it, let Trump veto it, pass it again by 2/3rds, and be done with it. Easy.
But they're cowards and refuse to do anything simple and sensible like compromise and work together.
3
Everyone needs to ask why are we paying for the wall and not Mexico? Lied to again. Can you imagine what you would do to your children if they lied to you this many times.
2
Wrong! Trump's "signature campaign promise" was that Mexico would pay for the wall.
2
Wait. Is this a deal with Mexico? They're paying for this wall, right? RIGHT?
1
Don't we have such a wonderful man sitting in the White House. What a jewel! I know all you right wingers just love him and appreciate all the wonderful things he does for our country.
6
Of all people the Republican representative from AZ should know how useless a wall would be and how destructive to the migration of animals. I mean, Mr Gosner, how stupid. Or as we say in NM 'dumber than dirt".
8
I said that Trump is too much of a coward to shut down the government. I may be wrong. He is not a coward. He is an idiot. He may also be a coward. He's too dumb to know the consequences of his actions.
8
Who didn't see this coming once Ann Coulter and others in his base questioned him signing it? I feel sorry for federal employees who get caught up in this nonsense every few months.
5
Pelosi should offer to fund the wall if Trump resigns. $5B down the drain would be well worth it, in exchange for not having this albatross of a President for another two years.
8
I say "fine", close the government down for the rest of this monster's term.
5
I thought congress outlawed earmarks. That is what this is, an earmark, or in better words blackmail. Let Trump shut down the government and lets see how it plays out. I got $100 that says Trump and his cheerleaders pack up and go home.
3
We have a situation in which POTUS decides what course of action to take based on some strange thought process. He decides we need a physical wall when he has been advised that it will not be needed nor will it be effective. Most of the illegal immigration occurs when visas are overstayed yet nothing is done about that.
Leaving Syria puts the ONLY allies we had in the fight against ISIS - the Kurds - right in the crosshairs of Turkey. Just as we did in Vietnam - we abandon our allies to a terrible fate.We are also leaving Syria to the destiny charted for it by Russia, Iran and the Assad Regime.
All of this to fund some idiotic idea that a $5 billion wall will protect us.
4
Trump should pay for the wall with Mexico with his own money. The American people have clearly spoken in the mid-term elections about this kind of nonsense.
3
So Trump makes a campaign promise that he can't keep. Are his supporters a bunch of cry babies who will turn on Trump because he doesn't keep his campaign promises? Please, they got nowhere else to go. Plus, not keeping a campaign promise makes Trump appear to be more like a normal president.
5
Who would like to invest in my new company.
Manufacturers of:
(the) Tijuana Retractable Ultralight Mobility airPlane
We build quality ultralight aircraft which are powered by a backpack leafblower. Arrive on time and ready to work!
No job too small. No wall too big!
3
So this is Mr "Art of the Deal"? If this book is in print, it needs to be in the Fiction/fantasy section of the book store. To the contrary, Trump is really showing us he knows nothing of negotiating, rather, acts as a petulant child. We are living the old episode of theTwilight Zone! An 8-yr old is running the country.
Pass the stop gap funding bill. When Trump vetos it, over ride it.
Would someone reveal to me how a wall (14th century technology) will stop the legal immigration visa holders who overstay their visas: the vast majority of illegal immigrants?Besides, Mexico was going to pay for it. Remember Mr. "stable genius"?
$5 Billion would be much better used for cybersecurity. Trump is picking up nickels off the sidewalk while the American cyber security bank is being robbed. Note today's story of Chinese hackers hacking into 45 businesses, and US Navy.
Continuance of this "stable genius" in the Oval Office is an insult to the Constitution, and every American. Hurry Mr Mueller.
3
The wall is, of course, pure demagoguery. It's not really feasible across the whole southern border, given the terrain, and it wouldn't be particularly effective. Migrants can some simply come in at ports of entry and claim "asylum."
What's needed for serious control of the border is
1) Mandatory implementation of e-verify at the national level.
2) Revision of our immigration laws to stop "catch and release."
3) Revision of our laws governing the asylum process to stop the obvious abuse of this process that is now occurring.
The fact that none of these measure is even being mentioned, even by republicans, shows what a charade this issue has become. Both republicans and democrats are happy for things to remain as they are so that each side can demagogue the other and work up its base. The plutocrats who run the republicans get their cheap labor and a demoralized, impotent working class that must compete with them, and the democrats get an ever-increasing hispanic population that they assume will vote for them in the future.
What a fitting way for Republicans to leave for the holidays, owning all three branches of government and still creating chaos and mayhem. They really do own this. All of them.
4
All over far-right media the "angry white men" constituency were calling him a "cuck", shorthand for a weak man regarding his reluctance or fear to exploit strength. And that hurt the President's feelings. After all, these are the people that matter to him, his base, his most loyal supporters. So, at least we know who is calling the shots: Stephen Miller....
5
government employee, Christmas week off, full pay and not using vacation days!! tis the season to be jolly!!!
1
There is no guarantee that they'll get paid (back pay is not automatic).
1
Best part is that if he shuts it down, he owns it (by his own ego-driven statements earlier).
Those who think he should shut down the government should also be required to forgo their salaries as lonbg as the shutdown is in effect.
So easy to call for a shutdown when you are not the one losing your earnings. Moral cowards...the lot of them.
1
There you go again, Donald, with your genius ideas: Threatening not to pay our Customs and Border Protection Officers, the "real wall" which guards our borders daily. AFL-CIO bargaining unit organizers are always waiting to pounce when workers are disgruntled.
No wonder all of your businesses eventually collapse. You treat your employees and customers shamefully. A word to the wise, Donald....When you don't pay CPB officers, CIA & NSA officers, Secret Service officers, and military personnel, really bad things are bound to happen.
2
How would NYT readers react if Mexico did agree to pay for the wall?
Would you still object to the idea?
If Mexico wants to put up $25 billion plus its own land, we couldn't stop it.
1
@Rich I believe that most NYT readers object to the idea no matter who pays for it. It is not practical to build a wall along the Rio Grande. The land border already has a fence for the vast majority of the line. Walls have historically been ineffective. The wall would be an environmental disaster. Most illegal immigrants are visa overstays due to the high level of security in place on the border. It's a waste money, American or Mexican. Use technology and boot on the ground.
2
it's amazing the informational selectivity that goes on with trump and his supporters. Do trump and his followers forget things they themselves said aka mexico will build the wall?
the wall, more of a symbol than actual thing is an idiotic playing piece where hundreds of thousands of people are directly affected and many more indirectly. i don't understand how this isn't the wake up call he needs:
you (trump) said one thing, but are doing another. And this other thing is hurting the whole country. why would anyone ever believe you. you can't do anything.
these kinds of charades just push everyone to the extreme, pulling out our hair, while nothing gets done. again, it would be wise for more conservatives to distance themselves, i don't understand why more in his own party don't openly ignore him, he doesn't even seem all that interested in working with anybody.
1
I’m confused. A few weeks ago Trump commented on “the wall” saying that it was already being built in parts. The Times called it an untruth, essentially saying only repairs were underway in areas and mockups being built. Now there’s a photo in this article about sections of wall being built near Tijuana. Repairs? New wall? Started since Trump was called out by the Times as lying a few weeks ago? I think it’s important to be clear on the facts. This may seem like a minor distinction, but I base my opinions primarily on what I read in the Times (and a couple other sources) and rely on reporting being factual and mainly un-opinionated. Some discrepancy here, maybe.
Makes perfect sense to me that Trump would like to sabotage the US government and its economy since he's traitor working in the best interest of the Russian Federation.
3
Why don’t we put up a huge line of billboards with Donald’s face and mouth wide open on them and that will scare them away!
4
Ann Coulter? There's a name I wish I could forget. Either way, Trump totally owns this nonsense now. The Republican controlled Senate passed a budget. The only thing turning off the government's "we're open" sign is President Trump. I'm sure all those employees required to work over the holidays without pay will love him for it.
The irony of ironies is the far-right fringe is telling Trump to hang-tough and be-strong. However, the strong thing for the President to do would be to tell them all to sit down and be quiet. The President of the United States does not deny employees a paycheck on Christmas over a stupid fence.
Oh, I'm sorry... It's a metal slat fence now. My mistake.
Even more ironic, Border Security is one of the agencies effected by the shutdown. Trump is refusing to pay border agents in order to protect our border. That makes about as much sense as using a marble for a toothpick. What's more, in the unlikely event the wall accomplishes what Trump promises, we'd need fewer border agents.
Double-whammy. Trump is forcing government employees to work for no pay over the holiday in order to fund a project intended to automate them out of the job. That's down right cruel, don't you think?
1
What happened to Mexico paying for the wall? They won't do it so T wants to stick the taxpayers with the bill while he takes advantage of the tax cuts that benefit him. First have T show his taxes to the public before asking for money from us for a wall. Dems, don't give in. He can blame the Dems all he wants, but most Americans knows that's hogwash.
3
China Wall Envy! There wall is definitely bigger than any Trump wall.
1
If Mexico won't come through on their "promise" to pay for the wall (what an silly lie that was, even at the time), maybe Trump could ask somebody else to pay for it—just not us taxpayers.
1
Of course, this has less to do with some wall and much more to do with our President finding a way to make himself the center of attention. Hopefully enough Republicans will risk defying the President and will join with their Democratic colleagues to form a veto-proof majority. And if they can do this once that might be the start of something cool.
What's really disappointing is the performance of Speaker Ryan. Paul, you're not running for reelection, you no longer have to bow down before this pathetic guy. Stand up and enjoy your new-found freedom!
The renewal of the shutdown threat over the wall is an intentional distraction from his insane surrender in Syria. The insane surrender in Syria was initially an intentional distraction from his agreeing to forego his beloved wall. The country is being whipsawed by this man’s incompetence. It’s time the Cabinet stepped up and removed him due to his incapacity under the 25th amendment.
1
He needs to behave like an adult and get off twitter and actually meet with Congressional representatives of any party. Using tweets as a legislative tool is infantile.
Trump “Bully & Chief”: Give me $5 Billion for the Trump Wall... or else I will inflict $60-100 billion in losses / damage to US businesses & impacted individuals— including members of my (dwindling) base.
Congress (and Fox News) and “We the People” needs to call the Trump’s bluff... and send a power message that we will NEVER build the Trump Wall and US Government will push forward... override any Trump veto of the reasonable, bipartisan CR.
1
I hope that every politician opposed to protecting the US from illegal persons, and drug and weapon traffickers, Republicans and Democrats alike, come out loud and strong as to why they believe border security is not important.
1
@Robert Winchester There is a huge difference between being opposed to the the wall and thinking border security is not important. The Democratic leadership offered to support $1.6 billion for border security. They are opposed to the wall for a variety of reasons, the most important being that walls have been ineffective across history. Let's spend our money wisely, not on another Trump publicity stunt.
1
Ann Coulter and everyone else who Trump follows on his Twitter feed, play him like a bad fiddle. He’s so afraid of appearing weak and impotent that he ends up looking exactly that way.
Mr. T. could borrow the money from from his buddy Vlad to build the wall then sue the Mexican government to recover the money - they were supposed to pay for it anyway!
He doesn’t really think we need a wall. He just wants to build a wall. He imagines it will be his legacy, and in many ways a permanent monument to hate, racism and xenophobia. The Hate Wall of Trump.
1
Why would anyone pay any attention to an entertainer like Anne Coulter? Same for Trump, I suppose.
I don’t want to go further with 45 in the Oval Office. He’s making us the laughing stock of the world.
2
Maybe the US should shut down permanently, California can do just fine without the junta in DC telling us what to do. When the cable company takes away HBO they reimburse us, why don't we get tax refunds when the govt. shuts down?
A new smarter President who is not anti-social would be better than a Wall.
This is the defining failure of The Donald, he has pushed the wall at every rally and now must put up or shut up. Donny needs the constant adoration of the masses, that`s why he keeps pushing the wall. Now he cannot not deliver the wall. it is so Catch 22, I am all a twitter.
This is Donny`s failure point remember it.
This man is so trying. Actually, he's impossible. Mr. President, do what you said you were going to do, get the money from Mexico. Why is this so hard?
Trumpf has lost the ability to shock many months ago. Yet, today’s reversal is still a stunner. He does not care about a government shutdown; nor of the enormous expense that this project would cost. Trumpf only cares about what Faux News and its ill-informed commenters say.
I’ve begun to think of this disastrous venture as “Trumpf’s Folly.” Let’s hope that this irrascable man will once again change his mind and do the right thing. But I doubt that.
A wall, a wall! My kingdom for a wall!
The Great Wall of America just doesn't have the same ring to it as the Great Wall of China...
He’s the man. I hope he sticks to his guns. The Dems weren’t going to like anything he does anyway. Now they have more to complain about. Let them.
2
How about a 2 year shutdown and then we start over in 2020?
4
@A
...with DT involuntarily committed to a facility where he can get the help he so desperately needs,
1
I have a sickening feeling that Trump is using the pullout of US troops in Syria in an effort to get this ridiculous wall boondoggle of his implemented. Sanders comments that we “ protect nations all over the world, but Democrats are unwilling to,protect our nation” is a new low. God help us, we have a leader who is actually betraying our allies ( the Kurds ) and making new enemies in a futile attempt to appear strong to his dwindling band of supporters. He is flailing, and we will all suffer for it.
1
Because the media was touting his capitulation to the Democrats.
His ego is is his Achilles heel.
Wait till he's on vacation after pulling this last second stunt - while workers go without pay over Christmas.
All for a wall with no purpose or popular support. A figment of his tortured mind.
The media should show a comparison chart of these consecutive days:
Trump Luxery Vacation - Day - xx
Trump Shutdown - Day xx
Stick him.
1
Why o Why does it take so long to impeach and incarcerate a man whose staff are lining up by the day confessing to crimes. This man will destroy any semblance of governance by the time he is done torching all sections of society.
Apparently, Trump backed off signing the CR after listening to the complaints of the right-wing pundits, i.e., Laura Ingram, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter. Since when does this country of 360 million have to bow to the whims of these faux journalists?
When I see Trump respond in this way, I usually say to myself, "poor fellow". He can't think for himself and is so cowed by their criticism that he makes these rash decisions. Then I think, "poor us", to have to put up and suffer with all this foolishness. Trump, and your enablers, please go away.
2
No Army of Russian Spies could have ever sabotaged our nation as Trump has done and continues to do with no one brave enough to stop him. The "Party of Red" indeed!
2
We want Cheap Labor, at any cost; what's he thinking?
It is time for Republicans and Democrats to work together to override the Bully's veto. As we watch the Dow tumble and our retirement plans crumble we need to dump a bucket of water onto the Wicked Witch. Republicans and Democrats: This is a call to duty and a call for action. Stop this lunacy.
So Trump is going to shut down the govt., leave govt. employees without a paycheck right before Christmas and then head off to a lengthy holiday vacation to luxurious Mar A Lago? There will be pitchforks waiting for him in DC when he returns. He knows this and will capitulate if the House puts the current stopgap measure on his desk.
Wasn’t “Steel Slats” a 1970’s TV detective show ? I believe it was on after “Ironsides”.
This is another continuation of Trump’s powerplay to get that ridiculous wall. Let him shut the government down and never budge on funding the wall. Then we will see who backs down.
1
Happy holidays to the furloughed workers with delayed pay, safety net beneficiaries who may miss meals.
While your president dines and plays golf . . . and pouts.
1
This is simply no way to run a country.
Loathe Hillary Clinton all you like, but if in some alternative reality she was president right now and congress remained wholly in GOP hands, we would not be on the brink of a shutdown today.
There'd be arguments and finger pointing and blame and the GOP would still be as awful as it is, but there'd be no petulant, angry, dim, ignorant excuse for a man in the White House, and the government would be funded, and life would go on, and everyone would look forward to Christmas and things would be merely their usual lousy selves.
As it is, things are pathologically dramatic, as we lurch from crisis to crisis.
This is no way to run a country.
2
Per Ann Coulter, “ [Trump] must know that if he doesn’t build the wall, he has zero chance of being re-elected and a 100 percent chance of being utterly humiliated." Talk about galvanizing OPPONENTS of the wall!!
1
Want to protect the nation? Then start with getting rid of the occupant in the Oval Office. He has damaged our security maybe more than Bush did.
1
In a speech Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was "sorry that my Democratic colleagues couldn't put the partisanship aside and show the same good-faith flexibility that the president has shown in order to provide the resources our nation needs to secure the integrity of our borders as well as the safety of American families."
Yes, just like you did with America Garland and the entire 8 years of President Barack Obama’s presidency.
Too bad you can’t tell your 8 year old leader to pick up the phone and call Mexico.
Don’t shut down the government because Mexico won’t pay for your wall.
1
I'm way on the left but it seems there was a lot of premature celebrating of this 'compromise' on MSNBC and CNN last night. To Trump, of course, it was personal. So like any spoiled brainless baby he changed his 'mind' and had a tantrum.
As usual, congress will coddle him. It goes like this: You don't like this toy? Sorry, here's a bigger one ... This one makes fun noises ... This one is red ... sorry, here's another ...
And for good measure, without telling anybody, he decides to pull the troops from Syria. This will be talked back and re defined and shaded every which way by Pompeo and the generals. More waste of time and energy.
Trump should get a fiddle, it worked for Nero ... Oh, my error; in today's world tweeting IS fiddling.
Like the song goes: "It was clear as mud but it covered de ground, and confusion made the head go round."
Donnie said he wanted to be "unpredictable."
The Republicans are tearing the hair out of their heads over his vacillation ... er ... unpredictability.
Weak, Donnie, really weak.
1
He listens to his “gut,” and to Ann Coulter. Both generate the same byproduct.
1
Hey Spineless Ryan, since you are leaving anyways. Try to stand up for once and override Trump's veto.
It will be hard for those government employees to pay off that Christmas spending with no paycheck and this was entirely unexpected for them. That is cruel!
All it takes is Ann Coulter calling Trump "gutless" on Twitter to make him do a 180, sending the Dow down another 2% and possibly causing the citizens of this country even more grief than we deserve for allowing this fool to be elected. She must be pleased her provocations carry that much weight.
1
Shutdown imminent. Stock market crashing. Russia and Iran cheering Trump's ill-conceived walkaway from Syria. 17 separate investigations into Trump and his family. Serious talk of indictment or impeachment of the president. America, are you tired of winning yet?
1
Then: If he's impeached we'll go from bad to just as bad.
Now: Impeach! Who could possibly be worse than Trump?
It's now just a matter of a few weeks before the Democrats take control of the House. How in the world can ANY of the few advisors Trump has left in his utterly dysfunctional WH possibly be counseling him not to sign the stopgap spending measure? Does he/do they think that when the Democrats are in charge of the House that suddenly he'll be able to get funding for his counterproductive, wasteful, environmentally disastrous Wall (which, for those of you who haven't looked at a topographical map of our southern border lately may not know, can't actually be built from a physical perspective)? Does he think that there's a snowball's chance that the Democrats would cave to his threats, knowing that if they did so, there would be no end to his threats on any other legislative subject in the future?
Astounding but true: Trump knows nothing about how our federal government actually works (hint: it doesn't work like his corrupt family businesses), and thinks that threats will get him what he wants. Ditto Paul Ryan, based on his idiotic speech following his meeting with Trump today. Chuck Schumer spelled things out for both of them, and for the rest of the Republican Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight -- no Wall. Not now. Not ever, as long as the democratsy have enough votes in the Senate and the House to stop it
. . . which they do.
This shutdown will have Trump's, and his Republican enablers', names on it in big, RED, shiny, neon letters. Just in time for Christmas. Joy!
235
@ALB. Nope. Chuck and Nancy own this one for not funding the wall.
1
@Jackson
And the Republicans who don't want to fund the wall? They are still in charge.
16
@ALB
Mention also Paul Ryan's idiotic speech yesterday about divisiveness.
12
I wonder if the Defense Department could spare some resources for this wall, like those $436 hammers and $999 pliers. Since this department lacks the "ability to account for every dollar spent, there is no way for the Defense Department to produce a clean audit. There’s also no way of knowing exactly how much or on what money is being spent."
Sounds like they would be perfect for the job or right down their alley or up their wall. Something like that.
2
So the repubs and the dems need to come up with a bipartisan budget that can pass with enough votes to withstand a presidential veto. Shouldn’t be that hard to do for a short term stopgap. It’s time the adults took back control.
2
If $5B was requested to fund Pre-K nationwide, or to provide health insurance to the uninsured, or PELL grants, how quickly would Republicans turn 180 degrees and decry how irresponsible that would be, that there is no money available and this would explode the deficit?
7
trump must have a lot of voices talking to him in his head, because he doesn't seem to listen to anyone here in the real world. trump will never understand that he doesn't know more than the Generals, and he by far isn't the smartest person in any room, which would include those that are dropped off at day cares. Congress needs to pass a spending bill that that both parties will agree on, send it to trump for his signature, if he refuses to sign it(veto), then the same Congress needs to vote to over ride it. trump really needs a lesson in humility, that United States is not his personal business, and he like anyone else voted into public office works for the citizens.
5
Interesting that Republicans suddenly so desperately fear for their lives and feel threatened by immigrants seeking a better life in the US. How did they get by all these years living with such paralyzing fear? I marvel at their courage. And Ann Coulter’s sole reason for voting for Trump was the wall? Time to pull yourselves together and do your jobs as elected officials of running government, not shutting it down.
6
So maybe I don't understand something. Fifteen or so congresspeople who lost their seats are now out of town, unavailable to vote. Seems to me that if they cared about governing, they would still be in D.C. to utilize their remaining time. The fact that they took their toys and went home before the end of their term therefore implies that they never had any civic motive in running for congress, but only did so as a prestige or vanity project, or worse, in order to become lucrative consultants or lobbyists later. Why isn't this a scandalous betrayal of the citizens they still have the honor to represent?
4
I am sure that disgruntled air traffic controllers and TSA workers, who will have to work without pay during a government shutdown, will add just the right amount of good cheer and seasons greetings for holiday travelers. Expect long delays!
5
In 2013 Democrats and President Obama pushed through the Senate (in a bipartisan vote) a bill to take care of all of these issues (including the wall) and had much more money available.
The republicans in the house would not even allow a vote.
It is no secret that republicans want the issue more than the solution and the president's whole campaign was about it and the division it causes. He thinks it is still a winning strategy, hence these outbursts and temper tantrums.
He will not stop until he his held accountable !
3
He will finish this year the way he started it. Never with American workers in mind. It doesn’t ever affect him or his. So while the furloughed, unpaid sit with their families Christmas morning wondering what the cost will bring to them, think of Trump and his hosting parties and elegant dinners and enjoying the best Christmas ever. You can rest assured not any celebrating at his table will suffer. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
3
The first federal agency that should be shut down with NO replacement employees or employees working without pay should be the Secret Service. Let's see how fast Trump signs the budget when it is his welfare on the line.
8
Crazy but, maybe Trump is trying to offset the deficit he inflated last Christmas with the tax cuts to the wealthy by saving payroll money this year and into next.
1
No savings will occur. A Supreme Court decision requires employees to be paid even if on furlough.
2
"Ann Coulter, the political commentator, was one of multiple conservative supporters warning that the president would jeopardize his re-election prospects if he failed to secure wall funding."
Trump's a self-acclaimed billionaire. If he wants his wall so badly, let him pay for it. How about some skin in the game Trump?
2
$5 billion evenly distributed among all 350 million US citizens is $15 each. Distributed among the 65 million Trump supporters is $80 each. Let them pay for the wall.
In 2013 Democrats and President Obama pushed through the Senate (in a bipartisan vote) a bill to take care of all of these issues (including the wall) and had much more money available.
The republicans in the house would not even allow a vote.
It is no secret that republicans want the issue more than the solution and the president's whole campaign was about it and the division it causes. He thinks it is still a winning strategy, hence these outbursts and temper tantrums.
He will not stop until he his held accountable.
1
Submit a budget and vote to over ride his veto. The man functions only at personal survival mode. If the Senate can come together for prison reform, why not do so when a flailing president is willing to take down the world in order to maintain power?
3
Trump is trying to appeal to his base who don't realize the wall funding simply won't happen this year or the next two. He's fooling his base to think there is a chance for the wall. It's all about Trump and the holiday family dinner conversations.
2
I see the Trump market has fallen yet again today. Chaotic tariff polices with our competitors and our allies will do that. Threat of a shut down will do that. Let’s put the blame right where it belongs.
2
How long will it take the TSA to detect the lack of funding?
1
Wait. Wasn't Trump signaling just yesterday that he would sign a spending bill to avoid a government shut down?
We need to enforce our immigration laws as they are now and in the future. Sensors won't work adequately. They do nothing for a person planning on catch, release, disappear because it does not prevent entry.
Our immigration laws have all been passed by both houses of congress and most or all have been signed into law by a President. They are perfectly valid having persisted through both parties holding power and the courts.
We need a physical barrier because a wall enforces itself even when an administration refuses to enforce our laws.
We should have s large merit based system seeking immigrants who will pay taxes and not consume benefits. Young, skilled people with no criminal record who can speak the language and have sufficient funds to get them through 6 months of joblessness.
2
The wall concept seems archaic in this age of technology except under current laws, once an illegal crosses into the US, they can turn themselves in and make up a story to request asylum and they are assured several years stay in the USA. Under current laws, it doesn’t do any good to catch them after they crossed. In fact, the loophole in the law favors those who turn themselves in after crossing illegally. Either the law has to change or the wall is the only viable solution.
1
For trade concessions China will both pay for and build the wall. They're the global experts on very large-scale projects and they have all the money. It would have hanging gardens, built-in aquariums, fancy malls with designer shops, and an ultra-fast monorail the entire length.
2
I still don't understand why they can't compromise on some kind of enhanced border control and simply call it a wall. It's all symbolic isn't it?
2
Why does he bother actually trying to get the wall built when he could just say it's been built? His supporters would believe it.
10
Oh my. Trump has turned this into a Christmas time reality show: shutdown-yes, shutdown-no, shutdown-yes. Keep tuned in for the next episode. He is playing with us, folks.
3
I must ask-is this wall a tribute, a memorial to Trump? If so, it is an expensive memorial. Is the wall really needed and will it be effective (parroting Fox "News" does not count).
I believe it to be the rantings of a lunatic who wants his vanity fulfilled.
I remember when Bush 43 embarked on the fencing with little effect, and in some cases, need, and there are some areas where the fence stops. Period. Just terrain and barbed wire fence. Why? Expense, the terrain prohibits construction, and cooler, saner heads prevailed.
But, in watching the news I was surprised to see the hoards of people scrambling over the fence, invading our country, and was startled. Satire. Trump may have energized his disciples, his red hats, but, Trump being Trump there is little belief from me in what he says.
Let Trump have his tantrum, and, I hope National Security Adviser Coulter's prediction comes true-no wall, no second term.
Would Russian interests be better served if the President signs this spending bill or if he vetos it? Veto, of course. So be it.
3
Here is what Speaker Ryan should do. Go back to the House and get the bill passed. Send it to Trump to sign. Let him veto it and then the Congress can override the veto. With the Democrats support there should be enough votes in both Houses to reach the two thirds threshold need to override the Veto even if the Freedom Caucus votes against the override.
Not only will this keep the Government open, but it will also teach Mr. Trump a lesson in Civics!
4
The solution to this impasse is simple. Just have the $5,000,000,000 dollars for the wall come from a new tax on anyone making over $10,000,000 a year. - Problem solved!
4
@Chicago Guy
A perfect fix! Balanced. Fair. Just.
Don recently lost lost his fixer. I’m thinking, based on this one solution, C.G, you might be much better at fixing things than was Mr.-Cohen-now-in-jail.
Think it over.
For some reason, there’s insane employee turnover in the Trump White House, and they sorely need balance and fairness over there.
1
Pass the border wall with the contingency that the funding must come directly from Mexico specifically for the wall.
Anything less than that, Mr. Trump is backing out of his promise to have Mexico pay for the wall and is unacceptable.
1
Just making sure: Now Mexico is will not pay for the wall? Ok. Got it.
45 will do anything to churn the news cycle forward to distract from his recent (read: ongoing) disasters. No one has ever brought such a sustained level of malevolence and malpractice to that office. And all that in only two years!
Let's all stay focused on 45's mounting legal troubles related to his presidency. Even he is at this point.
Sarah,
In case you haven't noticed, the Republicans are currently in control of both houses of Congress.
The Republicans in either house can not find enough drones, other than the Freedom Caucus, to go along with the Trump Wall.
It hardly seems like it's the Democrats are the problem.
If Ann Coulter is right, it might be time to polish your resume.
2
If we truly had an honest, functioning Senate, they would ask the House to start impeachment proceedings with a promise of a conviction.
1
He says he's so rich he should be able to build the wall with his own money. This is just more desperation and obfuscation to keep us talking about his crimes. He won't need much money if he goes to jail for a reasonable time.
1
As A Canadian, I'm thankful , we have better things - anything really - to do with 5 billion dollars.
2
Trump doesn't know how to mediate. He doesn't want to learn either. Also, I'm surprised that I actually agree with Ann Coulter for once. He need that wall or he's out! (I hope he's out).
1
A shutdown as well as the stock market tanking is the price I am willing to pay to make sure Trump doesn't get his wall. I would pay an even higher price, just name it.
2
We have to stop calling these GOP Reps. conservative. Any true conservative would understand the wasteful effects of a physical wall.
what's the budget for the yearly maintenance?
3
first there should be no money to pay Congress. It's time for Pence to show some backbone and get the cabinet to article 25 Trump.
2
Has ever touched anything in his life that wasn't illegal or failed on its own. Now he is inconceivably about to bring down the entire country, both domestically and internationally.
The stock market had a short rise based on the belief that one man couldn't destroy it all. Now they are having second thoughts about that.
1
More spectacular decision making.
1
"The Freedom Caucus" would rather see NO GOVERNMENT than no wall!
These are folks - many of them defeated in November - who have showed what they're made of by NOT continuing to serve their constituents, ... even as they draw their pay and look forward to retirement benefits that should make every citizen full of rage!
Not that morality, fairness, even legality have ever matter much to Mitch, ... but he told Obama, "Let's see who wins the Presidential election 10 months from now. You shouldn't be appointing a Supreme Court judge when 'the people' might pick a President from MY party."
... But Trump and his half-hearted enabler, Ryan, now want to add "blackmail" to his list of crimes. "$5 Billion or chaos! I'm a reality TV star, and I know how my base will roar when I whip them up with 'Schmucky Schumer and Prissy Pelosi thought they could tell me how to run my country. I showed them and everybody else who's boss.' "
1
I don't think Trump will shut down the Government. If he did, the Secret Service guarding him would have to work for free - I don't see that happening. He's not worth the extra effort. He's ill-advised, lazy and ignorant. As noted by many contributors to this space, many people sneak across the border via waterways, air, or are smuggled in via roadways in cars, etc. The latest method of smuggling is using light aircraft than can fly very low. Also, a lot of people come in legally and just don't leave. All of this possible because our Government misspends a lot of money on wasteful armaments - cyberterrorism can't be opposed with an outdated bomber or tank. We need leaders that understand information capabilities and are willing to put our money there, not these crusty old guys that are just hanging on and still using scraps of paper for notetaking, fighting conventional wars with tanks and bazookas, and refusing to update computer systems in all branches of Government because they don't understand how an efficient system would work.
2
This administration causes more harm everyday the our government stays open. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise to shut down this government that doesn’t govern.
2
OH GOOD GRIEF. Someone explain to Trump and all the other goofballs that want a wall that it will not help. But I suspect they know that and just want a good sound bite. It's a huge waste of money. We need those illegals to do do all the jobs that those in this country don't want to do like milk our cows, work in our slaughter houses, watch our children, wash our dishes in restaurants, dig our ditches. The list really does go on and on. During the last recession the dairy industry was really hurting because illegals went home until the economy improved. Meanwhile, the owners of those dairies and slaughter houses couldn't get a legal citizen to take those jobs. They were hungry and "willing to work" just not that willing I guess. Why don't we take half the money Trump wants for a wall and give it to the immigration system so those that want to become legal can do so?
2
The obstructionism and brinksmanship of these dysfunctions called "shutdowns" compels the observer, here and elsewhere, to consider the USA a third-world country and a failure.
1
Trump pulled back in Syria. So he is trying to look tough in Washington. If he wants to shut down the government for Christmas and leave millions of Americans stranded for Christmas he should go ahead.
1
Just get Hollywood to put up a fake wall. Trump's base won't know the difference. And if word gets out that the wall is not real, Trump will just claim it's fake news. (And this time for once he'll be right)
3
Zero surprise here.
With apologies to Meghan Trainor, "It's all about the base."
2
If he wants to "Shut it all down" let's really do it and get after it. None of this still showing up to work for no pay. No "essential services only". Zero govt services at all and we'll see where the small government types stand after a few days of utter chaos. Let's see how wild things can get.
3
So right alongside the Trump Shutdown, we have the Trump Recession. What an honor to take full sole responsibility for these, though all Republicans rightly deserve to share in these.
2
"Ainsley told me not to do it, so I won't do it. She's a blonde - at least I think she is, you never know - so she must know what she's talking about, right? Lots of people are saying she does. So we'll see..."
But as Will Rogers once said, "There's worse things than a paralyzed government in Washington, DC."
1
Fine, shut the government down until Jan when Pelosi takes over and see about funding the country then. with divided government, both sides are gonna have to give something.
2
The border is secure; there are troops there as well which is how "We protect nations all over the world." If Trump wants a wall maybe China will sell him one at a discount if he ends his equally silly, wasteful and economically disastrous trade war with them. We can then, like China, have a new tourist attraction--The Great Wall of Trump which like so many of his products are "Made in China," but rebranded as Trump's. Then the great deal maker could even charge admission, at least to non-immigrants other than Saudis and Russians. But, the last thing we need is government by Trump tantrum. And yes, "winter is coming."
1
The Democrats and Republicans should join forces to get the continuing resolution with $1.6B wall funding above the veto proof level. Re-claim your oversight!
2
Trump is falling apart so is his administration. He is ready to shut down the government, he just lost his secretary of defense, and his chief of staff. He issues orders on a whimp, and causes chaos and confusion. He is unfit to serve as POTUS.
1
I know that the Dems and some Repubs don't want to budge on this, but let's be practical about it. With how slowly Washington moves on anything, let alone actually going out to bid, review applications, negotiate the contract, get all of the waivers and permits in order, deal with lawsuits brought by various land and environmental entities (and immigration and human rights organizations) etc.,Trump will be long gone before less than a mile is actually constructed.....just sayin.
then we can tackle border security for real...with state of the art methods.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Mexico will pay for the wall.
Promises Made.
Every single DNC campaign ad should show this promise alongside his demand that we pay for the wall. And, if we do, a bill in that amount stamped "Return to American People"
2
@Marie I don't favor a wall. I don't know why we would pay. And I don't quite understand your comment.
Right on, President Trump.
Either the border wall/fence gets funded or nothing gets funded.
It’s time go “full Samson”. If Congress doesn’t care about real border security, then take everything down.
Will Republican pay a price for a shutdown? Who cares?
As a lifelong Republican, I am disgusted with the Koch Brother/Profit-First Republicans who are clearly for open borders. If they won’t support a border wall/fence, then burn down the Republican Party and them with it.
It won’t matter, because if there is no wall/fence, rank and file Republican will sit out future elections and destroy the Party anyway.
1
@John. I'm totally on board with destroying the Republican Party ....most of the country is too, or soon will be....
2
Is it beyond raison d’Trump to think that the money from Defence saving in Syria will head to The Wall Manifesto Promise?
I’m visiting Mexico City with my family right now. We are having a wonderful time - weather, people, culture. Best of all, very little Trump news. I’d urge my fellow Americans to visit Mexico. Sure, there are unsafe areas, as there are in Chicago, NY City, or DC. Easily avoided.
Mexico should be your first foreign country experience.
3
Imagine that, Ann Colter is right for a change! Donald's wall has nothing to do with the wall and everything to do with his 2020 Presidential campaign.
1
I'm 56 and planning to retire in the Mexican mountains where I lived during the 90s. Great climate, reasonable cost of living and a culture unsurpassed in the Americas in regards to complexity. Please build a wall that'll keep me from returning to this once great country that sold out its legacy and promise.
2
Thanks GOP voters. This just gets better and better. How can we keep Congress from getting paychecks, vs. the folks who are actually working? Happy Holidays and MAGA.
$5 billion invested in economic assistance and helping to stem the violence in Central America would go much further toward border security than any wall ever could. It is simple social osmosis. People will migrate away from high concentrations of poverty, violence and unrest toward peace, prosperity and comfort. That is why there are refugees from Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Honduras, El Salvador... Instead of trying to stop them, let's try helping them. I'm pretty sure that if my immigrant ancestors hadn't been starving in a potato famine and denied religious freedom and land ownership, they would still be in Enniscorthy, Ireland.
2
How much will Trump save by exiting Syria?
About as much as a wall costs.
Somebody please explain: how will a border wall prevent people from entering the country legally at a point of entry, and then staying beyond the legal period (which, as I understand it, is how most who are here illegally enter)?
1
Not to worry about us down here in the South with regards to storm funds. With all the money that's being raised for us from proceeds of the book "Whose Boat Is This Boat?: Comments That Don't Help in the Aftermath of a Hurricane" by the staff at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert -- we'll be just fine!
1
Just yesterday, Paul Ryan was lamenting our "broken" politics. If he wants to see a cause of this, he need only look in the mirror. The cowardice of Ryan and others in the "leadership" is one of the causes.
Politics is the art of the possible, and the possible depends upon horse trading and compromise. Neither Trump nor the so-called Freedom Caucus understand that.
As someone (Harry Truman?) once said, in an elective form of government you can't just pump your fist up and down and expect your will to be done when other players have a say in the matter--and CEOs (and generals) without political experience are not accustomed to that.
If Mexico won't be paying for the wall, Trump and his supporters should. It was his promise alone and his base has been unwavering in support. Now it's time to see if they either have the courage of their convictions or are just as full of hot air as their hero. You know the one, the one who claims he would run towards gunfire to save the day but is unable to muster the spirit or courage to stand up to the NRA or his man-crush, Vladimir. Maybe it's the bone spurs?
1
One thing you can be absolutely sure of, Trump and his family will NOT be affected by the government shutdown.
1
Mr. Trump campaigned that Mexico would pay for the wall. And, we laughed, because that was an absurd idea. But then he was elected President - hopefully, not based on that promise. Now, Mexico won't pay for the wall, so President Trump is asking the American taxpayers to pay it. Now, we say no, laugh again, and say "please make Mexico pay for the wall" like you said over and over and over and over again during your campaign. Please don't be silly and hold the budget hostage.
Trump will shut down the government then spend the next two weeks at Mar Lago -- Chris Christie at the beach.
1
The wall is not needed for border security. Simple, full stop. This hijack of the budgetary process is simply Mr. Trump playing to his base. He had two years with a fully republican Congress to give him what he wanted, and now after an epic failure of leadership he holds the nation hostage so he can blame Democrats for his failure. Very typical. It's anybody's fault but his.
OK,
it might be time to allow Ann Colter and Donald Trump to pay the bills of government workers laid off due to their ideologies of hatred.
He's cooked his goose.
If Congress has to do a veto override, it'll be much easier for them to vote to impeach.
1
I don't understand why the ruling clan of Saudi Arabia doesn't repay good, ol' Don by writing a $5 billion check for the wall. Merely a drop in the proverbial oil bucket and sure to lead to more favors from the Don down the road.
1
Gail Collins column, December 3, 2016:
he doesn’t remember anything that happened before this morning.
Or, apparently, that Congress isn't even in town anymore.
1
Ryan likely won't have the votes in the House to give Trump $4 billion for a cockamamie wall, and, if he did, it dies in the Senate. With control of the legislative and executive branches ,and a sympathetic Supreme Court, the Republicans haven't been able to govern. They are only capable of obstructing and tearing down, led by the nose by a cabal of far right wing head cases. Good riddance to Ryan & company and, hopefully, in 2020 the same treatment of McConnell & company. And take train wreck Trump with you.
Santa will have no close calls this Christmas---he will know who has been naughty and who has been nice.
Color me dubious. Trump likely won't be able to play golf in FL unless this gets done. I just can't imagine he'll stick up for this "principle" since he doesn't stick up for anything other than his own interests. Which are golf. In Florida.
Shut it down. Keep it shut down until the border wall is built. If that means we may have a partial government shutdown for the next 6 years, then let it be so.
Who is this man-child? If I don't get my way I will take my ball and go home. But in this case the ball is the federal government.
Mr. President
As an avid supporter, I can say unequivocally, that I will not support you again if you do not shutdown the government over the boarder wall funding. Enough is enough.
78% of American families live paycheck to paycheck. I'm sure that there are plenty of government employees who fall into this category. It will not be a very merry Christmas for them if they do not receive their check at the end of the month and can't even put Christmas dinner on the table for their families. My heart goes out to the people who have served their country all month long but will be without pay at the holidays. But Donald Trump doesn't care, he'll be having a very nice dinner in the dining room at Mar-A-Lago (whose walls are adorned with $7 million worth of gold leaf).
Trump said that he was going to build the wall and Mexico is going to fund it. He said this all during the election period and is on tape. Someone needs to remind this President that he needs to talk to Mexico and not the Senate, Congress or GOP. Why does he think we are all goof balls.
7
Because "we" still insist, against all evidence, that it's still a Grand Old Party. The way you just did.
Tell me what's so G about this OP of yours.
Can’t figure out if our President is becoming Caligula or Nero.
13
OH, Puhleez. Did any of you fools watch the two wimps Chuckles and Nana in the Oval office with our idiot president?
Chuckles could only repeat - "we don't want to shut down the government," like a little boy.
If those two loser/leaders of the Dem party had any plans to govern they would have proudly reminded idiot boy that he promised the country that Mexico would pay for the wall, in front of the cameras.
It sickens me to watch Chuckles with his pathetic school boy stammering and nervous laughter. How are these two loved? Oh right, the liberal bubble does not offer facts, only moonbeams and unicorns.
Pure chaos. In other words, pure Trump.
2020 can't come soon enough. Beyond being temperamentally and intellectually inadequate, Trump is utterly incompetent.
Actually, that's not 100% accurate. He's very good at sucking up to his base by writing nonsensical Tweets. So yes, he's good at something.
7
Why are people unwilling to stand up to this undereducated, incurious, entitled, lazy, immoral, lying, egocentric brat? He adds nothing to the quality of life. He has no empathy and can't imagine what happens to the little guy who counts on a regular paycheck. Whatever values you have, he is not looking out for them. It has never been "America First". It is Donald J Trump first and the rest of us be damned.
12
If you are living in White House, it is hard to feel the pain of the families living by paycheck to paycheck. Why is it government employees are pawns in this grand standoff? The Democrats should state in no uncertain terms that there shall be no wall. If there is any hope that he may get something, he will push for it. So, Democrats should send a clear message to the President and the Republican Party that they can go to hell, there will be NO WALL.
6
Eleven days before the new House gets sworn in if Trump doesn't sign the bill the senate already presented on Fri, Dec 23. Also, a number of the House members, the ones who lost, went back home to finish out the year, so they're not in Washington. Even if Ryan could get them all back in Washington I don't think the GOP would have the votes. So, what happens in 11 days?
3
He promised over and over again that Mexico would pay for the wall. NO taxpayer dollars should go to his stupid wall.
9
Yes, but he's OUR narcissistic idiot. What a maroon
1
Shut it down, Shut it down, Shut it down, Shut it down,
1
Merry Christmas government employees from president Scrooge
5
no chance 3 ghosts could redeem him
No government, no Air Force One. Hunker down, Trump! AND no electricity at the White House! AND no hair products!
7
He never explained how is shutting down the US government going to get Mexico to pay for his useless wall?
9
Anything that plays even a small role in stopping the drugs that poison our children from flowing across our border has my support.
Those that complained about tear gas and still object to the wall are hypocrites.
1
You live in West Virginia.
Local politics and criminals are the cause of your drug problems and no wall built 1000 miles away will help that
20
@Conservative Democrat
95% of drugs arrive in ships: cruise ships, fishing boats, container ships, pleasure boats, speed boats, submersibles, boats like Mitch McConnell's billionaire shipping Chinese gov't funded father in law made his fortune on. Boats. Up and down the coast. Ours and Canadas. Not scared, tired, hungry families fleeing poverty and war. Air drops and boats.
No terrorists have marched into the country. They flew. Or, like Donald, were born here.
4
The opioid epidemic devastating our children is fed by drugs irresponsibly prescribed and manufactured at home, and by fentanyl smuggled from China through American seaports and airports. To lay the blame on poverty-stricken families seeking asylum at our southern border is profoundly unjust. To think that a wall will save our children from addiction is pure fantasy.
I am so tired that our country is held hostage to the notion that "this wall" will do anything to stop illegal immigration. It was a stupid election promise that had no basis in fact and one that we were promised over and over again that Mexico would pay for. A 30 foot wall only helps manufacturers of 32 foot ladders. Enough of this nonsense already!
15
It's not really about a wall. Just like everything else, just another way to fleece regular taxpayers and without accountability. Just like Homeland Security.
Get Mexico to pay for it.
Or get your rube base to pony up some coin. 1 less pack of smokes or chew from that group and you’ll have your money by Christmas.
4
Some GOP bigwigs have in the last couple of days started to actually cease oiling the squeaky hinge. I am noticing incipient push back on this issue; also on the Syrian absurdity and on a couple of other issues. The investigations are starting to have an effect. The prospect of large scale hinge removal in the Congress hearings are convincing these highly principled worthies that the time to jump off the ship has finally come. If Donald thinks Cohen is a rat he will think that it is nothing compared to the infestation of scurrying rodents leaping for self preservation. They are just timing it it with precisions. Graham, Little Marco, Kennedy and others no longer want to be associated with this unhinged dementia-afflicted bigot... not on principle mind you but purely on expedience. Even scurrying rats have an instinct for survival.
2
Maybe México can hire Chinese firms to build the Wall and Russians to police it?
6
Trump will cave very soon, so he can go to mar-a-lago. Melania will demand that.
4
Nailed it.
He certainly isn't going to drive....
It is somewhat baffling that so many politicians and media in the USA keep trying to "understand" why this whimsical president is doing this or that. It was and is clear; the guy is a moron, compulsive liar, leader of a mob-like family and a tyrant at heart. Around him he has grovellers (Pence...yuk) and greedy people with definitely not too much morality amongst them. The USA is losing it's face internationally at a very rapid speed. Nationally it doesn't look good either on many points either. It will stay an ongoing farce with this guy and government.
6
But sas, it's also good ratings.
“What can you expect from a pig but a grunt?” Trump will continue to double-down on the wall every time Fox & Friends reminds him that hatred of “illegals” is the one issue that holds his base together. Making America Hate Again. What a legacy!
The greater culpability lays with the adults in the room.
7
Mr. President,
Instead of playing golf for 16 days, go to Mexico and show your art of the deal by having Mexico pay for your wall.
9
seems for this round donnie's ball is in a trap...
Those opposed to the wall are actually afraid that it will work. People crossing the border now are going around the sections that are built, not going over the top, even if it means an extra trek of hundreds of miles. We need to find the money in the Defense budget of $655 billion. He wants one percent of that? Not hard to do, now that the Syria deployment is coming to an end.
1
@Observer of the Zeitgeist
cities and regions with growing populations of immigrants are seeing economic growth. Businesses are competing for people who can work and will work. Even WSJ admits that immigrants are a net positive economically, do not threaten American workers jobs or wages. They pump money into the economy, they don't cost more to educate or maintain than the average native born kid - you do realize that most parents of non-immigrant kids don't fund their public education, libraries. Someone else does. Me, probably. Even with my big tax cut. Half of the biggest new IPO's were started by immigrants, creating jobs and wealth. The idea of a wall is absurd.
6
He doesn’t have the votes.
It's not the dollar amount that matters...it's the notion of a WALL. We surely need comprehensive immigration reform, but to many of us, a WALL is anathema to what our country stands for.
Don't forget:
Government
shutdown
will
affect
the
border
patrol!
Cut nose to spite face. That's our dumdum in chief, cowardly bully that he is.
27
@Susan Anderson
Details just aren't his thing! I do love the irony of it. Besides, we will be able to see that two weeks of little patrol on the border will make no difference in the number of people crossing it.
So Vladimir Putin and Anne Coulter are running national policy this week. Jan. 3 can't come soon enough.
58
It looks like Fox News is running the country.
28
@Ich
...into the ground.
9
Little baby donald having another tantrum. Gimme my wall, gimme my wall.
13
The GOP should tell the liar-in-chief to pay for the wall himself. Let him write a check with the money that was donated to his fake charity and it won't even come out of his pocket.
Then, the american voters who didn't vote for him should tell him and his family to move out of the US, south of the border, and keep them from returning forever
(or, let's send him and his family to prison).
11
I just no longer have any words. Donald Trump is simply the worst President in the history of our country. Harding, Buchanan, Nixon, and all other past duds, step aside. You have now all been surpassed in your historical ineptitude by The Donald.
31
@Irish Rebel
Agreed. Kudos.
But, in this case, the “who’s dead last” race is a sure bet.
Warren G. Harding, James Buchanan and Richard Nixon could all read. They could all remember the lies they told yesterday, even the ones they told last week.
Trump is unable to do these things.
He’s had last place sewed up since his inauguration.
2
"“We want to keep the government open, but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border,” Mr. Ryan said. “We have very serious concerns about securing our border.”"
Aww, how touching: servile lapdog Paul Ryan cooing in to the president's ear, once again revealing himself as the toady he is.
21
Thank you President Trump for your Christmas gift to the nation....the "Trump Recession."
Your idiotic ill-conceived trade wars, coupled with the "Trump Shutdown" has combined to do the dirty job rather nicely.
Please stop Making America Great Again, Donald, we really can't afford anymore 'greatness'.
22
Dear Don:
Yawn to your whining.
Even Ann Coulter thinks you are a joke.
5
enough! tell the treasonous child to fund and build the wall with his own money. he can try to collect from Mexico. that was his campaign promise.
4
What a moron. After two years, I still cannot believe that this thing is president.
14
What happened to the idiotic chant... "Who's going to pay for the wall? Mexico!" How is it possible that so many morons have no memory.
16
Yo Trump, you are truly a piece of work; a walking, limited vocabulary talking, proof, that a moron can do anything. I can hardly wait to see you locked up!
6
If the House RepugniCants had any guts (or other anatomical parts), they'd stand up to Trump, and cooperate with the Dems to pass the current CR with a veto-proof majority.
But instead, they're caving in to their bully-boss.
And in the process, Trump (and thus THEIR party) will own all of the blame for the Christmas shut-down.
It's so much fun to watch this unfold!
5
Why does the caption for that picture refer to those flimsy pieces of fencing as "new sections of the border wall"? That is not a wall. Someone, either Trump or the NY Times, needs a dictionary.
2