Pounding their chests in Democrats ultimate act of defiance, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y). tried to humiliate President Donald Trump Dec. 11 in the Oval Office, telling Trump they wouldn’t give him a red nickel for his border wall. Calling Trump’s reaction a “temper tantrum,” Pelosi and Trump got a rude awakening with the ever-shrewd negotiator. After watching Pelosi and Schumer laugh in Trump’s face, Trump used his leverage with the continuing Dec. 21 budget resolution, shutting down 25% of the government, including the IRS, FBI, Justice Department, Homeland Security and other federal departments. Pelosi and Schumer unwisely antagonized Trump, blaming him entirely for the government shutdown. Both should have known that negotiating with Trump was the best way forward.
Pumped up from winning back the House of Representatives Nov. 8, Pelsoi and Schumer showed the kind of hubris that will eventually backfire. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) pledged the GOP would not give in to Democrats’ failure to negotiate on the issue of border security. “We’re not going to give in,” said Graham, letting Pelosi and Schumer know they’d better come back to the table or face a very long government shutdown. Graham called Pelosi and Schumer’s actions toward Trump “a silly, petty fight,” based on pure hatred toward the president not recognizing the damage to the American people, especially 800,000 federal employees now furloughed or forced to work in essential areas without government salaries. Trump acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, echoed Graham’s statements, telling Democrats they’re in for a very long government shutdown.
Handing Democrats a counter-offer Saturday, Mulvaney said Trump was prepared to compromise on his demand for $5.7 billion in border funding, perhaps taking a little as $2 billion on top of the $1.6 billion already allocated for border improvements. “We moved off the 5—we hope they move off the 1.3,” Mulvaney said, noting that “the ball right now is in their corner.” Pelosi and Schumer made a rookie mistake telling Trump he’d get nothing for his border wall. When Pelosi and Schumer return from the Christmas holiday next Thursday, they’ll be forced to walk back their unprofessional behavior toward Trump. No matter how much they despise Trump, they’re still negotiating on behalf of federal workers, currently caught between a rock-and-a-hard-place. No federal worker currently furloughed or without pay can accept Pelosi and Schumer’s extremist position.
Schumer’s harsh words toward Trump show he’s more interested in scoring political points than governing. Calling Trump’s actions a “two-week temper tantrum,” Schumer showed his contempt for Trump. “President Trump, if you want to open the government, you must abandon the wall, plain and simple,” showing the kind of contempt that’s coming back to haunt Democrats. Mulvaney has already put compromise proposals on the table, not Schumer’s outright rejection of border wall funding. Sooner or later, Pelosi and Schumer will have to answer for their extreme position, failing to compromise with Trump’s negotiators. “Negotiations will continue,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), knowing that the only way out to protect federal workers is for both sides to compromise. When Pelosi and Schumer return to the Senate next Thursday, they’ll want the wall resolved.
Democrats have put all their eggs into Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s basket, hoping to get Trump out of office. With liberal investigative journalist Michael Isikoff saying there’s no corroboration of the Steele dossier, it grows more unlikely that Trump will be charged with anything as the Russian meddling and alleged Trump collusion investigation concludes. “This is not about the wall for Democrats. It’s not even about immigration for Democrats,” tweeted Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.). “This is about denying [Trump] a win on a signature agenda item that he promised the American people,” Gaetz said. Whether it’s Democrats on Capitol Hill or the mainstream media, the hatred toward Trump is palpable. Never before has any president received such bad publicity in the press. Once Democrats face unemployed federal workers, they’ll sing a different tune on negotiating.
Forced to eat crow, Pelosi and Schumer will eventually acquiesce to Trump’s demands for more border security funding. Once they see the pain on federal workers’ faces, they’ll realize that $2 billion isn’t worth the indignity to federal workers with a government shutdown. Sen. Lindsey Graham put Pelosi and Schumer on notice that he and the GOP won’t give in on border security. Only Democrats call the president’s wall “swindling American taxpayers,” something Pelosi and Schumer concocted to score political points against Trump. When the dust settles next week or before, Pelosi and Schumer will be forced to compromise, giving Trump at least $2 billion with which to fund more border security. “The crisis of illegal activity at our Southern Border is real and will not stop until we build a great Steel Barrier or Wall. Let work begin!” Trump tweeted, putting Pelosi and Schumer on notice.
