Tomorrow the Dec. 22, 2018 government partial shutdown becomes the longest in U.S. history, with Democrats and Republicans tossing 800,000 federal workers under the bus. Today was the first day federal employees did not receive their paychecks, prompting protests and outrage from large numbers of fedral workers. Trump refused to sign a Continuing Budget Resolution Dec. 22, 2018 when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) refused to give Trump one penny for his border wall, now a steel-slated fence. Pelosi and Schumer hoped to ride Jan. 8 Reuters/Ipsos poll that showed that 52% of Americans blamed Trump for the shutdown, opposed to 39% for Democrats. Whatever the numbers, it’s sadistic to keep federal workers from receiving their paychecks because Democrats refuse to negotiate with Trump in goon faith.
Meeting the Border Patrol in McAllen, Texas along the Rio Grande valley Jan. 10, the natural river barrier between Texas and Mexico, CNN reporter Jim Acosta gleefully reported that he saw no emergency or crisis in McAllen, not realizing that a secure border fence already existed. Pelosi called the “border wall” immoral Jan. 4, after acknowledging the border crisis and backing border fencing projects in 2007, while serving former President Barack Obama. Pelosi didn’t call the fence “immoral” then but calls it immoral now that Trump’s president. Trump walked out of meeting with Pelosi an Schumer Jan. 8, after Pelosi said she would never give him money to build his border barrier. Pelosi and Schumer were admonished today by Grammy and Oscar-winning singer/actress Cher Bono who pleaded with both to compromise with Trump to end the government shutdown.
Sooner-or-later, Pelosi and Schumer will be forced to negotiate some deal with Trump to reopen the government that includes money for his border barrier. Meanwhile, Democrats have shown little regard for 800,000 government workers Refusing to negotiate with Trump for what amounts to around $2 billion, Pelosi and Schumer have de-legitimized the Trump presidency, hoping Special Counsel Robert Mueller finds impeachable offenses against Trump in the near future. Refusing to negotiate with Trump has created the stalemate, holding federal workers’ hostage. Watching federal workers apply for food stamps, go to food banks, sell personal property on Craig’s List and take other desperate measures is disgraceful. Both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the current impasse but Democrats have done little to fashion a workable deal with Trump.
Pelosi spent her time since assuming House Speaker Jan. 3 fashioning bills to reopen the government, knowing that Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would not vote on them in the Senate. Trump has the Border Patrol, local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE], formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS], agreeing that more money must be spent on a border barrier. Saying the ball was in Trump’s court, Pelosi hasn’t risen above partisan politics at the expense of federal workers. “When the president acts, we will respond whatever he does,” Pelosi said, referring to Trump’s threat to fund the border barrier by declaring a national emergency. Trump told ABC reporter Terry Moran Jan. 4 at a Rose Garden press conference that he was considering using his emergency powers to get the border barrier built if Pelosi continues to stonewall.
Signing a partisan bill today to reimburse all federal employees back pay since the Dec. 22 shutdown offers nothing to federal workers. Federal workers want the White House and Congress to negotiate in good faith to end the partial government shutdown. As the shutdown drags on, Pelosi and Schumer feel the heat from federal workers, no longer caring about whom started the beef. Trump enjoys the strong backing of Republicans in the House and Senate, where Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the new Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Republicans will not give in until Pelosi and Schumer negotiate with Trump in good faith. Trump heard Graham’s demand to Pelosi and Schumer, agreeing to hold off on invoking emergency powers to get the wall built. “I’m not going to do it so fast,” Trump said, reluctant to declare an emergency to get the wall built.
Knowing they could end the government shutdown in a heartbeat, Pelosi and Schumer face mounting pressure from some 800,000 federal workers. Today’s Hill/Harris poll showed Trump with a 44% approval rating, bad news for Democrats. With all the bad press against Trump, his numbers have been consistent, not too affected by the government shutdown. Pelosi and Schumer played their cards blaming Trump for the government shutdown. As the stalemate rolls on, Democrats can’t repeat the same talking points without bad consequences for keeping the shutdown going. Giving Trump a few billion dollars for a border barrier is well worth the price to get federal employees back to work. Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner is trying to broker a deal where Democrats give Trump his border wall funding in exchange for deal on DACA, the so-called “dreamers.”
