Ending the government shutdown Jan. 24, 72-year-old Donald Trump found out the hard way, that Democrats control the narrative with the help of the mainstream media. Democrats turned the Dec. 22, 2018 government shutdown into a Trump problem, with most opinion polls backing it up. Whether right or wrong, the government shutdown picked on some 800,000 ordinary folks who happened to work for the federal government. Trump watched 78-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) steal the headlines, blaming Trump for the shutdown. It was obvious to any neutral party that both sides played a dangerous game of chicken with 800,000 federal workers, but, more importantly, with the American public. No one wants national parks closed, or, for that matter, to fly with air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Agency [TSA] not working.
Trump faces some tough choices heading toward a Feb. 15 deadline where a House-Senate Conference Committee decides the fate of Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion in border barrier funding. Democrats, led by Pelosi and Schumer, want no part of Trump’s border wall, but might be willing to spend taxpayer dollars on more technology or personnel at the border. Pelosi had no problem handing former President Barack Obama $25 billion for border fence construction, building out hundreds of miles of border fence. Yet, when it comes to Trump, Pelosi and Schumer refuse to negotiate. It remains to be seen whether a House-Senate Conference Committee can give what Trump wants by Feb. 15. So far, Democrats have shown no inclination to give Trump one red centl for his border wall. When Trump announced the end to the government shutdown, he threatened another possible shutdown.
If the House-Senate Conference Committee gets no results, Trump said he’ll either shutdown the government against or declare a national emergency on the Mexican border, allocating funds from his powers under Article 2 as commander-in-chief. Trump prefers to get the necessary funds from the House-Senate Conference Committee but knows he must have options. Since the government shutdown only hurt government workers and his approval ratings, it’s doubtful Trump would make the same mistake twice. Ending the shutdown got Trump slapped by his conservative base, especially media pundit Ann Coulter, saying she wouldn’t vote for him again. Unlike Schumer and Pelosi, Trump showed compassion ending the shutdown, realizing that federal workers didn’t deserve to suffer anymore. Next time around, Trump is more likely to declare an emergency on the Mexican border.
Pelosi and Schumer promised Trump that they would negotiate in good faith on the request for $5.7 billion on border security. Trump doesn’t want to call an emergency on the border but would do it if the Conference Committee comes up blanks. Trump’s staked his word—and maybe reelection—on getting more border security, not only to fulfill a campaign promise but to help fix the problem. Every border security agency, including Immigration, Customs and Enforcement [ICE], the Border Patrol and local law enforcement all urge the president to build out the border barrier. Yet Pelosi and Schumer insist they want border money spent on more technology and surveillance drones. At some point, Pelosi and Schumer will have to separate border security from politics, something that hasn’t happened yet. Negotiating with Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion shouldn’t be too complicated.
Trump learned the hard way that shutdowns don’t accomplish anything, other than punishing rank-and-filed government workers. When the next deadline hits Feb. 15, the president won’t repeat what looks like a mistake, shutting down the government. Whatever differences exist with Democrats and Republicans on a border barrier, exploiting government workers isn’t the answer. Trump’s only recourse involves using his Article 2 powers as commander-in-chief to allocate whatever cash he needs for border security. “The best fix is to be able to do it legislatively,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “If Congress doesn’t do their job, then the president will be forced to make up for all their shortcomings,” referring to Trump’s emergency declaration. De-funding the government only antagonizes federal workers, the public and hurts approval ratings.
Looking ahead to the Feb. 15 deadline, it’s doubtful the House-Senate Conference Committee will give Trump what he’s asking for in border security funds. With polls showing that he and the GOP took a beating in the polls, shutting down the government again is no longer an option. Whether the courts strike down Trump’s emergency declaration is anyone’s guess. Trump’s base knows he’s done everything possible to fulfill his campaign promise of better border security. If Pelosi and Schumer continue to play politics, Trump should use his Artcle 2 power to allocate the cash needed to improve the border barrier. If the courts strike it down, he can go into 2020 making a strong case against Democrats and their allies in the press. “I don’t think shutdowns are good leverage,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) Jan. 27 on CNN’s “State of the Union,” a known Trump critic.
