A group of bipartisan senators — Democrats and Republicans — are the first to blink in the government shutdown debate. Without any negotiations or compromise, they will forward a letter to the President urging him to reopen the government in exchange for an agreement by congresspeople to discuss the border wall in some congressional committees.
One caveat: This story comes from Politico and could be inaccurate!
That would undoubtedly be the committees who are all probing the President.
THE LETTER
The letter says the group is “committed to resolving our current budget stalemate by strengthening border security and ending the government shutdown,” according to a draft obtained by POLITICO. It includes an assurance that the administration‘s $5.7 billion budget request would be taken up in the relevant congressional committees.
“We believe that such requests deserve consideration, through regular order, a process we support,” the draft letter reads, asking that the president agree to open up the government for three weeks to allow a debate “to give Congress time to develop and vote on a bipartisan agreement that addresses your request. We commit to working to advance legislation that can pass the Senate with substantial bipartisan support.”
THE CAVE
Among the senators working on the letter are Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Rob Portman of Ohio as well as Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Chris Coons of Delaware, according to Politico.
They want 20 signatures on the letter.
When the GOPers do this sort of thing — go against the President during a negotiation — they weaken the President’s chances, and they turn off large numbers of their membership. It makes them look weak and cowardly.
On the other hand, people aren’t getting paid, and the bad press from the shutdown is seriously hurting the Republican brand, what’s left of it after Democrats have accused them of hateful things.
To be fair, hey likely realize the Democrats will never give in. They feel the pain Americans will feel is worth it to oust the President and his agenda.
So far, Mitch McConnell refuses to take up any bills the President will not sign.
MITCH MCCONNELL’S STATEMENTS
The American people deserve a functioning government and a secure border. We’re in Day 26 of a partial government shutdown because Democrats have made a marketing decision to obstruct President Trump, at all costs, even if it hurts substantive priorities they used to support. pic.twitter.com/eN4rwNyDwW
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) January 16, 2019
Democrats now say the same fencing and barriers that were A-okay when President Obama was in the White House are now “immoral” because President Trump is the one making the request. This isn’t how you make serious policy. pic.twitter.com/r7A3rqfMUm
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) January 10, 2019
These hypocrites want regular order, but they have not used regular order for years, and they have not fulfilled their Constitutional responsibility to produce an actual budget but once the past 10 years.
They will be ignored.
maintain the shutdown, enforce border security and build the steel fence, increase security personnel and judges, revamp faulty immigration rules. the nonessential on furlough?perhaps those jobs are not needed, period.
Wow, that didn’t take long at all. Lindsey Graham has officially morphed into John McCain.
Any trust of Graham was badly misguided. He has betrayed conservatives for 15 years.
The MSM is lying as usual. The Republican weaklings are crazy to believe Trump Is Losing the support of the public, The blame for the shutdown lies squarely on the Commiecrats who do not want effective border security and demand the flood of undocumented, unskilled, criminals be continued indefinitely. The fact is that each one of these illegals is costing this country $100,000 annually in welfare,law enforcement, educational costs, waste collection, infrastructure use, escalating out of control medical costs,and the low wages suffered by native American workers. With 40 million already here (these are estimates from the State of Texas) the cost is a staggering $4 trillion dollars a year! Yet, we wonder why we run huge state,local and federal deficits, our infrastructure crumbles, our prisons are full, our medical facilities overwhelmed, our school rooms overcrowded underfunded, our welfare systems bankrupt, our pension funds bankrupt? This answer is simple and it is clear,and it is the $4 Trillion we waste annually on the 40 million illegals and their spawn who are already here,and the Commiecrates want more? There objective is to break the American Middle class ( yes, the deplorables), and,so far,they have been very successful. People Have to realize why this shutdown is so important to their lives and their children’;s lives and well being.
The capitulation begins due to cowardice and pressure from the Koch bros., Wall Street, Chamber of Commerce, Globalists, Deep State. all want open borders. What is the sense of voting for Republicans?