Democrats Reject New GOP Offer to Avoid Shutdown as White House Hints at Compromise Over Border Wall
Sanders: “We have other ways that we can get to that $5 billion that we’ll work with Congress.”
The government has three days to come up with a plan to avoid a partial government shutdown on Friday.
As of today, it looks like if it happens, the blame will fall on the Democrats instead of President Donald Trump. The Democrats rejected the latest offer from the GOP even though the White House said officials may “have other ways” to achieve raising $5 billion for a border wall.
The White House
Trump remained firm on his demand for $5 billion for the wall on our southern border. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said today that may change. From CNBC:
“We have other ways that we can get to that $5 billion that we’ll work with Congress,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Fox News on Tuesday morning. She added that the Trump administration could support $1.6 billion in border security funding proposed by Senate Democrats, as long as it can “couple that with other funding resources” to get to $5 billion.
She added that “at the end of the day, we don’t want to shut down the government. We want to shut down the border.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have cast the potential lapse in funding as the “Trump shutdown.” When Pelosi goaded Trump into an Oval Office fracas last week, the characterization appeared to irritate the president.
Sanders’ comments mark a de-escalation in the White House’s rhetoric on the proposed barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump has repeatedly threatened to force a shutdown if he cannot secure money for the wall. As a candidate, he promised to force Mexico to fund the barrier.
She added:
“There is certainly a number of different funding sources that we’ve identified that we can use that we can couple with the money that would be given through congressional appropriations to help us get to the $5 billion the president needs in order to protect our border,” Sanders said.
Sanders said she does not believe the administration wants to shut down the government, but reiterated the president’s commitment to get border wall funding.
“At the end of the day we don’t want to shut down the government. We want to shut down the border from illegal immigration, from drugs coming into this country and make sure we know who is coming and why they’re coming,” Sanders said. “That’s what the president is focused on and he is not going to back down until he gets what he needs to make sure the people of this country are protected.”
It’s a change from last week when Sanders said the administration wanted Congress to find a way to get the $5 billion. This has left Congress in a tizzy because no one knows exactly what Trump wants or will sign. Sanders only said that Trump wants to “see whhat the Senate can pass” before he decides to sign it.
Sanders addressed the subject in a short press briefing today:
Sanders on avoiding a shutdown and finding funding for the border wall: “We are looking at every avenue available to us possible. The President has asked every one of his Cabinet secretaries to look for funding that can be used to protect our borders” pic.twitter.com/jE4g4ZZZkh
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 18, 2018
Sanders says @POTUS has asked every agency to see if they have money that could be used for to pay for construction of southern border wall. Says WH also waiting to see what kind of funding plan the Senate can pass. pic.twitter.com/1Ii36aCD79
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) December 18, 2018
The Democrats
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) met with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday and “proposed an appropriations bill that includes money for border security fencing, as well as what a Senate Democratic aide described as a $1 billion ‘slush fund’ that Trump could use on his immigration policies.”
That slush fund would not go towards the wall, according to a McConnell spokesperson.
The deal overall allocated $1.6 billion for the wall along with the $1 billion slush fund to secure the border, but it “would not be officially budgeted as border security funding.”
Needless to say the Democrats didn’t accept the offer.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that a short-term funding bill may have to happen. She confirmed that her and Schumer cannot accept a slush fund “for the president to implement his very wrong immigration policies.”
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Comments
The wall is a layered defense to secure American sovereignty and protect Americans’ civil rights. The funds and resources allocated to the DoD should be used to construct the wall. While State should review the points of a good neighbor policy and emigration reform to mitigate the social justice, collateral damage, and diversity (e.g. racist) motives of immigration reform at both ends of the bridge and throughout.
Over $70 billion is being returned to Mexico annually. That amount is growing. I doubt that Mexican officials object to to capital inflow on that scale. We need to find a way to take at least 20% of those transfers, which would effectively make Mexico pay for the havoc they are wreaking on our society.
We also need to stop all aid for their children, and plug the anchor baby scam they have been running.
“All I want for Christmas
Is my government shut down;
My government shut down,
Just my government shut down;
Gee, if I could only have
My government shut down,
Then I could wish you Merry Christmas!”
Trump had nearly 2 years to acquire this border wall funding, yet the gutless dirty dealing RINO squishes wouldn’t even try to find a few billion dollars to get this thing going.
We’re being played, people. It’s nothing but kabuki theater; a paper moon over a cardboard sky for your vote. It’s been the same scam running for 40 years. But when the elections are over, it’s the same ol’ FU, nothing gets done.
This is how revolutions are fomented. Parts of Europe are on the edge, and it will rage out of control in the blink of an eye. And when enough Americans get out of their comfort zone, it will erupt here, too, because the controlling elites think you’re too stupid and they know better, so FU and take it, peasants.
Press ‘2’ for Spanish.
“We’re being played, people. It’s nothing but kabuki theater…”
I beg to differ. It’s bukkaki theater…
hummmmm…..sounds like a “conspiracy theory”?
Build the Wall! Post Haste! Protect America, stop the drugs, & human Trafficking, Illegal Aliens, MS13, ELIMINATE SANCTUARY CITIES!……………..et al!
Trump should only sign emergency operating budgets at a maximum… one at a time, 5 Billion per day.
Need another 5 Billion tomorrow?
Bring the bill Tomorrow…
Let Trump be Trump. He knows and plays the art of the deal better than any of us.
Yeah!!!!!
It’s not like Trump doesn’t have 50 years plus of dealing with the entire world’s most obnoxious, heinous, cut-throat competitive, and dirty dealing trolls……..
I don’t see a compromise here.
Trump still wants a wall. No compromise.
He wants money to build it. He’s been talking about $5B for a while. Still no compromise. He doesn’t seem to obsess much about where it comes from. Neither will his voters.
The D’rats think they can blame Trump and the Republicans if there’s a shutdown. The Press will sing along with them. But this time they’re in a smaller box than ever before. Past shutdowns were about . . . well, most of us don’t know, exactly. Probably something to do with the budget. This time, we all know what it’s about—the continuing crime wave on the southern border. The D’rats are for it, the President wants to stop it. Shutting down the government for the express purpose of enabling foreign invasion and increased crime won’t be a winner for the D’rats with any demographic, not whites, not blacks, not legal immigrants, nobody.
I’d have given a lot to wipe that smug smirk off Cryin’ Chuckie’s face. He doesn’t deserve to be called a human being, pathetic waste of Space. He and Nancy think they’re SO superior. Chuck Schumer is one of the most despicable creatures to crawl about on Planet Earth.
I say, let the President shut down the government. The Demoncraps are under the delusion we’ll blame him. Wrong! We’ll place the blame squarely where it belongs- on their fat smug elitist heads! I also think we should cut funding to Mexico until the wall has been built. That’s one way of getting them to pay for it.
I can see a budget passed where the Dems declare “See! No wall money” and Trump promptly transfers money from another section of the passed budget and we get a wall. And lawsuits. And screaming. There’s always going to be screaming. This will be the funny kind.
Oh, for the love of Jesus just shut the motherfucker down already! It’s what EVERYONE wants anyway…
I am all for shutting down government. Also, suspend pay, including elected officials.
Has there ever been any consequence from a government shutdown? No! All of the employees get there pay a little later and nothing is really harmed except a few people with travel dates that can be affected by passports or TSA. To really benefit from a shutdown none of that needs to happen. There should be some pain or there will be no gain. Trump needs to take this to the people, not Congress. If he doesn’t he is going to lose. McConnell and Ryan could not care less about his fate. Once the Dims takeover the House he will never get any money for the wall.
It would be a lot of fun to see the administration weaponize the shutdown against Democrats. Maybe send 90% of the Department of Education home without pay? End funding for NPR and Planned Parenthood?
Add PBS to the liquidation.
I’ve discerned the wealthy Democrats don’t want to end Planned Parenthood because they are making Millions, or Billions of Dollars from selling dead baby parts.
There is Zero rationale for Planned Parenthood every since the “Morning After” pill was released on the market.
If they are actually making $$$ from selling dead baby body parts, they are also making $$$ from the actual payments that insurance companies/taxpayer$ make from insurance/welfare claim$ filed for the killing of unborn babies. Ultimately, what it comes down to on the funding of wall construction, is that it is NOT about the $$$$ that funds the wall construction, it is the wall itself, which will reduce the number of illegal invaders that shortly become Dimwitcrat Free $hit Army voters, in violation of another law that has NO teeth. Because it does not result in white people being punished for not agreeing with the Dimwitcrat party line. The Republicrats (AKA The Stupid Party) are OK with that.
A couple more points on this one.
The Democrats are shutting down the biggest Public Works Project I have ever seen.
And it is 100% Union, prevailing wage.. Davis Bacon.
Cheapest hanfd on the job:
About $40.00 an hour, fully burdened. Maybe a bit more.
Where are the Unions?
If I were still in, I’d be yelling to pick up the project.
What do we need a Union for if they aren’t even going to make an effort to secure jobs??? They have to work with the outfits trying to run the jobs. I use them.
I guess the other point is kinda the same…
Why the heck don’t the Union boys just decend upon Nancy and Chuck, and smite them?
I sometimes wonder whether the days when a border wall would have made a difference have passed. That, so to speak, the cake has already been baked and any additional influx into the country is only icing on it. A wall would only prolong what appears to be inevitable, baring some lightning bolt from the blue.
Well, the Republicans control the House and the Senate, but what the hell, let’s let the Dems REALLY drive the issue here.
Seriously. Why even ask the Democrats? Too bad we can’t just ram this down their throats. They bypass us at any given opportunity, and we’re supposed to care what they think? I promise you, The next time they even remotely care about what we think will be the first.
Shut it down! Shut it down FOREVER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpoAdGWGiN0
Day after day, month after month, year …….we learn how the Dems are MASTERS at politics but really bad with policy.
Sadly, the GOP are like children when it comes to politics and better at policy, although a far cry from what they promise on that front.
Time for a third way?
I saw Trump being elected as a means to stick it to leadership of both parties, and I would still like to see a wave of independents put both parties on the sidelines.
What I did not anticipate was the Democrats going ape shit crazy. I thought that they would learn from a loss, I was so wrong. Republicans have adjusted to Trump better that I expected.
SHUT. IT. DOWN.