WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress gaveled open for a rare Saturday session days before Christmas as America’s elected leaders partially shut down the government, unable to find a compromise over money for President Donald Trump’s promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump is demanding $5 billion, but congressional Democrats are refusing to accede in a stalemate that provides a chaotic coda for Republicans in the waning days of their two-year reign controlling government.
The president jettisoned his Florida holiday getaway to Mar-a-Lago, tweeting, “I am in the White House, working hard.” Trump was hosting a lunch with conservative lawmakers, including House Freedom Caucus chiefs Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio, and several senators, among them Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Absent from the guest list were GOP leaders or any Democrats.
The president also acknowledged in a tweet it could be “a long stay.”
Talks continued between Democrats and the White House. For the second day in a row, Vice President Mike Pence shuttled over to the Capitol to work on a deal. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York met with Pence at the request of the White House, according to Schumer’s office.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he hoped an agreement could be reached “sooner rather than later.”
McConnell said any deal to reopen government would require Democratic support for passage and the president’s signature. “That’s what’s needed.”
Schumer said the shutdown could end immediately if Trump simply dropped his demand for money that was the centerpiece of his presidential campaign. Trump had pledged that Mexico would pay for the wall; Mexico has refused.
“If you want to open the government, you must abandon the wall,” Schumer said.
But Trump, digging in, tweeted about “the crisis of illegal activity” at American’s southern border is “real and will not stop until we build a great Steel Barrier or Wall.”
Hey Donald!! Tell Chucky SChemer that you are going to take 5 BILLION out of Israel’s foreign aid and “BUILD THE WALL”!!! After a night of screaming and all by chucky and wolf blister you can give em a can of “monkey butt powder” in the morning!!
Uniparty getting exposed. McConnell refused to allow a vote on the appropriations bill. Stay strong Mr. President, We are behind you!
The Bully Pulpit has been neutered…Let’s start with Obama’s birth certificate, then his college transcripts….I won’t believe anything again until I see those….BUILD THE WALL!!!!
Ridiculous. #1 congress is in a “rare” Saturday session. Pathetic. How many small business owners have the opportunity to “rarely” work on a Saturday. And this is our COUNTRY. Saturdays and Sundays should be a COMMON work day for elected SERVANTS.
#2. $5 BILLION is LESS THAN 1/2 of 1 PERCENT the government spends YEARLY. For something that will last DECADES. Trump should have tacked it on a $50 BILLION spending bill for TRANSVESTITES and it would have passed a year ago.
I really wonder where the priorities of the country are, because they obviously are not aligned with reality or common sense.
Never listened to anything Smuck Tumor says. I’ll wait for the real Dem leader, Nancy, when she’s asked about it. Guess her answer will be ‘I like grapes’.
I was expecting dystopian misery when I woke this morning, but the quail were skittering around as usual, the dogs mumbled and bitched ’til they got breakfast, the lights still worked and the toilet flushed just fine.
What, exactly, does this ‘Gov’ do that makes it indispensable?
Shut down the Government. Show them that they need us more than we need them. Unfortunately, over three-quarters of Teh Gubberment is already funded and running on auto pilot in spite of the shutdown. Some shutdown.
The Donald is the The Man.
“including House Freedom Caucus chiefs Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio, and several senators, among them Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Absent from the guest list were GOP leaders or any Democrats.”
Now president Trump has good advisors talking to him.
When the government ‘stops workng’, due to congress not doing its job; their checks, slush funds, cafeteria, barber shop, chauffeurs, healthcare, flights, junkets, and other taxpayer funded government perks need to stop, until the budget is passed.
When you shut down an oversized, outdated, inefficient machine it soon becomes inoperable. Then you dismantle the old wreck, sell off anything you can as salvage and then junk the rest of it so that it’s not an eyesore.
The US Federal government suits the above scenario very well. Just don’t give Schmuckie or any other parasite any credit for the smaller, better government that would result.
I hope it lasts two years. The House can impeach all they want, with NO results. This will absolutely assure us the Trump will be elected in 2020.