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BOTH SIDES OF the US House of Representatives have been pointing fingers over a shutdown of the government.
The shutdown came as politicians failed to find agreement on a stopgap spending bill and comes on the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
It was a striking display of Washington dysfunction, and the finger-pointing came quickly. Trump tweeted that Democrats “wanted to give me a nice present” to mark the start of his second year in office.
The Republican-controlled Congress scheduled an unusual weekend session to begin considering a three-week version of a short-term spending measure and to broadcast to the people they serve that they were at work as the closure commenced.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) called on Democrats to reopen the government and reopen talks on immigration and children’s health spending.
“I would invite all of my colleagues across the aisle to join together and do what is obviously responsible.
“Let’s resume the bipartisan discussion on funding, our troops, DACA (the program Trump cancelled in September, leaving thousands of illegal immigrants facing deportation), on government spending and all of the other priorities that all of us can work together to resolve.
However, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laid the blame at Trump’s feet, before likening Trump to a dessert.
“The president can’t take yes for an answer. Twice in this long debate, President Trump walked away from partisan deals to solve all of the issues before us.
“It’s impossible to negotiate with a constantly-moving target. President Trump is so mercurial it’s been impossible to get him to agree to anything.
“What’s even more frustrating than President Trump’s intransigence is the way he seems amenable to these compromises before completely switching positions and backing off. Negotiating with President Trump is like negotiating with Jello. That’s why this compromise will be called the Trump Shutdown.”
Both sides have tried to apportion blame on social media, referring to the shutdown as either #SchumerShutdown or #TrumpShutdown.
Republicans have a tenuous one-seat majority in the Senate but would have needed to lure some Democrats to their side to get a 60 vote supermajority to bring the motion forward. They fell ten votes short.
The measure brought to Congress would have extended federal funding until 16 February and reauthorised for six years a health insurance program for poor children – a long-time Democratic objective.
But it would have cut the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.
Essential services and military activity will continue but many public sector workers will be sent home without wages and even serving soldiers will not be paid until a deal is reached to reopen the US government.
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In the end the Democrats chose immigrants over American citizens. There’s no excuse for that.
@Thought for Food: You keep repeating this little soundbite and it’s simply ignoring the fact that there was a bipartisan deal on the table that *Trump pulled out of* even though it got him everything he asked for.
Explain to me how the Democrats are at fault for a government shutdown when they were willing to do a fair deal and Trump wasn’t?
The reason they want the dreamers and other immigrants to get green cards is that they will vote democrat….Several million dreamers will give several swing states to the democrats and the white house for a generation….After Trump serves his two terms of course….
You said earlier on in another thread that the “The Democrats and some Republicans decided to place the feelings of illegal immigrants over Americans who are sacrificing their lives for America on a daily basis.”
You do know that ‘Daca’ are not illegals,yes ? And that there is around 1,000 DACA that are in the military..
@John003: you’ve been hanging around the breitfart sites..
@Malachi: The trouble with that is in your last sentence. ‘ Fair deal and Tump wasn’t. ‘ Implication being that one side was fair and…Well, the rest is obvious.
@John003: why would you want a young person that has lived all of their lives in America to be deported back to a country that he knows absolutely nothing about ?
@Oliver McLoughlin: Of course it was a fair deal! It gave Trump what he said he wanted.
Then he changed his mind on what he wanted after all, and the deal collapsed. There was nothing wrong with the deal, it was more flip-floppery from Trump.
@Malachi: it did not give Trump what he wanted. He has continually repeated, no DACA deal without wall AND end to chain migration.
@Malachi: I get it, I really do. It’s not that simple though and certainly not as opposition purports it to be. What they need to do is engage, and my point is that using terminology that suggests he is unfair is quite useless. Fair or unfair is unimportant politically. It’s a purely subjective emotion in this case based on political identity.
@Thought for Food: Yawn.
@JimmyMc: The proposed bill placed restrictions on chain migration. It gave him billions for the Wall. It ended the Visa lottery system. The compromise from the Democrats was pretty astonishing.
And yet, he threw it in their faces. Anybody blaming the government shutdown on the Democrats being too demanding is fundamentally misinformed about the deal that was struck.
Trump Trolls are out in force today
@JimmyMc: why does he need congress to give him money for the wall, didn’t he promise Mexico would pay for it? With such an assurance and his deal making skills couldn’t he raise the capital privately?
@Stevie Doran: What’s a Tump troll?
@Oliver McLoughlin:
The problem is that the only thing Trump thinks is ‘fair’ is getting everything his own way.
He was used to that when dealing with employees but he hasn’t quite figured out that that doesn’t translate into politics – compromising is a new skill he has yet to learn.
@Oliver McLoughlin: look in the mirror, or if you want the legal definition, a Trump troll is a brown nosing individual, that’s constantly defending the Orange one, and has on average the intelligence of a baboon’s backside
@Oliver McLoughlin: Trump said last week he would sign any bipartisan deal. A bipartisan deal was brought to him and he rejected it.
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: Ah OK. Thing is I’m not a Trump supporter and in no way have I defended him.
Anyway, I was only asking what one was, I wasn’t being accused of being one until now.
@Walt Jabsco: Like I said, the terminology is too subjective. It means nothing and is pure rhetoric based on a supposed political identity. The man is unimportant. The office he holds is, but only for the term he’s there.
The shite about it however, is way out of control and purely political.
My point is, let it go.
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: quick tip, if you think the only reason some people have different political opinions to you is because they’re stupid, then you’re a moron. Individuals have different challenges to each other, which calls for different and perhaps even opposing solutions, this is why we have representative democracy. People with different politics to you just face different challenges to you. That doesn’t make them stupid, but failure to appreciate this fact does make you stupid.
@Dave O Keeffe: That means nothing though. If a deal hadn’t been reached, how could either party accept it. They may have said they would accept one with each other but it didn’t pan out.
I might want to deal with someone, but if the deal is wrong I won’t.
@Oliver McLoughlin: read it again. A bipartisan deal had been reached after, which was the requirement set by Trump until it had been achieved and he decided to renage
@Thought for Food: DACA is a part of this impasse. Healthcare for kids is a larger part. And every claim by Trump about failing the military is BS. The military and other essential services will still operate.
Funny how the last 2 US Govt shutdowns were caused by the Republicans but the then POTUS was able to recognize the compromise that was needed to keep things moving.
@Dave O Keeffe: Look, I’m not sure what time frame you are looking at here. You are making it sound as though last week they made a deal and now he doesn’t want it. Check yourself about the narative please.
Don’t be under any illusion that I am a supporter of Trump policies, however I am equally unsupportive of hysterical naratives that abound like bouncing stones being skimmed on a lake.
Anti Trump does not equal present day liberals. That’s a mistake.
@Liam Doyle: I’m not saying that people who have different political views from me are stupid, but if you support a sexist racist orange bigoted liar, then yes, you are stupid
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: if you think political matters can be reduced to such simplistic terms and think your little collection of PC labels against an individual you dislike should shape political decisions then that’s further evidence of stupidity. Not gonna lie Larry, the evidence is mounting.
@Oliver McLoughlin: except that was the exact time frame. Within a week or ten days he said he would sign any bipartisan agreement on DACA then renaged once it was presented to him. Also, I haven’t called anybody a supporter of anyone or a liberal at all so I’d appreciate if you left your hysterics out of it. Your entire last two paragraphs after you said you had no knowledge of the events was a reaction to something I never said.
@Malachi: trump supporters ignore facts….shocker!
Trump simply has no idea what he wants.
He pushed DACA, he pushed a Wall and border security, he had a bipartisan deal that would’ve gotten both and more… and he pulled out. Cue government collapse.
The real danger with Trump isn’t that he’s malicious, it’s that he hasn’t an earthly idea where he stands on major issues.
He’s just a wibbly wobbly wonder
@Declan Moran:
More like a Jelly Snake.
@Declan Moran: wibbly wobbly w@nker
@JJ O Riordan: yes JJ a total tosspot
Jello????
Trump is cold hard steel, the same material that the wall will be made of.
From the Associated Press:
“Recent assaults by tactical teams on prototypes of President Donald Trump’s proposed wall with Mexico indicate their imposing heights should stop border crossers, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the rigorous assessment told The Associated Press.
Military special forces based in Florida and U.S. Customs and Border Protection special units spent three weeks trying to breach and scale the eight models in San Diego, using jackhammers, saws, torches and other tools and climbing devices, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not authorized for public release.
The report favors steel at ground level because agents can see what is happening on the other side and holes can more easily be patched, the official said. With concrete, large slabs have to be replaced for even small breaches, which is time-consuming and expensive. Topping the steel with smooth concrete surfaces helps prevent climbing.”
Build the wall!
@Rachel Hororwitz: He said Mexico was going to pay for the wall.
@Rachel Hororwitz: As was said previously building a 30 foot high wall only creates a market for 31 foot high ladders. Also some of the areas along the proposed route are absolutely impossible to build on.
@Rachel Hororwitz: most migrants fly in on a holiday visa . Now how do you stop that.
Should just call yourselves”The Trump” instead of the journal.
@Tedser: there is an anti trump agenda in the mainstream meeja. I’m intrigued to know who is funding\pushing this agenda. Globalist elites probably.
@Bairéid Rísteard: never seen so many anti Trump articles on any other news forum.The journal seem to be pushing an agenda.
@Bairéid Rísteard: Google it
@Bairéid Rísteard: Isn’t Trump a Globalist elite?
@Francis Devenney:
Shhh…
Trumpettes don’t like facts to get in the way of a good narrative.
@Bairéid Rísteard: more than likely the Clinton foundation,Democratic party,,Its George Bush Soro’s..
@Bairéid Rísteard: No agenda just Trump articles generate clicks which generates ad revenue. Quite simple really…
A year on and the Dems are still smarting over losing the election.
#releasethememo
@JimmyMc: #askemebollix
@Ian Walsh: #idoubtyouhaveone
@JimmyMc: where are trump’s tax returns huh?
Maybe the democrats are at fault. Most people can communicate with 8 year olds.
@Michael Ahern:
Have you ever tried communicating with a child throwing a tantrum in a sweet shop?
@Walt Jabsco: Very good point!
Trump has no idea about political realities or their fundamentals. He tries to wing it and fails constantly. Only thing keeping him afloat is the apathy of the so called deplorables and the greed of toffee-nosed greedy Republicans. America is great….ing….on the whole globe’s sensibilities.
The Dems went crazy when the GOP threatened same tactic in 2013 but they’ve gone way further this time – what a pack of hypocrites.
@Fintan O’flaois: Threatened? They didn’t ‘threaten’ – the GOP followed through on it. The Democrats haven’t “gone further” either, the 2013 shutdown was the third longest and the costliest in US history, so there’s quite a long way to go before this matches the 2013 debacle.
Hail Trump
Your genius will prevail over the ignoramuses
@Michael Maher: Respect to anyone that takes on western media moguls..and just about wins..
@Tomas: how’s he getting on with Murdoch? Since you mentioned media moguls
I thought he was supposed to drain the swamp.
@Sean Murphy: Yeah and now you know why that resonates with some many American’s it’s a work in progress.
@Fintan O’flaois: How’s that “work in progress” going, Fintan?
He really started off with a bang, appointing all those elite bankers from Goldman Sachs to his administration when he was elected.
@Fintan O’flaois: “it’s a work in progress” -hee hee
@Fintan O’flaois: Not only has he serious problems keeping staff,but he has also got serious problems hiring them too..
have your say