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| Trump, Congress agree to end longest government shutdown |
| 2019-01-26 |
| WASHINGTON (AP) ‐ Submitting to mounting pressure and growing disruption, President Donald Trump agreed to a deal Friday to reopen the government for three weeks, backing down from his demand that Congress give him money for his border wall before federal agencies get back to work. Standing alone in the Rose Garden, Trump said he would sign legislation funding shuttered agencies until Feb. 15 and try again to persuade lawmakers to finance his long-sought wall. The deal he reached with congressional leaders contains no new money for the wall. Trump’s retreat came in the 35th day of the partial shutdown as intensifying delays at the nation’s airports and a missed payday for hundreds of thousands of federal workers brought new urgency to efforts to resolve the standoff. The shutdown was ending as Democratic leaders had insisted it must ‐ reopen the government first, then talk border security. "The president thought he could crack Democrats and he didn’t and I hope it’s a lesson for him," said the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of her members: "Our unity is our power. And that is what maybe the president underestimated." Trump still made the case for a border wall and maintained he might again shut down the government over it. Whatever negotiations restart next, Trump enters them from a weakened position. Recent polls found Trump bore the blame for the shutdown. "If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on Feb. 15, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and Constitution of the United States to address this emergency," Trump said. He has been considering declaring a national emergency in order to fund the border wall unilaterally, a move that would almost certainly face legal hurdles. He said a bipartisan committee of lawmakers would be formed to consider border spending before the new deadline. "They are willing to put partisanship aside, I think, and put the security of the American people first," Trump said. He asserted that "barrier or walls will be an important part of the solution." Congress was expected to vote on the plan swiftly. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will pass legislation on Friday and he hopes there will be "good-faith negotiations over the next three weeks to try to resolve our differences" on border security. Schumer said Democrats oppose the wall money but agree on other ways to secure the border "and that bodes well for coming to an eventual agreement." The House also was expected to vote Friday to approve the deal. Within the White House there was broad recognition among Trump’s aides Friday that the shutdown pressure was growing and they couldn’t keep the standoff going indefinitely. The president’s approval numbers had suffered during the impasse, and Republicans were openly calling on him to back down from his demands and reopen the government. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-01-26 15:58 |
| #2 Pelosi didn't keep her promise and reneged on the State of the Union. Says Trump can't have it. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2019-01-26 15:56 |
| #1 No one showed up at congressional offices to picket, that's for sure. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2019-01-26 02:02 |