He has talked about the need for “protection” along the country’s southern border. He has said he is willing to keep the government shut down indefinitely to ensure the funding of the wall he says will provide that protection. And he has complained about spending the holidays alone in the White House, with no one around with whom he could negotiate.

The one thing President Trump has not talked about publicly during 13 days of the partial government shutdown is the 800,000 federal workers who are not being paid because of it.

Mr. Trump’s apparent indifference to the Transportation Security Administration agents, correctional officers, scientists and other federal employees caught in the cross hairs of a political standoff presents a remarkable contrast with how other presidents have made a point of trying to demonstrate their empathy during other shutdowns. In 2013, for instance, President Barack Obama wrote an open letter to the workers affected when the government was closed.

“None of this is fair to you,” he wrote, adding, “You and your families remain at the front of my mind.”

Anonymous wrote:Republicans are rejecting the deals they accepted before the shutdown. I think this partial shutdown is going to last a long time...

The newly Democratic-controlled House passed a package of bills late Thursday that would reopen the federal government without paying for President Trump’s border wall, drawing a swift veto threat from the White House and leaving the partial shutdown no closer to getting resolved.

But two Senate Republicans who are up for reelection in 2020 broke with Trump and party leaders on their shutdown strategy, saying it was time to end the impasse even if Democrats won’t give Trump the more than $5 billion in border funding he is demanding.

The comments from Sens. Cory Gardner (Colo.) and Susan Collins (Maine) — the only Senate Republicans running for reelection in states Trump lost — pointed to cracks within the GOP that could grow as the shutdown nears the two-week mark. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reiterated Thursday that the Senate will only take up government spending legislation that Trump supports.

McConnell’s stance prompted angry attacks Thursday from new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats, who insisted they were trying to give Republicans a way out of the standoff by passing two pieces of legislation: one a package of six spending bills that were negotiated on a bipartisan basis in the Senate and would reopen nearly all the federal agencies that have been shuttered since Dec. 22, and the second a stopgap spending bill through Feb. 8 covering only the Department of Homeland Security.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Democrats are making proposals and the Republicans are starting to feel the heat for being obstructionist.

The House, with its new Democratic majority, passed two bills on Thursday night to reopen the government — one major spending bill to fund most shuttered departments and agencies through Sept. 30 and a stop-gap measure to restart the Department of Homeland Security for a few weeks — without funding for a border wall.

The measures are likely to go nowhere for now, but they will raise pressure on Republicans to come to the negotiating table. Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine, two of the most endangered Republicans up for re-election in 2020, said they want a vote.

Five House Republicans crossed over and voted for these bills.

Susan Collins can KMA. She’ll never get re elected after voting for Kavanaugh & all the other crap she’s pulled.

Probably true. One less seat for the Republicans despite her trying to do the right thing and try to make sure she wasn’t voting for a rapist.

Yeah, she tried really hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Democrats are making proposals and the Republicans are starting to feel the heat for being obstructionist.

The House, with its new Democratic majority, passed two bills on Thursday night to reopen the government — one major spending bill to fund most shuttered departments and agencies through Sept. 30 and a stop-gap measure to restart the Department of Homeland Security for a few weeks — without funding for a border wall.

The measures are likely to go nowhere for now, but they will raise pressure on Republicans to come to the negotiating table. Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine, two of the most endangered Republicans up for re-election in 2020, said they want a vote.

Five House Republicans crossed over and voted for these bills.

Susan Collins can KMA. She’ll never get re elected after voting for Kavanaugh & all the other crap she’s pulled.

Probably true. One less seat for the Republicans despite her trying to do the right thing and try to make sure she wasn’t voting for a rapist.

Yeah, she tried really hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Democrats are making proposals and the Republicans are starting to feel the heat for being obstructionist.

The House, with its new Democratic majority, passed two bills on Thursday night to reopen the government — one major spending bill to fund most shuttered departments and agencies through Sept. 30 and a stop-gap measure to restart the Department of Homeland Security for a few weeks — without funding for a border wall.

The measures are likely to go nowhere for now, but they will raise pressure on Republicans to come to the negotiating table. Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine, two of the most endangered Republicans up for re-election in 2020, said they want a vote.

Five House Republicans crossed over and voted for these bills.

Susan Collins can KMA. She’ll never get re elected after voting for Kavanaugh & all the other crap she’s pulled.

Probably true. One less seat for the Republicans despite her trying to do the right thing and try to make sure she wasn’t voting for a rapist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Democrats are making proposals and the Republicans are starting to feel the heat for being obstructionist.

The House, with its new Democratic majority, passed two bills on Thursday night to reopen the government — one major spending bill to fund most shuttered departments and agencies through Sept. 30 and a stop-gap measure to restart the Department of Homeland Security for a few weeks — without funding for a border wall.

The measures are likely to go nowhere for now, but they will raise pressure on Republicans to come to the negotiating table. Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine, two of the most endangered Republicans up for re-election in 2020, said they want a vote.

Five House Republicans crossed over and voted for these bills.

Susan Collins can KMA. She’ll never get re elected after voting for Kavanaugh & all the other crap she’s pulled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DHS hasn't come close to spending the $1.6B they were appropriated for boarder security in the last budget. They need to justify what the $5B would be spent on given the lack of spending in the past fiscal year. Oversight in a regular process would have answered that, but GOP gonna GOP.

Why don't they spend that money first before asking for more? Is Trump just a raving lunatic?

Anonymous wrote:DHS hasn't come close to spending the $1.6B they were appropriated for boarder security in the last budget. They need to justify what the $5B would be spent on given the lack of spending in the past fiscal year. Oversight in a regular process would have answered that, but GOP gonna GOP.

Anonymous wrote:

Democrats are making proposals and the Republicans are starting to feel the heat for being obstructionist.

The House, with its new Democratic majority, passed two bills on Thursday night to reopen the government — one major spending bill to fund most shuttered departments and agencies through Sept. 30 and a stop-gap measure to restart the Department of Homeland Security for a few weeks — without funding for a border wall.

The measures are likely to go nowhere for now, but they will raise pressure on Republicans to come to the negotiating table. Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine, two of the most endangered Republicans up for re-election in 2020, said they want a vote.

Five House Republicans crossed over and voted for these bills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how soon the Dems decide to approve $5 billion for the wall. I don’t see the President backing down. So I guess anywhere from one day to six years, assuming he gets a second term.

He has folded on pretty much everything else. Why not this?

Actually, he won last year’s shutdown crisis over DACA. No reason to believe he won’t win again. I think he realizes that shutdowns are one of his most effective tools.

Huh?

How did he win?

DACA receipients still have protection provided through court ruling and he does not have the $25B Chuck Schumer was willing to offer. That’s in my book is called not winning!

Right. The Dreamers have temporary protection via court order, not a permanent legislative fix. The Senate Democrats insisted on a legislative solution during last year’s shutdown, but then eventually folded. So the President won that round.

How did Trump win? He gave up 25 billion and is now begging for 5 billion or less.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. $5 billion is a great start. Assuming he will be in office six more years (we shall see), it will be fully funded. He will of course campaign on it again next year, which is all the more reason he can’t afford to (and won’t) lose this fight.

Are you obtuse? He gave up 5 times more money than he is scrounging for now. Why?
Is he again going to campaign on Mexico paying for the wall? It takes a special kind of stupid to be a Trump supporter.

Actually you're a little obtuse.

1. The 25B number D's are throwing around was an appropriation, not a penny of it funded. He didn't walk away from anything, it was an empty envelope.

2. DACA was found unconstitutional. It's still in place only under a temporary stay. Keep holding your breath.

3. Mexican's currently remit 50M per year to mexico. DT has the authority to put a tax on that (say 10%) and fully fund the wall.

Democrats are making proposals and the Republicans are starting to feel the heat for being obstructionist.

The House, with its new Democratic majority, passed two bills on Thursday night to reopen the government — one major spending bill to fund most shuttered departments and agencies through Sept. 30 and a stop-gap measure to restart the Department of Homeland Security for a few weeks — without funding for a border wall.

The measures are likely to go nowhere for now, but they will raise pressure on Republicans to come to the negotiating table. Senators Cory Gardner of Colorado and Susan Collins of Maine, two of the most endangered Republicans up for re-election in 2020, said they want a vote.