Trump Threatens New Shutdown In Three Weeks; Nancy Pelosi Should Discipline Him Again

After repeatedly saying that he would “never cave” and that the government could stay closed for months or even years, Trump caved and signed a bill reopening the government through February 15. Essentially the same bill was before him 38 days ago. He had approved it, but then refused to sign it when Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh told him they didn’t like it.

Now Trump is trying to play the tough guy again. In a tweet Friday, he said:

“This [the bill reopening the government] is in no way a concession. It was taking care of millions of people who were getting badly hurt by the Shutdown with the understanding that in 21 days, if no deal is done, it’s off to the races!”

Trump explained that by “off to the races” he meant that unless he gets what he wants, on February 16 he will either shut down the government again or declare a national emergency and transfer funds earmarked by Congress for disaster relief and for defense to his “wall”:

“We’ll work with the Democrats and negotiate, and if we can’t do that, then we’ll do a — obviously we’ll do the emergency because that’s what it is. It’s a national emergency.”

But there is no national emergency. Illegal immigration across the southern border is the lowest it’s ever been. Despite having Republican control of both houses of Congress for two years, Trump has done nothing to suggest that illegal immigration across the border with Mexico is a national emergency. (It only became an “emergency” when Trump needed something to divert the nation’s attention from the fact that the Mueller Investigation is closing in on him and the rest of his crime family.) Should Trump declare a national emergency, a federal district court will immediately enjoin his order from taking effect.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was asked yesterday on “Face the Nation” whether Trump was actually prepared to shut down the government again:

“Yeah, I think he actually is,” Mulvaney said. “Keep in mind, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border.”

Mulvaney reiterated that the president intends to move forward on border security “with or without Congress.”

Under our Constitution, the Congress considers and acts on legislation and the president has the option of signing that legislation or vetoing it. Frequently the White House is involved in negotiations with Congress that lead to a bill acceptable to everyone. But the president doesn’t get to move forward on whatever he wants “with or without Congress.” And the “I’ve got a gun to your head and unless you give me what I want, I’ll pull the trigger” is not a legitimate approach to negotiation. It’s a tactic perfected by Mitch McConnell to extort concessions from President Obama, but it’s not working against Nancy Pelosi. That Trump is saying he’ll wait until February 16 to pull the trigger does not make this approach any more legitimate.

As Republican senator Susan Collins of Maine said yesterday on “Face The Nation”:

“Shutdowns are never good policy, ever. They are never to be used as a means to achieve any kind of goal no matter how important that goal may seem to be.”

Marco Rubio was on one of the Sunday shows saying essentially the same thing.

Nancy Pelosi should inform Trump – and the Republicans – that she agrees with Senators Collins and Rubio, and that until Congress passes legislation preventing government shutdowns now or in the future (including shutdowns predicated on a refusal to raise the debt ceiling), she will not negotiate the terms of an immigration deal. Most legislators would support such a bill and I don’t think Trump has the stomach for another government shutdown or an attempt at a declaration of emergency. Republicans in the Congress certainly don’t.

Speaker Pelosi could even consider withdrawing her invitation to Trump to give the State of the Union address in the House Chamber on February 5. This would drive Trump crazy, since he lives for TV exposure. Make Agent Orange squirm.

And The State of the Union Is …

The vicious spin game is on. The White House has put out an ad accusing the Democrats of complicity in any murder done by an illegal immigrant. He says he won’t negotiate until the Democrats re-open the government. Paul Ryan says: “Senate Democrats shut down this government, and now Senate Democrats need to open this government back up.” Mitch McConnell has scheduled a vote for 1:00 am Monday morning to re-open the government until February 8. According to the Washington Post, some Democrats are actually considering doing this.

NOOOOO. Not again! I’m hoping the Democrats have the guts to stick to their guns and demand DACA protection and extension of the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIPs) before – or as part of – re-opening the government.

Trump had to miss his anniversary party last night. (Poor baby. I’m sure the people who paid $250,000 a couple to bask in the brilliance of the Blonde Iguana were crushed.) He’s scheduled to leave Wednesday for Davos, Switzerland, where he can preen in the company of his fellow billionaires. The State of the Union Address is scheduled for January 30. He doesn’t want to have to say: “The State of the Union is that it is shut down.” If Democrats keep the pressure on, Trump will cave. Trust me.

The Democrats have to stay tough. When they appear on TV or radio, they must make the point that we’re in this spot because the Republicans who control Congress haven’t done their job. Protection for the Dreamers is supported by 87% of Americans. That is astounding. More than 90 percent of DACA recipients are employed. This is significantly higher than the overall U.S. labor force participation of 62.7 percent. Moreover, 97 percent of DACA recipients are either in school or have a job. Many of them are in our Armed Forces, serving the only country they’ve ever known. It is beyond dispute that Dreamers are a net positive to the economy and to society at large. They are costing the taxpayers nothing; they generate tax revenues for the government. They increase the GDP. If the Dreamers were actually deported to the countries of their birth, it would be a disgraceful stain on America. In addition, parts of many states- including California – would pretty much shut down.

The Dreamers are blameless for their presence in America. They were brought here as children. This is their home, their country – the only one they’ve ever known. They’ve put down roots, married, had children of their own, who are indisputably American citizens. What – besides cruelty – would motivate Republicans to want to uproot these people and break up their families?

We’re in this situation because after Trump declared on September 5 that the DACA program was terminated and that all Dreamers were subject to deportation, he said he would give Congress six months to give them legislative protection. But Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan haven’t done their jobs. Four and a half months have passed since Trump ended DACA, and their failure to act has left many more than 800,000 lives in a state of uncertainty, fear and anxiety. The bill to protect the Dreamers has been prepared. All that is left is for the Republican leaders of Congress to bring it to a vote. It will pass easily. Ryan and McConnell should be asked why they haven’t acted for four and a half months and why they won’t present the bill for a vote? What do they hope to achieve by keeping the Dreamers in a state of limbo?

Similarly, the CHIPs program that provides healthcare to 9 million poor children has overwhelming bipartisan support. Funding for CHIPs ended October 1. Republican lawmakers should be asked why they haven’t extended the program. The bill to do that could be passed in a day and signed into law. Why do they have no concern for the plight of 9 million poor children?

We know the Republicans can ram something through Congress and have it signed in a couple of days when they want to. When a tax break of $1.5 trillion for the richest Americans was their objective, they were unstoppable. How about directing some of that focus to helping Dreamers and poor kids?

Democratic Senators must keep the pressure on these bullies. Under no circumstances should the government be reopened without a DACA fix. As the State of the Union date draws closer, the press on Trump and the Republicans will be intense. If the Democrats fold on this after having muscled up to shut the government down, they are screwed. Their supporters will be demoralized and Trump and McConnell will slap them around for another year (at least.)