February 27, 2024
Sounds like Democrats and Republicans agree there shouldn’t be a partial government shutdown this Friday.
So are we having one or not? I dunno – but what I do know is things just went downhill from there.
You’re going to hear much more from these people about border issues and Ukraine funding in a second – but first why are they all talking? Because the President held what’s being called a “passionate” and “intense” meeting in the oval office this afternoon with the Vice President, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to discuss several critical issues. The Democrat leaders and the House Speaker spoke to reporters afterward. McConell did not.
Obviously the looming partial government shutdown this Friday is priority number one so people don’t lose their jobs, or lose access to critical government services. That leaves only three days to pass some kind of legislation to keep it open and the thing is – the House doesn’t even come back to Washington until tomorrow – so really – there’s only two days to get something done.
Ok – if they don’t seem worried – ok…we’ll just go with that. And hope the government doesn’t shut down. I guess.
But it was very obvious based on what Schumer and Johnson said after the meeting that the government shutdown wasn’t really the focus of today’s meeting. There were some heated words in the oval office mostly about getting military aid to Ukraine – especially after the Senate passed that overwhelmingly bipartisan bill that included aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But despite overwhelmingly bipartisan support for it in the House too – Speaker Johnson refuses to put it on the house floor for a vote.
Johnson – was non-committal on that because he has something else on his mind.
The fact is – to get anything done in divided government there has to be buy in from Democrats and Republicans. A republican priority border bill – like HR-2 the one passed in the house a few months ago won’t fly because there’s nothing in it for Democrats. But a bipartisan bill that has both Democrat and Republican priorities likely would – like the deal that was cut by a Democrats, Republicans and Independents in the Senate. But that deal failed after former President Trump on the campaign trail shut it down.
So now – the House Speaker is suggesting the President should deal with the border on his own.
It’s a position that the Democrats say is not only bogus but also shouldn’t prevent them from also taking up the bipartisan Ukraine aid bill.
Watch the full comments from the Democrat leaders here.
Watch the full comments from the Republican leader here.
