WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s proposal to break through the budget deadlock appeared to be gaining little traction Monday, as another missed paycheck loomed for hundreds of thousands of workers and the partial federal shutdown stretched into its fifth week.
Despite the fanfare of the president’s announcement, voting in Congress was not expected to unfold until later in the week. Even then it seemed doubtful that legislation based on Trump’s plan had any chance of swiftly passing the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority but would need Democrats to reach the usual 60-vote threshold for bills to advance.
Not a single Democrat publicly expressed support for the deal in the 48 hours since Trump announced it. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s office reiterated Monday that they are unwilling to negotiate any border security funding until Trump re-opens the government.
“Nothing has changed with the latest Republican offer,” said Schumer spokesman Justin Goodman. “President Trump and Senate Republicans are still saying: ‘Support my plan or the government stays shut.’ That isn’t a compromise or a negotiation — it’s simply more hostage taking.”
While the House and Senate are scheduled to be back in session Tuesday, no votes have been scheduled so far on Trump’s plan. And senators, who will be given 24-hour notice ahead of voting, have yet to be recalled to Washington.
McConnell spokesman David Popp said Monday that the GOP leader “will move” to voting on consideration of the president’s proposal “this week.”
Trump, who on Sunday lashed out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accusing her of acting “irrationally,” continued to single her out on Twitter.
“If Nancy Pelosi thinks that Walls are “immoral,” why isn’t she requesting that we take down all of the existing Walls between the U.S. and Mexico,” he wrote Monday. “Let millions of unchecked “strangers” just flow into the U.S.”
House Democrats this week are pushing ahead with voting on their own legislation to re-open the government and add $1 billion for border security – including 75 more immigration judges and infrastructure improvements — but no funding for the wall.
Trump later tweeted: “Democrats are kidding themselves (they don’t really believe it!) if they say you can stop Crime, Drugs, Human Trafficking and Caravans without a Wall or Steel Barrier. Stop playing games and give America the Security it deserves. A Humanitarian Crisis!”
Meanwhile, the impact of the shutdown — the longest ever — continued to ripple across the nation as it stretched into its 31st day.
The Transportation Security Administration said the percentage of its airport screeners missing work hit 10 percent on Sunday – up from 3.1 percent on the comparable Sunday a year ago.
The screeners, who have been working without pay, have been citing financial hardship as the reason they can’t report to work. Even so, the agency said that it screened 1.78 million passengers Sunday with only 6.9 percent having to wait 15 minutes or longer to get through security.
The shutdown had also threatened to disrupt plans for an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day service at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the civil rights leader was co-pastor with his father from 1960 until his assassination in 1968. The site is run by the National Park Service and had been closed. But a grant from Delta Air Lines is keeping the church and associated sites, including the home where King was born, open through Feb. 3.
Trump on Saturday offered to extend temporary protections for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children and those fleeing disaster zones for three years in exchange for $5.7 billion for his border wall. Democrats said the proposal for a three-year extension didn’t go nearly far enough, and that Trump was using as leverage programs that he had targeted. Meanwhile, some on the right, including conservative commentator Ann Coulter, accused Trump of offering “amnesty.”
“No, Amnesty is not a part of my offer,” Trump tweeted Sunday, in response. He noted that he’d offered temporary protections for the immigrants in question, but added: “Amnesty will be used only on a much bigger deal, whether on immigration or something else.”
That statement led some to suggest that Trump might be open to including a potential pathway to citizenship for the young “Dreamer” immigrants in a future proposal to end the standoff.
Asked in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” whether Trump’s Saturday proposal represented a “final offer,” Vice President Mike Pence said the White House was willing to negotiate.
“Well, of course,” Pence said. “The legislative process is a negotiation.”
Written by JILL COLVIN and LISA MASCARO, Associated Press.
Associated Press writers David Koenig and Alan Fram in Washington contributed to this report.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Listen, Trump said it, I’m going to build a big beautiful wall, and who’s going to pay for it? M E X I C O! He should hold to his words and negotiate with Mexico. What does our tax dollars have to do with his stupid wall? Now we have the Trump shutdown over it.
as much as you leftists hate the concept of having an actual country with actual borders, well, it’s about time that starts happening. Illegals have been invading and colonizing for far too long and things are gonna start to change.
Seeing on the news about gov’t workers standing in food pantry lines is the most hilariously absurd thing I’ve seen in a very long time. These people don’t actually have a clue what it’s like to really struggle. My parents were not successful people. I grew up poor, and not just a little poor, we were god damn poor and we struggled. I hope this is a lesson to these federal idiots to live within their means and save a little pay. EVERYONE with a good gov’t job should be able to set aside a little savings. There is simply no excuse. Maybe instead of a BMW or Mercedes they get them a nice little Hyundai or something next time and save up some cash. idiots! idiot brainless gov’t employees, ahahaha, smh
You really don’t have a clue about the average realities of government or civil servants. The callousness you show to real people based upon some odd stereotype is unfortunately common right now.
Entry level Coast Guard Pay :$22k
NPS “Park Ranger”: $16-18, often dealing with student debt
Plenty of USFS employees paid around $30k, also with student loans.
There are definitely well paid professionals in the federal government but they make about the same, often less, than their private sector equivalents. Its estimated that about 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
You have the privilege to just fabricate gross stereotypes about these American citizens but your statements don’t reflect their lived realities well at all. Dehumanizing our fellow citizens the way you have only leads to justifying more fallout for them, none of which they are responsible for.
I guess all the poor babies will just starve to death then, huh b+f? Will call it ‘the trump mass gov’t employee famine of 2019’…
Do you ever think and speak with nuance, context or compassion?
Know one forced these over educated ( if you want to call it that) people to take these so called under paid jobs. Why did they do it? It is a guaranteed paycheck and pension for life off the backs of the taxpayer. Givemedats. They went to school to learn that bike…
I try not to, but just got to, pick this bike thing apart….
bike… “You really don’t have a clue about the average realities of government or civil servants. The callousness you show to real people based upon some odd stereotype is unfortunately common right now.”
me… What “real” people bike? They are guaranteed pay after the shut down even if they work or not. (try that in the private sector) they ain’t real they are pork barrel excess. Think the PREZ might have some thoughts on that in the coming days.
bike…”Entry level Coast Guard Pay :$22k”
me…Service not a career bike they those that
bike…”NPS “Park Ranger”: $16-18, often dealing with student debt
me .. they chose that with massive school debt? WHY?
bike…”Plenty of USFS employees paid around $30k, also with student loans.”
me.. again why with all this super education working for you?
bike..”There are definitely well paid professionals in the federal government but they make about the same, often less, than their private sector equivalents.”
me.. Then why stay there
bike…”Its estimated that about 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.”
me.. So what that got to do with the shutdown?
bike..”You have the privilege to just fabricate gross stereotypes about these American citizens but your statements don’t reflect their lived realities well at all. Dehumanizing our fellow citizens the way you have only leads to justifying more fallout for them, none of which they are responsible for.”
me… the typical bike blather at the end about nothing.. so sad… the POOR government worker. Ya Right LOL
Don’t respond to this garbage, b&f. IT’S A TRAP!!!
At least you weren’t taken away from those poor white parents. Maybe if you had you would have learned to be more gracious.
And what are you? You come from a privileged background and now you gonna save all the world’s poor brown people? Like I’ve said to b+f, why don’t you move a family of them into your house. Put your money where your mouth is…?
comment….shouldn’t you be on another page whining about a park bench ?
We should all be so proud to have a president who is doing what’s best for our country right now. We’re gonna build that wall, and if Mexico won’t pay for it, WE the people will be honored and privelaged to pay for the wall. The swamp drains as we speak!
All Hail, Trump. The bigly-est President ever. He has removed all the covfefe from the swamp. He has jailed all of the hamberdlers.
He’ll soon solve the mystery of why “we lose 300 Americans a week, 90% of which comes through the Southern Border.”
All Hail our glorious, supreme leader. His reign shall live in infamy.
?
I just got home from work, and I had an epiphany while eating dinner. B&F will especially enjoy this idea. After Trump is finished running his 2nd term in 2024, Donald Trump Junior can run for presidency and carry on the legacy for another great 8 years. That will give us a magnificent 16 years of Trump dynasty in the USA, and leave our prosperity in great hands for years to come. This would also guarantee our border security continues to be strengthened, under the reign of our fearless leaders.
Russian traitors. Start practicing your Russian so you can say hi to your buds.
Nothing Burger..hahahaha!
Okay, John-lite. If you aren’t him you definitely just revealed your possessed by his decaying rhetoric. Nothing Burgers, crayons, unicorns and snowflakes will be in your nightmares tonight.
lol
b+f that’s literally the funniest thing you’ve ever said on here…. 😉
Thx. May not be John but the nothing burger resurrection seems like a big tell. No one uses that phrase except alt-right dingleberries flushed out of the Breitbart septic system. Granted, maybe they are just going to reuse all those catch phrases again since the 2020 season has already started. Trump’s syphilitic mind can only handle so much new information.
Trump 2024:
“Brawndo’s got what plants crave”
PS…Most people I know have assumed from the beginning that he is grooming Ivanka to run next. She’s the brains in the family.
Trump is so far over your liberal head! You really don’t get it!
Thanks for the compliment, John. I hope family dinners are going well.
Who is this John you imagine is commenting? I see no comments from this imaginary person. You have been thinking too hard. Take a break queenie!
Oh, he’s not imaginary. No sane person would willfully conceive of that demented caricature of ineptitude. His paroxysms haunt this place still. Legend is if you say his name three times a MAGA hat is donated to a Catholic boys school.
Let the Mexicans pay for the wall! Hold Trump accountable! Stop this nonsense NOW, Trumpers.
They are already paying for it. Seen Tijuana lately?
Noticed it not on the MSM anymore.
Any reason for that Red2Blue310 except they paying the hard way?
If you don’t understand I will be happy to explain it to you like a three year old. Just let me know.
Please do show me how Mexico is paying for it. And not by some symbolic way but actual monies going into an account specifically for the wall. Most of us know Trump has tried to move the goal post and we aren’t buying it.
An example of what doesn’t count. Some have claimed we could have used the money lost during the Shutdown if we would have just passed a CR containing the wall. That’s now how budgets work. Nor does an unratified treaty create funds directly for a wall. Get the logical parameters of how this works?
3.2.1….go
After over two years of trying to take Trump down, you liberals are still failing to bring him down.
Face it, the country is better off in so many ways since the election and all the democrats have accomplished is banning drinking straws in Cali.
When the left supports illegals, rogue nations and factions that undermine our police, military and the Constitution, they’ll NEVER win.
OK snowflakes, start belching your ludicrous responses and bring me some entertainment.
Trumpers make Trump do what he said, Mexico will pay for the wall. Why is he making taxpayers pay? Maybe YOU should be taxed for it and then Trump can get Mexico to pay YOU back.
LMAO…I as well as lots of Americans already paying for Mexico, you as well.
Maybe you can donate part of that stupid wall around your home to this monument to Trump’s deluded ego.
Get on it, gunboy.
Something funny I just noticed.
So, conservatives are mad at Liberals for not taking Trump’s recent deal to open the government. It’s the liberals fault the government is still closed in other words.
simultaneously a lot of conservatives also praise Trump for shutting the government down because they don’t think a lot of it is needed (which I agree with a limited amount).
So actually (right now), the liberals are responsible for showing us we don’t need government, and Trump is the one trying to milk the taxpayer of services we don’t need from the government????????
It’s so confusing? Conservatives are so smart to be right no matter what happens.
lol
The lefties won’t be happy until they’ve taken a trip to the congo. They are lacking diversity in their lives. Living in a place with so many white people just makes them sad and angry. The congo awaits them with open arms.
Commie traders amoung us. The shut down will reveal them.
What are they trading? Penny stocks?
I assume you meant traitor. Last I heard, not even Glen Beck was willing to polish the turd of McCarthyism anymore.
Where are the pesos? Thats what you ztupid Trumpers should ask. Trump works at half … . Thats the best you can expect from a con.
Ed. ellipsis
No pesos…Dollars are being sent back to the land of illegals anyway/
The land of illegals? How are they illegal in their own country? 😀
Why don’t we move to Mexico ? LOL !!
See ya later. Don’t let the door hit ya…