Government Shutdown Arrives on the Anniversary of President Trump’s Innauguration
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
On JANUARY 20, 2018, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT was forced to shutdown at midnight after a failure to pass a short-term bill to fund government programs. Referencing the fact that the shutdown came a mere two days after his inauguration in 2017, President Donald Trump said in a tweet two days earlier that “this is the one year anniversary of my presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown.”
Considering the failure of Congress to pass a long-term budget, the shutdown is hardly a surprise. In order to keep the government open, Republicans and Democrats had passed a series of stopgap spending bills, the most recent of which was pushed through on December 20, 2017. Prior to that bill, another that made provisions for two weeks had been passed on December 7.
President Trump’s inauguration anniversary gift arises from a pushback from resistance by Democrats to a list of immigration measures demanded by the White House. These hard-line measures, which include programs that allow for companies to prevent undocumented immigrants from getting jobs and the construction of the infamous border wall, are to be enacted in exchange for protection for those currently receiving protection under DACA. Many of the White House’s demands are also opposed by Democrats. In order to ensure protection for Dreamers, progressive Democrats embraced a strategy in which they reject every budget bill that does to provide for DACA recipients. The aforementioned December 7 and 20 stopgap spending bills did not include such provisions, angering senators like Kamala Harris of California and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Although another stopgap spending bill was approved by the House, the Senate failed to pass it. As a result of the shutdown, all non-essential government employees were furloughed and federally-funded locations like the Washington Monument were closed.
After 3 days, on January 22, 2018, the Democrats and Republicans reached a deal to reopen the government. The deal was bolstered by a group of bipartisan lawmakers who urged party leaders to accept the bill. Much to the chagrin of progressive Democrats, this bill does not address the fate of DACA recipients. The measure will ensure funding for the government until February 8. Furthermore, it extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for another six years. In September of 2018, Congress had allowed for CHIP funding to expire, a move which would have led states to end coverage for the nine million children who are currently insured by the program.
In an attempt to end the standoff on DACA, majority leader Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has pledged to allow a much sought-after vote on immigration. Despite the McConnell’s promise, a key condition for Democrats who negotiated the bill, politicians such as minority leader House minority leader Nancy Pelosi of California are disappointed in what they see as a breach of Dreamer’s safety and a lack of backbone for the party. While some Republicans, including President Trump, claim that they are willing to provide protection for DACA recipients, politicians like Harris are concerned that the Republicans will ultimately fail to uphold their end of the bargain.
While this shutdown has come to an end after another short-term bandage, a long-term solution seems unlikely. Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over a comprehensive budget have so far been unsuccessful. While bipartisan talks on immigration, a key issue on the table for both parties, are slated to begin in the near future, producing a viable proposal from those talks is a major hurdle. President Trump has previously shot down bipartisan immigration pushes and Congressional Republicans are unsure of what exactly he will approve. However, he announced today that he would be willing to support a plan which allows DACA recipients a path to citizenship within ten to twelve years. Despite this statement, evident polarization may prevent the “Common-Sense Coalition,” as the 25 bipartisan senators call themselves, from carrying their proposals forward. Passing a definite budget and stabilizing the government is contingent upon resolving the immigration issue.
Another dilemma which may prove injurious to a long-term solution is the growing split within the Democratic Party. As opposition to the latest short-term bill by one-third of Democrats in the House and one-half of them in the Senate shows, the fissure between center-left and far-left party members is widening. Progressive Democrats are concerned that this gap will be a blow to negotiations, essentially allowing them to be pushed around by Republican lawmakers. Nevertheless, despite concerns on both sides of the aisles, lawmakers are pushing through with negotiations in hopes of a more permanent, essential gift: a resolution to the immigration issue and a definitive budget.
