The Senate adjourned Sunday night without agreeing on a resolution, extending the government shutdown into the third day. “We have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward that is acceptable to both sides,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated. The Senate will continue to work towards a compromise before voting Monday.
A bipartisan group of senators seemed to be progressing towards a compromise on Sunday, pushing for a plan to keep the government open with a three-week extension of funding and, in return, a promise that the Senate would discuss an immigration bill in the coming weeks. “We want to see a commitment to take up immigration, with a belief that we’ll get a good result for Dreamers,” Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated. Unfortunately, without the support of party leaders and President Trump, many consider the proposal unlikely to pass.
As usual, Trump expressed his disapproval of considering the immigration bill on Twitter.
Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our Military and Safety at the Border. The Dems just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51% (Nuclear Option) and vote on real, long term budget, no C.R.’s!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2018
The nuclear option Trump encouraged is a parliamentary procedure allowing the Senate to override the 60-vote rule to close debate and require only a 51-vote simple majority. It has only been used twice, most recently to elect Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and has been described as “another step in the downward spiral in political polarization.” The 60-vote supermajority requires some extent of cooperation by both parties, which is one of the most significant features of the Senate that sets it apart from the House, where the majority party virtually has free reign to do what it wants.
Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) told reporters he thinks it’s unlikely an agreement will be made soon. “It relies on the White House to actually work with us on this,” Flake stated. “We haven’t seen that yet. If we don’t reach an agreement, that’s what it’s about. We have a commitment to move to immigration.”
After negotiating with Trump, Schumer said Trump had “picked a number” he wanted to fund a border wall, which Schumer accepted on the condition that there would be protection for Dreamers. The White House later abandoned the agreement.
“I essentially agreed to give the president something he has said he wants, in exchange for something we both want,” Schumer stated. “The president must take yes for an answer. Until he does, it’s the Trump shutdown.”
“The president must take yes for an answer. Until he does, it’s the Trump shutdown.”
The shutdown is expected to worsen greatly as we move into the workweek. Over the weekend, the effects of the shutdown were relatively limited. On Monday, however, hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal employees will not be reporting for work. As a result, services many rely on, such as passport and visa processing, will not be available until the government is open again.
The Senate hopes to reach a compromise and end the shutdown on Monday, with a procedural vote scheduled for noon.
