Republican lawmakers have joined Democrats in Congress by announcing their support for a “clean” spending bill to deter a government shutdown on Friday. This would eliminate funding for Trump’s border wall.
Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said, “Ideological litmus tests on a spending bill like this simply create partisan roadblocks. With so many pressing issues facing our country, we need to work together to keep the lights on and avoid another expensive shutdown that weakens not only our economy but our national security.”
Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, had promised to make Obamacare funding contingent upon border wall funding, saying, “We’d offer them $1 of CSR [Obamacare] payments for $1 of wall payments. Right now that’s the offer that we’ve given to our Democratic colleagues.” The Trump administration came under heavy fire for turning Americans’ healthcare into a political pawn.
Republicans will need Democratic votes in order to pass this budget and avoid a shutdown; including border wall funding is a nonstarter for many – if not all – in the Democratic party.
While the Trump Administration pushes ahead in what seems like a doomed quest to construct the border wall, Chuck Schumer tweeted why exactly Democrats – and even some Republicans – are against it.
Democrats have long been clear that putting border wall funding in the spending bill is a non-starter. Here's why: pic.twitter.com/mbAddOPJpu
The self-proclaimed “America First” President should perhaps focus on keeping the US government open, rather than holding it hostage for a costly, ineffective, wasteful, and unpopular barrier along the Mexican border.
Brian Tyler Cohen is a political writer, actor, and comedy sketch director. He graduated from Lehigh University with a dual degree in English and Business. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
