Standoff over Trump border wall puts U.S. Congress in budget 'pickle'

[webfact]

Standoff over Trump border wall puts U.S. Congress in budget 'pickle'

By Richard Cowan and Amanda Becker

 

Stacks of moving crates sit in a U.S. Congressional office weeks before the end of the current term, as dozens of outgoing and incoming members of Congress move into and out of Washington as votes on a potential federal government shutdown loom, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Congress, embroiled in a feud over his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, have five days to reach a deal before a partial government shutdown could leave about a quarter of the federal workforce without paychecks.

 

Trump has demanded $5 billion as a down-payment on construction of a huge wall that he argues is the only way to keep illegal immigrants and drugs from entering the United States.

 

"Anytime you hear a Democrat saying that you can have good Border Security without a Wall, write them off as just another politician following the party line!" Trump wrote in a Twitter posting on Monday. "Time for us to save billions of dollars a year and have, at the same time, far greater safety and control."

 

Democrats and some Republicans argue there are less costly, more effective border controls.

 

The money Trump wants is a fraction of the roughly $450 billion Congress was poised to approve - before the latest battle over the proposed wall - to fund several agencies which will otherwise run out of money on Friday.

 

Large swaths of the government already are funded through next September, including the U.S. military and agencies that operate public healthcare, education and veterans' programs.

 

Last Tuesday, Trump and leading congressional Democrats battled each other in front of television cameras in the White House Oval Office.

 

"I am proud to shut down the government for border security," Trump told House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

 

Since then, a senior House Republican aide said his party was "in a pickle" over how to keep the government open.

 

The aide noted that Republicans, who will control both houses of Congress until Jan. 3, will not be able to muster the minimum 218 votes needed in the House to pass a funding bill if it contains Trump's demand for border wall money.

 

During the White House meeting, Pelosi and Schumer proposed two ideas for keeping the government fully funded, which included money for border security but not for a wall. Aides to both on Monday said Trump had not yet responded.

 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened the Senate on Monday urging completion of a spending bill. "We need to make a substantial investment in the integrity of our border and in the safety of American our families," McConnell said.

 

Neither he nor his aides would specify whether border security investments must include wall funds. Aides to House Speaker Paul Ryan were not immediately available for comment.

 

If funds run out, the NASA space programme would potentially be unfunded, along with national parks, the U.S. diplomatic corps and agriculture programs.

 

Similarly, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security would be vulnerable to shutdowns, although "essential" employees, such as FBI agents, airport security screeners and border patrol agents, would still report to work.

 

Their paychecks, however, would not be issued until the shutdown ends and Congress would have to decide whether to award back pay for them as well as any furloughed workers.

 

A government in disarray might play poorly for Republicans, especially if Americans also view images for two weeks of Trump vacationing at his exclusive Florida beach-front mansion.

 

"After the president’s comments earlier this week when he said he was going to own the shutdown, that sealed the deal for Democrats. There is absolutely no reason for them to cut a deal with this president," said Jim Manley, a political strategist and former Senate Democratic leadership aide.

 

The House is not even bothering to come to work until Wednesday night.

 

Barring a deal, Manley predicted the government will limp along until Jan. 3, when Democrats take control of the House and promptly advance funding, daring the Republican-led Senate to reject it.

 

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Amanada Becker; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Paul Simao and Bill Trott)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-12-18

[Thailand]

We live in interesting times. 2019 looks to be even more so.

[PatOngo]

……..and Mexico will pay for it! 

[morrobay]

Poleeezze - No mas on this border shmorder wall. Trump can use executive power to order the military / army Corps of engineers to build it. What should have been built in 80's. And that's full on, from gulf to pacific. And the 500 billion in waste/bs Pentagon spending can pay for it. 

[helpisgood]

Webster's dictionary announced that their word of the year was "justice."  After this "build the wall" and budget kerfuffle, maybe the word should instead be "boondoggle." 

[mtls2005]

How many times did trump say "Mexico will pay for the wall"? Hundreds?

 

Time for him to head down south of the border, hat in hand, and get the money for the wall.

 

Felize Navidad.

 

 

[Tug]

Donald’s little outburst with chuck and Nancy means he has to own this one lol merry Christmas Donald tired of winning yet?

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, morrobay said:

Poleeezze - No mas on this border shmorder wall. Trump can use executive power to order the military / army Corps of engineers to build it. What should have been built in 80's. And that's full on, from gulf to pacific. And the 500 billion in waste/bs Pentagon spending can pay for it. 

You don't have much use for the Constitution, do you?

[alanrchase]

Surely he should be shutting down the Mexican government, they are the ones refusing to provide funding.

[spidermike007]

Trump is on his way out the door. He is as much of a lame duck, as he could possibly be. With the new congress coming, he will have alot less power, and his hubris, arrogance, denial, lies, fabrications, alternate reality, and incompetence will be checked, finally. The wall will never happen. A fence maybe. But not his infamous wall. Reasonable estimates are in the $40 billion range. Not gonna happen. We do not need it. This is not Berlin in the 1950's. 

[riclag]

3 hours ago, morrobay said:

Poleeezze - No mas on this border shmorder wall. Trump can use executive power to order the military / army Corps of engineers to build it. What should have been built in 80's. And that's full on, from gulf to pacific. And the 500 billion in waste/bs Pentagon spending can pay for it. 

The Army Corp of Engr.- these people are very talented in constructing fortifications.I'm sure they will be very proud  to be part of helping strengthen the border security along the southern border!Must keep the bad people out and prevent drugs from coming in

[Chomper Higgot]

10 minutes ago, riclag said:

The Army Corp of Engr.- these people are very talented in constructing fortifications.I'm sure they will be very proud  to be part of helping strengthen the border security along the southern border!Must keep the bad people out and prevent drugs from coming in

What they’re going to build a wall around Big-Pharma to put an end to ‘Opiods for profit’ Killing and destroying the lives of so many Americans.

 

 

[morrobay]

2 hours ago, bristolboy said:

You don't have much use for the Constitution, do you?

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/can-the-us-military-build-trumps-border-wall/556967/    

I dont have much use for the liberal saps in congress. 

The constitution is in need of an update. There can be advantages to a light authoritarian government like Singapore's.

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, morrobay said:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/can-the-us-military-build-trumps-border-wall/556967/    

There can be advantages to a light authoritarian government like Singapore's.

On those occasions when you agree with it. Not so much when you don't.

[bristolboy]

17 hours ago, morrobay said:

Poleeezze - No mas on this border shmorder wall. Trump can use executive power to order the military / army Corps of engineers to build it. What should have been built in 80's. And that's full on, from gulf to pacific. And the 500 billion in waste/bs Pentagon spending can pay for it. 

 

13 hours ago, morrobay said:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/can-the-us-military-build-trumps-border-wall/556967/    

I dont have much use for the liberal saps in congress. 

The constitution is in need of an update. There can be advantages to a light authoritarian government like Singapore's.

How much use do you have for that liberal sap in the White House?

White House says it wants to avoid government shutdown, will look for other ways to fund border wall

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-signals-its-backing-down-in-shutdown-dispute-will-find-other-ways-to-fund-border-wall/2018/12/18/159994dc-02d9-11e9-9122-82e98f91ee6f_story.html?utm_term=.97e10282e0e3

[sirineou]

Trump's psychopathy  will not allow him to admite defeat , but we should not have to pay for his psychological problems.

There are mirrors that can make his pecker look bigger and they cost less. 

[direction BANGKOK]

It seems like people should be kept to their word. If you say you are going to get someone else to pay for the wall when you are getting elected, and that just is not working out, seems like beating a dead horse. You got elected on the premise of attempting to get that done. Now he has his hand out. 

 

You're done. You opened your mouth and said something stupid. Live with it. 

[wayned]

The white house is now saying again that Mexico will pay for the wall!  They are saying that the added revenue that the uS will get with the new USMCA trade agreement will pay for it!  However, any profits obtained from that will go into the pockets of private corporations and not in tino the treasury of the US.  So he still wants taxpayers, us, to pay for the wall.   Who comes up with these constant scams, Stephen Miller's clones?

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, riclag said:

The Army Corp of Engr.- these people are very talented in constructing fortifications.I'm sure they will be very proud  to be part of helping strengthen the border security along the southern border!Must keep the bad people out and prevent drugs from coming in

 

Are you a human parrot? Any individual or personal thoughts? How is the wall going to keep drugs out? Do you have any idea how sophisticated the drug networks are? A wall is going to stop drugs. That is a good one. 

 

Do you realize that Trump uses agencies to come up with these slogans? They then test the slogans with a sampling of the devotees. They end up using the ones that get the best response. Build a wall was one of the sayings that got top prize. 

 

You want to stop the flow of drugs? Legalize them all. Demand will drop overnight and the cartels will disappear. 

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, wayned said:

The white house is now saying again that Mexico will pay for the wall!  They are saying that the added revenue that the uS will get with the new USMCA trade agreement will pay for it!  However, any profits obtained from that will go into the pockets of private corporations and not in tino the treasury of the US.  So he still wants taxpayers, us, to pay for the wall.   Who comes up with these constant scams, Stephen Miller's clones?

 

Mexico will never pay a single peso toward the wall. Just another of the thousands of Trump lies. 

 

Deny. Deflect. Obfuscate. Confuse. Distort. Anything but the truth. Ever. 

 

Fortunately, Trump is on his way out. The world may have to absorb 25 more months of this dark creature. Then it is bye bye and a life of utter obscurity and humiliation. And quite possibly prison. 

[mtls2005]

It might look bad if he is off golfing, while the government is shut down? Or when his Secret Service agents continue to work without pay?

 

 

[Basil B]

On 12/17/2018 at 11:04 PM, webfact said:

have five days to reach a deal before a partial government shutdown could leave about a quarter of the federal workforce without paychecks.

 

Well if there is a layoff maybe the NYAG who is winding down a couple of dodgy trusts could see that the money goes to the poor government workers.