Democrats have enough votes in the Senate to block any Republican attempt to kick the can down the road with another short-term bill to keep the government open.
NBC News reported:
JUST IN: Democrats have enough votes to block the spending bill in the Senate and prevent Republicans from keeping the government up and running, senior Democratic aide tells @NBCNews
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 18, 2018
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If Republicans have any interest in keeping the government open, they are going to have to cut a deal with Democrats that involves funding CHIP, community hospitals, and protections for the Dreamers.
Republicans control Congress. They are going to be blamed for the government shutdown. This is the third time in recent history that Republicans have controlled the House, shut down the government, and tried to blame Democrats. On each of the previous two occasions, voters blamed the Republicans. McConnell and Ryan could cut a deal with Democrats right now if they wanted.
The catch is that McConnell and Ryan are barely making a token effort to keep the government open. It appears that Congressional Republicans have bought into the Trump fantasy that Democrats will be blamed for the shutdown, but that’s not going to happen. The issues that Democrats are standing up for all are popular with voters.
Democrats have the votes, which means that it is time for Republicans to make a deal or the face the consequences of their failure to govern.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
