Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is setting Mitch McConnell up to own the shutdown by passing a bill to fund the FAA.
Speaker Pelosi tweeted:
Air traffic controllers have incredibly stressful jobs keeping us safe – but federal ATCs aren’t getting paid during the shutdown. The House already voted to fund the FAA this week. It’s time for the Senate to do the same. #EndTheShutdown https://t.co/9qyX9RV6np
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 11, 2019
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Pelosi is masterfully squeezing McConnell and Trump to reopen the government
Speaker Pelosi is forcing Mitch McConnell to say no to reopening the government over and over again. Pelosi is sending the message to the rest of the country that Trump and his party are keeping the government closed. Democrats are trying to reopen the government, but Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump won’t say yes.
There can be no mistaking who is to blame for the continuation of the shutdown. Mitch McConnell could put real pressure on the White House if he passed any of the funding bills that the House has sent to the Senate. The problem is that Trump believes that he will lose leverage if he opens the government without wall money, so he is refusing to open a single agency.
With each vote to reopen a part of the government, Nancy Pelosi is using her House majority to increase the pressure on McConnell. Republicans don’t support this shutdown or the wall.
They are looking for a way out. Speaker Pelosi keeps opening the door and telling them to come on in.
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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
