We're in a government shutdown? Who knew?
Evidently, it's already been on for a week. And, I"m having trouble finding out how the shutdown will a affect most workaday Americans.
The new Congress takes over next week, ad the Democrats will have the majority. President Trump is going to have to earn to deal with that.
It appears that the House passed a bill that Trump could sign, but Senate Democrats threatened a filibuster. There's the problem. I'm a huge fan of the old-time filibuster, but nowadays, it's enough to simply threaten to filibuster to kill a bill. If a Senator wants to filibuster, he should have that right, but he should be forced to stand-his-ass-up and actually talk nonstop for as long as he can.
The way the Senate does filibusters these days is an ersatz, hollow, legislative trick. It takes no courage, and it bears no risk. It's a puny, watered down trick, Schumer should retain the original filibuster, but forbid the current version. It's un-seemly, and it's certainly un-Senatorial.
But, to the original question: We're in a shutdown? Who knew?
My whole department is up and running normally - this shutdown only affected about 25% of government workers.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the Democrats won't negotiate because they want to run out the clock until they take over the House later this week, then they'll have more power and a bigger bully pulpit.