WGXC-90.7 FM

U.S. government shut down

Jan 20, 2018 12:20 am
Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the presidency, could not pass a bill to continue funding the government by Jan. 19 at midnight. It was the first time in United States history that, when a political party held all three branches of government, they could not pass a budget bill to keep funding the government. Republicans needed nine Democrats to side with them in the Senate, but only got five, and lost five Republican votes. Instead of just voting on a spending bill, Republicans in the House did pass a short-term government funding bill late Jan. 18, 230-197, but it also included reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program for six years. Democrats, though, wanted it to also retain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals law. The president, though, was all over the place in the weeks of negotiations that led up to the shutdown, agreeing with Democrats, then agreeing with far-right Republicans, then demanding funding for a wall along the Mexican border, and also using an expletive to describe African countries in one of the negotiating sessions. New York Senators Chuck Schumer -- who met with the president earlier in the day about the bill -- and Kirsten Gillibrand voted against the bill. Rep. John Faso (R-Kinderhook) voted for the bill that passed the House, and released a statement late Jan. 19 that read in part, "The reality is that there is not yet a bipartisan agreement on DACA and border security. It is my hope that such agreement can soon be reached. However, no single issue should in my opinion cause the proper function of government to cease." Republicans blamed Schumer, calling it the "Schumer Shutdown." "All of this problem is because Republican leadership can't get to yes, because President Trump refuses to.... This will be called the Trump Shutdown," Schumer said on the Senate floor 30 minutes after the government shut down. Locally, members of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement and other activists occupied Sen Chuck Schumer's office for part of the day Jan. 19 to support the DACA law.