DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus President Trump decides not to shut down the government

House GOP leaders fear support eroding for Trump’s shutdown fight

A growing number of Republican lawmakers could vote for Democratic measures to reopen the federal government.

By JOHN BRESNAHAN and SARAH FERRIS

Several dozen House Republicans might cross the aisle this week to vote for Democratic bills to reopen shuttered parts of the federal government, spurring the White House into a dramatic effort to stem potential GOP defections.

White House officials and Republican congressional leaders worry that GOP support for the shutdown is eroding, weakening President Donald Trump’s hand as he seeks billions of dollars for a border wall that Democrats have vowed to oppose, according to GOP lawmakers and aides.

Hoping to sway skeptics in his party and the broader public, Trump will make an Oval Office address Tuesday night to discuss what he called the “Humanitarian and National Security Crisis on our Southern Border," he said on Twitter. Then he will visit the border region on Thursday.

Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will address House Republicans on Tuesday evening. The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a Democratic bill designed to fund the IRS and several other agencies, the first of four bills Democrats hope will peel off Trump's GOP support in the House.

Without more money, the IRS could have a problem processing tax refunds. Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, reversed course Monday and said refunds will be paid out, another move by the White House to mitigate the effects of the shutdown.

The Democratic funding measure is one of several narrow measures that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and party leaders will push forward this week. The bills are designed to put pressure on GOP lawmakers to break with Trump and support re-opening the nine departments hit by the 17-day shutdown. More than 800,000 federal workers are currently not getting paid — roughly 350,000 remain on the job without pay — with their first missed paycheck coming later this week.

Despite the White House PR blitz, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and other senior Republicans believe that “a significant bloc” of House Republicans could vote with Democrats on the funding measures, according to GOP lawmakers and aides.

A senior House GOP aide said McCarthy and his top lieutenants believe 15 to 25 Republicans will vote with Democrats this week, possibly even more.

"We have a lot of members who are gonna want to vote for these things," said the GOP aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Publicly, we will never tell them to do it. Privately, we will tell them to do what they have to do."

However, GOP leaders say they can keep that number below 55, a key threshold. That many Republican defections, coupled with all House Democrats, would reach 290 "yes" votes, a veto-proof majority. House Democrats can't overcome Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) refusal to bring up their bills, but such a vote would signal the House can override a Trump veto, a major blow to the president and his allies.

“The biggest thing we can do to back the president up is to keep it below veto proof,” the GOP aide added. “That's a win for us.”

“I think the more that you have people not getting paid, the more the stories coming out about the hardships this shutdown is creating, not just for federal workers but those who rely on federal agencies to get their work done, people are shaking their heads,” said Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, one of seven House Republicans who voted with Democrats last week to reopen the government. “I think it’s a pretty unsustainable position, and I felt that early on.”

In forcing these votes, Pelosi and Democratic leaders have copied a GOP tactic from the 2013 shutdown, when a battle over Obamacare led to a 16-day government shutdown.

At the time, House GOP leaders made Democrats take dozens of votes to fund national parks, low-income nutrition assistance, Head Start and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others.

The first House vote, which will take place Wednesday, will dare GOP lawmakers to vote against funding for a slew of financial agencies including the IRS. A “no” vote — Democrats argued before Monday's comments from OMB — is a vote to delay tax refunds to U.S. taxpayers.

The same funding package includes a 1.9 percent pay raise for the nation’s 2 million civilian federal workers, a large chunk of whom have been working without pay since the shutdown began.

Democrats will also force Republicans to vote separately on bills that include funding for food stamps and some federal mortgage programs.

Back in 2013, roughly two dozen Democrats sided with the GOP on nearly every spending bill. A bill to fund veterans’ benefits won support from 35 Democrats.

White House officials and GOP leaders privately say a similar number of Republicans will vote for Democratic bills this week, a blow to Trump but not a fatal one.

"Yes, there is some concern. Look at what happened in 2013. There were a ton of defections," a White House official said. "We're trying to make sure House Republicans know the facts. I think it's less a concern about votes, and more than that, we want to make sure they know the facts."

Last week, only seven House Republicans voted for Pelosi’s plan to reopen the government without extra money for Trump’s border barrier. Most of the "yes" votes were moderate Republicans from swing districts, as well as Walden, a GOP leadership ally who said he decided to support the funding bills to stop the pain hitting national parks in his district.

Pence called some Republicans to persuade them to vote against the Democratic bill, GOP leadership aides said. And Republican lawmakers who supported the proposal heard complaints from party leaders.

“We’ve been in touch with those members and others,” Pence told reporters Monday when asked about certain Republicans expressing concern with the shutdown. “I’ll be on Capitol Hill tomorrow before the president's national address briefing House members with the [Homeland Security] secretary. We're going to be on Capitol Hill meeting with the Senate on Wednesday.”

“Republican leadership is leaning on folks. They were pretty pissed at the seven Republicans who voted for the package last week,” said an aide to a Republican who voted in favor of the Democratic proposal.

House Republicans are also searching for a strategy to rebut the Democrats’ plan. GOP leaders are eyeing procedural tactics to force Democrats to take tough votes as well. One idea is to force Democrats to take a vote against increasing funding for Election Assistance Grants, according to a House GOP aide familiar with the plans.

House Republican Conference Vice Chair Mark Walker said the GOP will “weather the storm” as Democrats pile on pressure this week to get Republicans to break with Trump over the shutdown.

“You’re always going to have defections when it comes to certain tough issues,” Walker said of the Democrats’ funding tactics, but added the “overwhelming majority” of House Republicans will stick together.

"People are going to start hurting really badly,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) said, noting such things as looming mortgage payments for furloughed employees.

But he dismissed the Democratic bills as as a mere messaging stunt.

“But this is nothing, this is fake, which is unfortunate," he said of the funding bills. "It’s all for naught.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/07/gop-support-trump-government-shutdown-1085348

You can't take paychecks from people for two weeks and expect support to grow. Not everyone is a senator who can afford to donate their salaries to refugees during the shutdown. There a lot of paycheck to paycheck government employees.

So it's really not surprising.

Knowing almost everything out of Trump's mouth is a lie. Knowing the facts show there is no crisis at the border, and the wall was just a campaign dog whistle. Am I the only one that finds it nuts that Trump gets primetime airtime tonight to lie even more to the American people?

I can't wait to see him impeached and locked up. He is a traitor and the biggest risk to our democracy in my lifetime.

If tax return season rolls around, and the government is still shut down, people who don’t ordinarily care about or pay attention to politics are going to tune in, and the anger is going to be palpable.

LOL, SNAP will run out of money by the third week of the month and that will end food stamps across the country. The majority of those on food stamps are poor whites and most likely to be part of Trump's base. Imagine when they realize Trump hit them with this. I can't see that happening if Trump can avoid it at any cost.

Isn’t it something like the majority of top 10 states that take in federal money are red states?

How about pathetic Pelosi and HER stooge Shumer laughingly offering a BUCK for border protecting from murders ,rapists, drug dealers, robbers, child molester ,etc man if the workers , and their stupid liberal supporters cant see who the real problem is oh well. J\C

Who else will pay for their tax rates?

Ya gotta wonder what 40 thinks now that we've been shut down so long...LOL

What lies will we hear tonight..

Yeah lies when the lying Pelosi rebuttle is on.

Do you mean along the Canadian border where far more terroist suspects are caught?

You make it so hard to even consider anything you post as serious, lol.

"Non-original thoughts for low information voters in a box" much? lmao

Not even sure where to begin trying to understand this one.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any stranger......

With Trump and comrades? bruh... smh

Accosta being a horses ass yet again.

stranger? Few know Strange like when I open the view to my mind for minute glimpse.

I want to say Thank God Donald TRump is president today and not any democrat I've seen.

Thank God again, see, why, do I care, see the Republicans at least you can get away from them, they'll leave you alone a little bit, when they are in charge.

When the Democrats are in control, it's like the Government is going to move in to your house.

The Government is going to move into your house,
My house? Ya your house.

I, but I don't want the, I get there to get away from the crazy,
OH! No no no, it doesn't matter how you feel about it, see listen the Government is going to move into your house and it's going to be so wonderful for you, See,

The Democrats will be in your house, they'll be on your dinner table, they'll tell you what to wear, where to travel,, HEY!! Which way to travel there,

NOW NOW I KNOW SOME OF YOU, Some of you thing you know how to drive en route from one place to another, but see

YOU DON'T! YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH ROUTE TO TAKE, UNTILE THE GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU WHICH IS THE BEST WAY FOR YOU!

You don't know which time of day to be up, YOu don't know which words you are allowed to say
HEY!

YOU don't know what kind of things you should OWN! The Government knows better what and where and how and when you should do, or own, or try, or eat, or sleep ANYTHING!

Because they are democrats! And the democrats are just smarter, and more educated, and they know things, and they'll tell you what's good for you, whether you like it or not!

Tyranny! I says, Democrats, left unchecked, = tyranny for all

Republicans, left unchecked, might not be very good in some ways, but give the opportunity for prosperity
and at least, something less than tyranny.

Thank God, the democrats aren't able to ruin "everybodys' life, every time, (only some of them), and again

Thank God, that today Donald Trump is president, and not all the democrats, that think alike and have no free thoughts.

But hey! Stranger things have stranger been than done, but just when you thought things couldn't get stranger.

You might wish to ask 800,000 workers who aren't getting a paycheck if they're being left alone.

SO UNHINGED! smh but lmao

Don’t forget that THROW LONG was the one who said that if people watched the game show Trump hosted, they’d understand that he isn’t a complete idiot.

Bro MSNBC is just destroying Trump tonight. His re-election campaign sent out emails wanting contributions for the wall that are going into his campaign warchest. BUSTED. He left the GOP flapping in the wind, GOPers are looking for the Trump train exits...

THROW LONG I could not agree more. Personally I believe anyone who is against the president is against this country and do not want it to succeed. They are unpatriotic and I sincerely question whether or not they know what patriotism is, whether or not they are thankful to be a citizen and are proud of American exceptionalism.

The democrats do not want to protect the American people. Its as simple as that. Until they step up to the plate relating to the wall, screw them! There is still NO SOLUTION by that side and they don't bring anything at all to the table. Instead of helping the people who actually live here their interests are more aligned with illegal aliens and giving them amnesty. For the life of me I can't understand how anyone can support that.

I want to hear from the democrats that they want to protect the American people. The AMERICAN people. I WANT TO HEAR THIS FROM THEM NOW!

Until I hear this, I say screw them. There's another word worse than that I want to use but I would get in trouble on the forum.

PUH-lease... Get a grip bro, your boy is a traitor.

Brewers: Shutdown means no new craft beer

BY ALICIA COHN - 01/08/19 03:45 PM EST

Brewers are warning that the ongoing partial government shutdown means no new craft beer releases.

"Hey @realDonaldTrump, we are an American-owned company and we want to distribute a new beer, but the shutdown includes the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau... so we currently can't move forward. Please help. The people want the beer. #beer2020," tweeted the Oklahoma brewery Prairie Artisan Ales this week.

The government shutdown is entering a third week and brewers are worried that even when the government eventually reopens, the impact could slow down craft beer production and impact craft brewers' bottom line this year.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which approves new labels, new liquor stores and new distribution across state lines, is shut down.

That means that breweries nationwide, ranging from New Jersey’s Belmar’s Beach Haus Brewery to Michigan's Old Nation Brewing Co. to Oklahoma's Krebs Brewing Co., have put plans on hold.

“The consumers want new and different all the time, so it's really it's gone from being a couple flagship beers to … updating it weekly, the styles you're putting out,” Belmar’s Beach Haus Brewery owner John Merklin told New Jersey's News 12. "We are a couple weeks into it, we have one label for submission that's pending. That quickly can become two or three next week."

Atlas Brew Works, based in Washington, D.C., told DCist they have a tank full of a new beer — an IPA brewed with fresh apricots — that they can't sell because they don't have approval for the beer's label. The brewery is selling the beer by the glass in its taproom but won't be able to sell enough of it to finish the tank.

“In the past we’ve had issues with a beer we can’t sell,” Justin Cox, Atlas Brew Works’ CEO and founder, told DCist. “Sometimes we have to dump it. And that hurts, emotionally and monetarily.”

Cox added that it's hurting his business to be in a "holding pattern."

“There’s an opportunity cost of having beer sitting in the tank which we could otherwise have packaged, that’s a bottleneck in our production,” he said. "We spent the 4th quarter of 2018 planning what we’re going to release, our recipes, and marketing plans for new beers. Now we’re trying to execute that plan but we’re in a holding pattern.”

A brewer in North Virginia told D.C.'s Craft Beer Cellar that his entire operation would feel the effects if the shutdown continues much longer.

"We work hard to get ahead of our business and this just wrecks our plans," Port City founder Bill Butcher said. "If we can't get our new labels approved in a timely manner, then it affects our entire operation. It hurts our employees, our farmers who provide our grain, our hops suppliers, our label printers, our box manufacturers and ultimately our distributors, retailers, and beer drinkers. This is a failure of government to do its job! Everyone suffers from the shutdown by slowing our business after we have busted our tails planning. It is inexcusable that this should happen."

With the backlog piling up at TTB, brewers are uncertain how long their applications might take even when the government reopens.

The Brewers Association also warned last week that loans for small businesses like craft breweries will be delayed.

The shutdown is hitting larger breweries, too.

“The TTB shutdown is affecting us like everyone else,” Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman Megan Lagesse told The Chicago Tribune. “Each of our craft partners and our company at large has beer labels in queue waiting to be approved.”

“We feel pretty helpless in the deal. I'm sure we're not the only industry that's experiencing that," Craft Brewers Association of Oklahoma President Patrick Lively told NewsOK.


https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/424402-brewers-shutdown-means-no-new-craft-beer

Well there goes beer... Thanks Trump

I don't drink beer so I'm good. And I doubt many Trump supporters drink craft beer.

Hogg to Trump: 40,000 Americans dying annually from gun violence 'a pretty damn good' national emergency to start with

BY ARIS FOLLEY - 01/08/19 09:36 AM EST

Parkland, Fla., school shooting survivor and outspoken gun control activist David Hogg slammed President Trump on Tuesday for saying he may "call a national emergency" to build his long-desired U.S.–Mexico border wall.

“If we really want to start talking about the national emergency like the president likes to talk about, 40,000 Americans dying annually from gun violence is a pretty damn good one to start off with,” Hogg said during an appearance on CNN on Tuesday.

Hogg's remarks came days after the president said he was mulling calling a national emergency to build a wall along the U.S.–Mexico border.

“We can call a national emergency because of the security of our country, absolutely. We can do it. I haven’t done it, I may do it. I may do it, but we can call a national emergency and build it quickly, it’s another way of doing it,” he said at a press conference Friday.

The president also threatened to keep 25 percent of the government shut down for years until he receives his desired funding to build the wall. The government entered a partial shutdown late last month amid an impasse between lawmakers and the White House over Trump's demand for billions of dollars in border wall funding.

Hogg said Tuesday that gun control should be considered a “nonpartisan issue” considering “the fact that both Democrats and Republicans die from gun violence.”

“Bullets don’t discriminate and neither should our legislators,” he added.

Hogg, along with fellow Parkland, Fla., school shooting survivor, Jaclyn Corin, discussed a new Democratic-led bill that would require background checks on private transactions that are related to gun sales.

The new universal background bill, which has been sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY), is set to be introduced on Tuesday, the anniversary of 2011 Tucson mass shooting that left six dead and nearly killed former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords (D).

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-...om-gun-violence

Trumpian cranial explosions in 3, 2, 1...

Meh, he’s stolen from veterans charities before and they didn’t turn on him.

It’s kind of hard to argue for American exceptionalism when the current U.S. president is a senile racist pervert whose previous occupation was game show host.

I’ll just leave this here for your contemplation about our ‘exceptionslism’.

I didn't know hong kong was a country.......

It kind of is. It has its own system of government separate from China, and Chinese state law doesn’t apply to Hong Kong. They have different tax codes from China, borders that require passports, and someone from mainland China can’t live in Hong Kong without applying for residency via immigration.

They also have two different official languages. And while they have their own system of government, but China controls the Hong Kong government and are not afraid to run up on any dissidents.

I see it referred to as "special administrative region of Peoples Republic of China". Semantics I guess, but to me, its not a country.

Yikes

Wow,, 5 year old responding... Yikes.

Don Jr. is probably my favorite. Just a bumbling idiot, dumber than his father even, who constantly tries and fails in spectacular fashion to impress a father who clearly disdains him.

Is that all you took from the information provided?
Arguing the semantics of one of the places listed but not commenting on the information it provides?
Country or not Hong Kong is on the list. A list we’re not on.

Yeah, it's a very odd city. Beautiful and much better than Shanghai, it used to be under British rule until the late 90's. As a result, they are economically a lot more different than China. They have their own currency, stock exchange, and pretty much everything else as so far as economics are concerned. While Xi is pushing China towards State Capitalism, Hong Kong has been the king of capitalism for the decades prior to that, as they were the go to port city for the Western world, China and India. China made a lot of concessions to get Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau back under China's major rule. i think the idea was called "two systems, one country" during the reunification period, but they had varying success. Taiwan for example has wanted independence for the past decade, while Maccau and Hong Kong have enjoyed their limited governmental authority.

Most think tanks, trivia masters, and government officials usually count them as their own country. For example, my shower curtain is a world map and lists Hong Kong separate from China, but not Taiwan. America doesn't really have anything comparable to the situation. Maybe Liberia pre-Civil War. Anyway, it's all stupid and doesn't really matter unless you're over there. For the most part all of my Hong Kong friends hate Chinese people (the poor often flood Hong Kong to buy cheap essential goods), but feel ambivalent towards the Chinese government to certain extents.

So let me see. I think Pelosi will lie and you think Trump will lie, but Im the 5 yr old and YOUR the adult in the room ...GOT IT.