Government has been shut down for decades

On Jan. 12, the current government shutdown became the longest, officially, in history. But I submit the government has been shut down for two decades.

The seeds of this shutdown germinated in the Supreme Court’s decision in the election of 2000. Later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., altered rules and expectations of the Senate, and partisanship took root.

When Barack Obama was president, the Senate was led by Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who desired to make Mr. Obama a “one-term president.” As majority leader, McConnell refused to consider or bring to a vote legislation the president wanted. As a result, President Obama needed to move our government by executive resolution.

This is not the Constitutional method for “legislation.” The

epitome of partisanship occurred when Mr. McConnell would not even bring to the Senate floor, for a hearing, Mr. Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. Isn’t this also a form of government shutdown? As a result, extreme partisanship grew and was most rampant in the confirmation hearing and Senate vote on the most recent Supreme Court appointee.

The present shutdown of the U.S. government can be ended, and the confidence and general welfare of American citizens restored, if McConnell has the courage to challenge the egocentric whims of President Trump. McConnell will need to permit a vote in the Senate on bills already passed by the House of Representatives and previously passed by the Senate. Perhaps bipartisanship will take root again, and shutdowns will be history.

Bruce Corbett, Avon