The shutdown standoff persists
No progress as each side digs in — and trades blame — amid tense negotiations
WASHINGTON — The first day of a federal shutdown ended much as it began Saturday, with Democrats and Republicans hardened in a stalemate of angry finger-pointing as Congress and President Donald Trump failed to broker a deal to re-open the government.
Lawmakers in both parties spent the day blaming each other and pushing plans for new stopgap measures lasting either weeks or days, continuing a tightrope process that has been going on for months and finally broke down late Friday.
The White House posted photos of a grim-faced Trump, who had to cancel his plans to attend a Saturday night fundraiser at his Mara-Lago resort in Florida, “working in the White House during the Democratic shutdown” on the first anniversary of his inauguration.
Congress convened for a rare weekend session, with lawmakers told to stay in town as negotiations continued behind closed doors. But prospects for a swift resolution appeared dim, with no votes expected
until today or early Monday.
The focus of the action remained in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were trying to hatch a plan that could win 60 votes in a bipartisan deal.
One problem: The Senate leaders had not spoken. Nor had Trump talked to the minority leader.
“This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present,” Trump tweeted early Saturday as tens of thousands of people gathered for protest marches in Washington and other cities across the country.
Trump worked the phones, staying in touch with McConnell, while White House legislative affairs director Marc Short and budget chief Mick Mulvaney met at the Capitol with House Republicans. GOP lawmakers voiced support for the White House stance of not negotiating while the government was shuttered.
Behind the scenes, a bipartisan group of 19 senators scrambled to kickstart talks on young immigrants facing deportation, along with budget levels, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, disaster aid and other issues that need to be resolved to reopen the government.
The effects of the shutdown may not be felt immediately, given that many
The way forward remains uncertain. Lawmakers could vote as early as today on another stopgap bill to keep government running for three weeks, until Feb. 8.
government employees do not normally come to work on a weekend. During the last shutdown, in 2013, about 800,000 federal employees were furloughed.
Lawmakers from both parties face political risks with a shutdown of any length
But for now, both sides felt confident that voters were on their side, splitting along hardened partisan lines.
Republicans blamed what they called the “Schumer Shutdown” on Democrats in the Senate, who led the filibuster that halted the House-passed funding bill, which would have continued government operations through Feb. 16.
“We did our job,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan, RWis.
Democrats argued that Republicans, who control the White House and both the House and Senate, are responsible for what they called the “Trump Shutdown.” “I think the American people are smart enough to realize who takes the blame,” said Rep. Linda Sanchez, DCalif.
The way forward remains uncertain. Lawmakers could vote as early as today on another stopgap bill to keep government running for three weeks, until Feb. 8. That vote could push to after midnight under Senate rules, leaving at least the possibility of a resolution before offices open Monday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., who was among the Republicans who helped Democrats filibuster the earlier bill, promoted the threeweek extension as a way to allow time to negotiate.
In particular, negotiators want a commitment for the Senate to consider, by next month, legislation on border security and deportation protection for the young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Democrats have objected to a temporary funding bill, the fifth this fiscal year, unless they have assurances that Trump and Republican leaders would use the intervening time to negotiate.
At one point, Schumer said he thought he and Trump had a deal — with him even agreeing to consider Trump’s request for $20 billion in border wall funds over several years in exchange for deportation protections for the so-called Dreamers, sources said — only to have the president reverse course.
“Negotiating with the White House is like negotiating with Jell-O,” Schumer said.