Congress will be seen as "a bunch of Washington bozos" if a shutdown occurs-Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Last night the House passed HR 195, the Federal Register Printing Savings Act, the name meant to obscure what it really is and make it hard for voters to find a record of who voted for and who opposed the latest Republican short term CR (continuing resolution). It funds the government through Feb. 16 without dealing with DACA if the Senate passes it and Trump signs it. It passed 230-197. 11 Republicans voted NO and 6 fake-Democrats voted YES. The 6 Democraps who broke ranks and threw the DREAMers under the bus:
• Salud Carbajal (New Dem-CA)• Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)• Vicente Gonzalez (Blue Dog-TX)• Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ)• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
Union activist Randy Bryce, the progressive Democrat who is driving Paul Ryan out of Congress, saw the vote last night in terms of solidarity: "There are times," he told us right after the vote, "when like-minded people need to stick together in order to stand up for the most vulnerable among us. This was one of those times. Disappointed in those who turned their backs."Two of the Republicans who opposed it-- Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, both from overwhelmingly Hispanic districts in South Florida-- did so because Ryan refused to deal with DACA. That was the overwhelming reason behind the nearly universal Democratic opposition in the House as well-- although that wasn't the only reason. Carol Shea Porter (D-NH), for example, told her constituents she opposed it because it failed to increase resources directed at the opioid epidemic fight, failed to provide redictable funding for our military and veterans’ access to health care, failed to help disaster-stricken communities and failed to extend funding for community health centers. She told New Hampshire residents that she was refusing "join House Republicans in abandoning the fundamental tasks of governing by kicking the can down the road yet again on the most basic responsibility we have, funding the government. In a hearing this afternoon, Admiral John M. Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, said, ‘I can’t in good conscience testify before Congress about naval power without mentioning the toxic and corrosive effect of nine years of continuing resolutions and years under the Budget Control Act…The absence of stable and adequate funding for defense makes everything that our sailors and their commanders do harder. On a scale of one to ten, the importance of stable and adequate funding scores an 11.’ This is now the fourth extension, and it is time to end the harmful cycle of lurching between short-term funding bills with the now monthly threat of a government shutdown. These monthly failures to govern are simply unacceptable, and they need to end. I will continue to stand up for Granite Staters, who are sick and tired of the constant dysfunction and excuses. We need to work together to find long-term solutions to the critical issues facing our nation, instead of kicking the can down the road one month at a time."Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) pointed out to her constituents in Seattle that "the majority has made a mockery of our legislative process. We just voted on the fourth continuing resolution in nearly four months. This makes no sense. It is no way to govern. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House, and-- still-- they’re scrambling at the last minute to piece together a patchwork budget that does nothing for the American people. It does nothing but kick the can down the road for another month. It ignores the real challenges we face. Once again, we watched Republicans put in the bare minimum. They denied relief for the 1.5 million Dreamers whose future hangs in the balance. They squashed the hopes of the 122 young people who lose their status each day we wait on a DACA fix. They turned their backs on the people suffering from our nation’s rampant opioid epidemic. They told kids who rely on the Children’s Health Insurance Program that their best interests don’t matter by ignoring our need for a permanent CHIP fix. I refuse to substitute one family's pain for another's gain. This is more than just a spending decision-- it is about the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. It is about the soul of our country. And our country deserves so much better than this."A new Quinnipiac Poll asked: If there’s a government shutdown, who would you blame?
• Congressional Democrats- 34%• Congressional Republicans- 32%• Trump- 21%
We reached out to some of the Blue America-endorsed candidates to see how they're handling the issue in their campaigns. All of them are in sync with what Pramila Jayapal and Carol Shea-Porter were telling their constituents:• DuWayne Gregory (Long Island):"The Republicans have proven again that they cannot handle the mandate to govern. They continue to kick the can down the road while poor children go without healthcare and dreamers live in fear of deportation. America needs leadership now."• Jenny Marshall (northwest North Carolina):"When will we stop kicking the can down the road and demand legislation be passed that is sorely needed? While the bill at least reauthorizes CHIP, the government shutdown is still looming and we did not address the fix needed for Dreamers. The Republicans needed the Democrats and those who voted yes took the crumbs brushed off the bargaining table while leaving the meal untouched. They should have demanded the legislation needed to protect and serve the people who live in this country. They failed."• David Gill (central Illinois):"I think that passing continuing resolutions instead of actual budgets is an irresponsible way to govern. And I could never sign on to a deal which treats young people who came here as children in such a heartless manner. The resolution passed today still leaves hundreds of thousands of dreamers in jeopardy.“• Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (Albuquerque):"Supporting the short term funding fix without addressing the fate of DREAMERS is cruel to the 800,000 young people whose lives have been disrupted by Trump's racist and irrational decision to revoke DACA. Pitting health care for children (CHIP) against security for innocent young DREAMERS (DACA) was a Republican tactic designed to divide Democrats with a 'Sophie's Choice' and give Republicans an illusory way to try to attack Democrats for their vote. The Democrats who fell for this cynical and cruel tactic are the type of politicians that make all politicians look bad. They betrayed Democratic values of compassion and inclusion., I would not fall for this cynical Republican tactic. Republicans own this dysfunctional failure to perform the most basic function of Congress--to fund our government."• Austin Frerick (southwest Iowa):"We are not going to allow 800,000 young Dreamers to be deported. That is what this conservation is about and a short term fix doesn't address this uncertainty for these Dreamers. When Republicans control the Senate, House and White House, and they blame Democrats for the shutdown, I don't think anybody is going to take that seriously. Shame on any Democrat for joining them."• Tom Guild (Oklahoma City):This is no way to run a railroad, much less a country. Congress has not passed a budget for this year, despite an October 1, 2017 deadline for passing the current fiscal year’s budget. Trump’s lackeys in Congress continue to parrot and vote the party line. Chateaubriand and Fancy French Champagne all around at Mara Lago, even if the government shuts down! Trump & his acolytes fiddle as America burns! What a self-absorbed group of elected officials incapable of empathy. Millions of Americans will be affected & hurt by a government shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of DREAMERS cruelly twist in the wind. We have a self-absorbed president and a compliant Republican congressional majority that allows Trump’s ego and their votes to not even do the bare minimum to keep the lights on & the government functioning. How tragic that a proud country's government has come to this! The Needle & the Damage Done! If the government shuts down it will be their doing. They'll try to blame it on everyone in sight. They are severely challenged in the areas of leadership & taking responsibility for their malpractice and inadequate actions."
