Partial federal government shutdown hits seven days
The government shutdown is now into day seven. Senator John Kennedy says negotiations have stalled, and it’s looking increasingly unlikely they’ll have the votes to pass a budget that includes 5.7 billion in border wall funding demanded by the President.
“It could go on a while. If it goes until January 3rd when the new Congress commences, there will be a new, liberal majority in the House of Representatives.”
Democrats say they’ll refuse to sign any budget that pays for the President’s border wall. Kennedy blames the impasse on internal party politics surrounding potential Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
“She wants to be Speaker of the House, and she’s not negotiating in good faith with the President about border security, because she hasn’t been elected Speaker yet.”
A bill with wall money narrowly cleared the House but is stuck in the Senate, where it needs 60 votes for approval. Many conservative advocates have called on Republican leaders to exercise the “nuclear option” that would allow items to pass the Senate with only a 51 vote majority, but…
“If you do that, it is very risky. If the Democrats take control of the Senate at some point, then that would mean that we Republicans in the minority cannot do anything to stop them.”
Governor Edwards says the shutdown is shameful and needs to be solved quickly in a bi-partisan manner.