The risk of a partial government shutdown at the end of January grew more likely Saturday after Senate Democrats vowed to block a funding package over a fatal Minneapolis shooting involving federal law enforcement authorities.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Saturday evening said that Democrats will block a major government funding package if it includes money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), calling the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis “appalling.”
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city,” Schumer said in a statement.
They did block the funding cuts in the longest shutdown the country has seen (so far). I was disappointed in the cuts but Dems were running out of options, Republicans were talking about getting rid of the filibuster, which they will do if Dems block them for too long. Ending the shutdown allowed for the vote on the Epstein files. It also hung the consequences of the cuts on the current administration while also making a statement that the Dems were against it. If they had held out, it’s likely they would lose even more power. Let’s face it, in the current political climate the Dems have a very shitty hand. Direct the hate where it belongs: Republicans.
The dems had the support of their entire base and most of the country, Republicans ending the philibuster and shoving it through anyway would have been extremely unpopular, even among their base. Everyone I knew was talking about how the Republicans were refusing to negotiate, then right after everyone was talking about how the dems folded as they always do… Even if they DID end the philibuster, it would show people democrats are finally trying every option possible like the Republicans have been doing for the last 10 years. The dems can make whatever statement they want, Republicans will enforce a police state but at least I know my representative was upset about it. Yes we got the epstein files with about 2 lines unredacted, I think most people would prefer their representatives fight for their healthcare instead.
This is also not a 1 time thing, Republicans philibuster Obama’s scotus pick, and democrats say “well that’s improper we can’t do that back.” Just about every chance they’ve had to fold they have and people are sick of it. If someone is beating a person up and I wag my finger at them, I’m not as bad as the person beating them up, but I’m sure not doing anything to stop it.
Getting rid of the filibuster would be good for our Democracy. That’s what has been used regularly by Republicans to stall and blockade acts in the Senate. Would that have happened? I don’t think so. Trump was demanding Republicans to remove the Filibuster on Truth, but Trump’s Truth Social posts are the least consistent metric for what this administration will do.
About the shutdown: from a humanitarian view, communities were banding together; giving with food drives and free meals to feed people when SNAP benefits were withheld – and that withholding was being challenged in the courts. Lower courts sided with the states on giving out that money. The SCotUS ended up copping out on making a decision because the shutdown was reversed. Had they made a choice, I think the SNAP benefits would have been distributed. At the very least, Senate Dems could have waited until the ruling was made.
You know what communities can’t band together to distribute? Healthcare. The ACA funding was far more important than SNAP benefits.