President Donald Trump tweeted a thank you to the federal workers who have been working without pay, while his government shutdown rages on.
‘To all of the great people who are working so hard for your Country and not getting paid I say, THANK YOU – YOU ARE GREAT PATRIOTS!’ Trump tweeted on Saturday.
‘We must now work together, after decades of abuse, to finally fix the Humanitarian, Criminal & Drug Crisis at our Border. WE WILL WIN BIG!’
Trump, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer remain at odds over Trump’s requested $5.7 billion to fund a border wall, which has delayed the passing of a spending bill that would reopen government
The Republican-controlled Senate, however, could cooperate with House Democrats to bring the shutdown to an end, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won’t allow it.
President Donald Trump tweeted a thank you to the federal workers who have been working without pay for the past month, while his government shutdown rages on over funding for a border wall. Trump (left) is pictured Trump while hosting a Naturalization Ceremony, as Vice President Mike Pence (right) looks on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington,DC on Saturday
‘To all of the great people who are working so hard for your Country and not getting paid I say, THANK YOU – YOU ARE GREAT PATRIOTS! We must now work together, after decades of abuse, to finally fix the Humanitarian, Criminal & Drug Crisis at our Border. WE WILL WIN BIG!’ Trump tweeted on Saturday
After tweeting his thanks, Trump posted a message from his son, Donald Trump, Jr. which was first tweeted on Saturday. Don Jr. wrote:
‘Maybe the left will one day stop trying desperately to destroy my family and especially @realDonaldTrump. Till then they will keep failing miserably while also undermining themselves and our democracy.’
Before that, Trump retweeted and quote-tweeted others in praise of himself, as well as one post from First Lady Melania Trump.
‘A truly great First Lady who doesn’t get the credit she deserves!’ Trump commented, while quoting his wife, who posted, ‘It has been an unforgettable two years in the @WhiteHouse. I am honored to serve this great nation! [American flag emoji].’
Melanie shared the post on the second anniversary of Trump’s inauguration.
Before tweeting his thanks, Trump retweeted and quote-tweeted others in praise of himself, as well as one post from First Lady Melania Trump, on the second anniversary of his inauguration
Trump also retweeted anniversary messages from the official White House account, and Vice President Mike Pence
McDaniel wrote: ‘So many accomplishments from @realDonaldTrump and his administration over the past two years!’
Trump also retweeted anniversary messages from the official White House account, Vice President Mike Pence and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
Pence wrote on Sunday: ‘Honored to serve as @POTUS Trump’s Vice President these past two years, working to deliver historic results for the American people – an economic boom, rolling back red tape, rebuilding our military & restoring American leadership on the world stage. PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!’
McDaniel wrote: ‘So many accomplishments from @realDonaldTrump and his administration over the past two years!’
Trump also quoted a tweet by Casino star James Woods from Saturday, thanking Woods for praising the president for a proposal to extend temporary protections for ‘Dreamers,’ in exchange for border wall funding.
Trump also quoted a tweet by Casino star James Woods from Saturday, thanking Woods for praising the president for a proposal to extend temporary protections for ‘Dreamers,’ in exchange for border wall funding.
‘Dreamers’ are people who were brought to the US illegally as children, and were previously protected under the Obama administration’s DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) initiative.
Trump announced the end of DACA in September 5, 2017, but that’s been legally challenged. While new applications are not currently being accepted, ‘renewal applications are still being accepted for those who currently have DACA or have had DACA in the past, even if it’s already expired,’ according to iAmerica.org.
‘But things are changing quickly. So if you or someone you know is a DACA recipient and have not yet renewed their DACA status, it is important to apply for renewal now,’ the site has warned.
Trump shared similar messages from Senators John Hoeven, Jerry Moran, Thom Tillis, James Lankford and Marco Rubio.
Rubio wrote: ‘.@POTUS offers to support two bills sponsored by Dems in exchange for Border Security & the instant reaction from Dem leaders is No. Because denying him a win on border matters more to them than paying fed workers or 3 yrs of certainty for TPS & DACA recipients.’
Trump shared similar messages from Senators John Hoeven, Jerry Moran, Thom Tillis, James Lankford and Marco Rubio
Trump announced the end of DACA in September 5, 2017, but that’s been legally challenged
While new applications are not currently being accepted, ‘renewal applications are still being accepted for those who currently have DACA or have had DACA in the past, even if it’s already expired,’ according to iAmerica.org
Rubio wrote: ‘.@POTUS offers to support two bills sponsored by Dems in exchange for Border Security & the instant reaction from Dem leaders is No. Because denying him a win on border matters more to them than paying fed workers or 3 yrs of certainty for TPS & DACA recipients’
Another retweet by Trump welcomed new senators to the Senate Budget Committee
Another retweet by Trump welcomed new senators to the Senate Budget Committee.
The agencies that are affected by the shutdown right now are the Environmental Protection Agency, the IRS, and the departments of State, Housing and Urban Development; Treasury; Agriculture; Commerce; Interior; Justice; and Homeland Security, and funding for food stamps will run out in March.
For now, the military (aside from the US Coast Guard) and the departments of Veterans Affairs; Labor; Education; and Health and Human Services are not impacted, as they are being funded by a spending bill that doesn’t expire until September 30.
US Coast Guard members were spotted on Saturday at a food back in California, where they were being provided with free groceries.
A similar site could be seen in Virgina, as hundreds of volunteers and recipients gathered at the Help for Hampton Roads Coast Guard Families food drive, sponsored by the Chief Petty Officer Association, in Chesapeake, to beneit families affected by the shutdown.
Republican lawmakers close to the White House have ventured a guess that it will take Transportation Security Administration employees calling out sick and leaving ‘American furious about their flights’ to bring an end to the stalemate, the Washington Post’s Robert Costa tweeted on Tuesday.
The agencies that are affected by the shutdown right now are the Environmental Protection Agency, the IRS, and the departments of State, Housing and Urban Development; Treasury; Agriculture; Commerce; Interior; Justice; and Homeland Security, and funding for food stamps will run out in March. A US Coast Guard member is pictured carryign a box of free groceries during a food giveaway on Saturday in Novato, Californi
For now, the military (aside from the US Coast Guard) and the departments of Veterans Affairs; Labor; Education; and Health and Human Services are not impacted, as they are being funded by a spending bill that doesn’t expire until September 30. US Coast Guard families wait in line to receive free groceries during a food giveaway on Saturday in Novato, California
US Coast Guard families are pictured receiving fresh produce during a food giveaway on Saturday in Novato, California
Hundreds of volunteers and recipients are pictured at the Help for Hampton Roads Coast Guard Families food drive, sponsored by the Chief Petty Officer Association, in Chesapeake, Virginia for families affected by the shutdown
TSA closed one of three security checkpoints at the main airport in Maryland until further notice due to staffing issues created by the government shutdown.
‘Yesterday, TSA began exercising a contingency plan at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport due to excessive callouts,’ the agency announced in a press release on Sunday.
‘Checkpoint A was closed at 5.35pm and will continue to be until further notice. Passengers should arrive early and check with the airport and airlines for updates.’
The BWI airport said it expected ‘minimal, if any’ problems for passengers due to the indefinite closure of at least one checkpoint, thanks to agents missing work while they are not being paid due to the shutdown.
Nationwide, TSA administrator David Pekoske has said many staff employees are calling out of work because they can’t afford to get there.
On Saturday, TSA experienced a national rate of eight percent of unscheduled absences compared to a three percent rate one year ago on the same day, TSA said in its statement on Sunday.
‘TSA officers are resilient during this time, yet there is a rise in callouts from officers who say they are not able to report to work due to financial reasons,’ Pekoske tweeted on Thursday.
‘I understand this and where necessary, we will exercise contingency plans using the resources & staff available.’
Meanwhile, the Internal Revenue Service is recalling about 46,000 of its employees furloughed by the government shutdown to handle tax returns and pay out refunds, but won’t be paying the workers.
With the official start of the tax filing season coming on January 28, Trump’s administration has promised that taxpayers owed refunds will be paid on time, despite the disruption in government services caused by the record-breaking partial shutdown.
There had been growing concern that the shutdown would delay refunds worth hundreds of billions of dollars because the money wouldn’t be available for them from Congress.
But last week, the administration said customary shutdown policies will be reversed to make the money available to pay refunds on time.
And at least for now, it’s going to take unpaid labor from 60 percent of the IRS’s work force to get that ball rolling.
An IRS document detailing its new shutdown plan shows that 46,052 agency employees will be called back to work, of the total workforce of 80,265, to help ensure people don’t have to wait longer than expected for those checks.
Only about 10,000 IRS employees had previously been deemed essential and have been working.
Democrats say they will discuss border security once the government has reopened, but Pelosi is refusing money for the wall that Democrats view as ineffective and immoral.
Trump retweeted Mark Meadows, saying: ‘This is the latest and most significant step yet of POTUS showing his willingness to negotiate and compromise with Democrats on the issue of wall funding. At this point, if Democrats refuse to come to the table, it will show they are not at all serious about solving this impasse’
Trump previously quoted Jim Inhofe saying ‘It’s the Democrats keeping everything closed’ and the two had a meta-moment, when Inhofe quote-tweeted the president quoting him, and then Trump retweeted that tweet
Democrats say they will discuss border security once the government has reopened, but Pelosi is refusing money for the wall that Democrats view as ineffective and immoral. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (right) are pictured listening during an event to introduce a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Wednesday
Trump and Jim Inhofe had a very meta moment over social media on Sunday.
The president previously quoted Inhofe saying ‘It’s the Democrats keeping everything closed,’ which Inhofe then quote-tweeted reaffirming the statement, and then Trump retweeted that tweet.
Republicans actually could choose to work with Democrats on their own, without the president, to pass a funding bill.
McConnell, one of the Republican US Senators for the state of Kentucky, has now twice blocked a bill that had had passed in the Democratic-majority-controlled House which aimed to reopened all aspects of government, this second time except for the Department of Homeland Security.
McConnell has noted that he won’t allow anything to come to a vote in the Senate that won’t ultimately be signed into law by Trump, or that he says won’t pass the Senate.
Mitch McConnell, one of the Republican US Senators for the state of Kentucky, has now twice blocked a bill that had had passed in the Democratic-majority-controlled House which aimed to reopened all aspects of government, this second time except for the Department of Homeland Security. McConnel is pictured in Washington, DC on January 15
‘The Senate will not waste its time considering a Democratic bill, which cannot pass this chamber and which the president will not sign,’ McConnell said before the Senate on January 2, a mere 12 days into the shutdown.
What McConnell didn’t say is that the House and Senate could override a veto by Trump on a budget bill, but it would require a two-thirds vote in both bodies.
And McConnell has exclusive control over what goes to a vote on the Senate floor, under its current rules.
‘Under the rules of the Senate, McConnell can control which legislation reaches the floor, and he has chosen not to allow a vote on any bill that Trump would veto,’ Amanda Frost, Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, told WUSA9’s Verify team.
‘McConnell also refused to allow hearings or a vote on Obama’s supreme court nominee. The Senate can change its rules anytime, but there is nothing unconstitutional about creating them and abiding by them.’
The federal government has been partially shut down since December 22, making Monday the 31st day that approximately 800,000 federal employees have been either required to work without pay for the time being, or be furloughed.
Congress has already passed a bill that guarantees that federal workers who are still showing up to their jobs without pay will be paid for their work once the shutdown ends.
The previous longest-lasting government shutdown in history happened at the end of 1995 and beginning of 1996, lasting 21 days under President Bill Clinton.