Government shuts down
Posted by Josh Taylor / December 22, 2018
The U.S. House of Representatives adjourned Friday night without approving government funding. As a result, the government will shut down. The House will return on Saturday afternoon.
The New York Times reports that there has been a series of behind-the-scenes attempts to avoid the shutdown, carried out by everyone but Trump.
While the president has been unwilling to consider dropping his demand to fund his signature campaign promise, Mr. Pence and other White House officials were discussing a number of potential compromises that would force him to do just that, omitting spending on a wall and instead adding money for other security measures at the border, according to several officials with knowledge of the talks.
The editorial board of the New York Times calls this a breakdown rather than a shutdown:
This is what happens when the nation’s chief executive holds a leadership philosophy akin to that of the Petyr Baelish character on “Game of Thrones” — namely, that “chaos is a ladder.” For most people, uncertainty and disorder are scary, unsettling forces to be avoided. But for Mr. Trump, they are cherished friends and strategic assets, in part specifically because other people are so anxious to avoid them. The president clearly believes that throwing everyone else off balance gives him an edge — that is, if he can make the turmoil fierce enough, those around him will give up and give in.
The Washington Post highlights the chaos Trump has inspired in the last week, culminating in the shutdown.
More news.
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