Dems flex power, challenge Trump to end shutdown

IN THE DUMPS Uncollected trash has turned parts of Washington into a dump, with the partial shutdown of the US government in the last two weeks resulting in the breakdown of basic services. Several tourist sites have also been shuttered for lack of funding. —AFP

WASHINGTON—Democrats wasted no time flexing their new power in the US House of Representatives on Thursday by approving legislation backed by new Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would end a 13-day partial government shutdown, ignoring President Donald Trump’s demand for $5 billion for a border wall.

Thursday marked the first day of divided government in Washington since Trump took office in January 2017, as Democrats took control in the House from his fellow Republicans, who remain in charge of the Senate.

The 2019-2020 Congress convened with roughly a quarter of the federal government closed, affecting 800,000 employees, in a shutdown triggered by Trump’s demand last month for the money for a US-Mexican border wall—opposed by Democrats—as part of any legislation funding government agencies.

“We’re not doing a wall. It has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with a wall [that’s] an immorality between countries. It’s an old way of thinking. It isn’t cost effective,” Pelosi told reporters late on Thursday.

In an unannounced appearance in the White House briefing room, Trump made the case for the border wall:  “The wall—you can call it a barrier, you can call it whatever you want—but essentially we need protection in our country,” he told reporters.

Trump made the wall—a project estimated to cost about $23 billion—a key campaign promise in 2016, saying Mexico would pay for it and arguing that it was needed to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Wall slammed as gimmick

The border guards, who were with Trump during his unannounced appearance at the Capitol, took turns hailing his commitment to the wall, which Democrats and much of the public denounce as a gimmick that does not consider the realities of immigration.

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council and an ardent supporter of Trump in Fox News appearances, said that not all federal workers were critical of the shutdown.

“We didn’t have physical barriers there, and illegal immigration and drug smuggling was absolutely out of control. We built those walls, those physical barriers, and illegal immigration dropped exponentially,” he said.

Late on Thursday, the House passed two Democratic bills to immediately reopen government agencies for varying lengths of time, despite a White House veto threat.

The two-part Democratic package includes a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Feb. 8, provide $1.3 billion for border fencing, and $300 million for other border security items including technology and cameras.

The second part would fund the other federal agencies that were now unfunded, including the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Commerce, and Justice through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

Work without pay

Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, labeled the House effort “political theater, not productive lawmaking,” even though the Senate last month approved identical legislation.

Without a deal to end the partial government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security will not be able to bring some furloughed workers back to their jobs, while others will be forced to work without paychecks for the time being.

Visitors to Smithsonian museums, among Washington’s most popular tourist attractions, were being turned away during the shutdown, as were visitors to many of the nation’s federal parks.

Congressional leaders from both parties were set to return for another round of talks on Friday, a sign that the shutdown was likely to continue at least for the rest of the week.

Closed parks, filthy toilets

National parks, including California’s Joshua Tree and Yosemite, have closed campgrounds after toilets threatened to overflow with human waste. The immigration court system, already suffocating under a massive backlog, is largely shuttered.

In Washington, the 17 museums run by the Smithsonian as well as the National Zoo closed their doors on Wednesday after running out of emergency funding, leaving tourists frustrated with both Trump and Congress.

Unlike in some previous shutdowns, including a 16-day impasse in 2013, many national parks have remained open, though without staff to collect trash and service restrooms. Advocates have voiced alarm that an extended shutdown could cause environmental damage. —WITH REPORTS FROM AFP