Potential Ending to the Government Shutdown – Will it Happen?

At this stage of a government shutdown we normally reach a point where one party comprises on an issue, but this just doesn’t seem to be the case with either House Democrats or President Trump. With this in mind, we are curious to investigate any potential endings to this shutdown, and whether or not they are likely to lead to a solution of any kind.

Compromise for Speaker Pelosi

The Democrats had big plans in the House and aren’t be able to express themselves fully with the current situation. Could Nancy Pelosi agree to a compromise for the amount President Trump is hoping to use for the wall? In truth, the answer to this is a resounding ‘no’ because, as her first major test in the role, she’s likely to want to show strength to fellow Democrats and therefore won’t yield to Trump’s request.

Compromise for President Trump

On the other hand, new polls seem to be blaming Trump for the shutdown so he could agree to a proposal put forward by the Democrats. In the short-term, most government agencies would receive funding while the long-term would hold a continued battle for the funding of the wall. Is this likely? Back in December, Trump agreed to a similar deal but was soon put under pressure by Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh on their conservative talk show. Therefore, his stance has strengthened since, and he’s unlikely to go down this route.

White House and Congressional Democrat Compromise

Thirdly, despite eluding Washington for many years, we could see a compromise on immigration between these two parties. Senator Lindsey Graham (Rep) has already discussed a so-called ‘trade-off’ where ‘DREAMers’ are protected, and Trump receives funding for the wall. For many who left their countries due to a particular crisis and were offered temporary visas, they could also receive protection.

Senate Republicans’ Anxiety Prevails

For many Republican senators, they face election in 2020 so are becoming more and more anxious about their reputation back home as the shutdown continues. Could these Republicans approve the funding bill which has already been passed by the House and approved by the Senate?

For Mitch McConnell, just one Republican up for election, he doesn’t see the point in challenging the president and isn’t willing to bring a bill to Trump when the chances of him signing are slim anyway. Furthermore, the likelihood of Congress overriding a Trump veto is just as slim. Even if the Senate managed the required two-thirds of support, the Republicans are still unlikely to join with Democrats in overriding.

Emergency

Failing all else, a national state of emergency could be called by the president and the wall could receive funding from the Pentagon. Separate action would be required from the president and Congress for government agencies to be funded. If President Trump were to declare an emergency at the border, it could lead to all sorts of court challenges, and many of Trump’s advisors have suggested he doesn’t have the authority to act in this way. Meanwhile, some Republicans have warned a national emergency could open the door for equally powerful actions from future Democratic presidents.