Wall Impasse Frustrates Many Newly Elected House Democrats

[Pitcher]

MWASHINGTON—As the partial government shutdown stretches on, some House Democrats have grown concerned by what they see as the absence of a clear strategy from party leaders over how to end it.

Some newly elected Democrats are increasingly frustrated that they are taking complaints from angry constituents without having a mapped-out plan to end the partial shutdown—which became the longest in modern history over the weekend. Many believe they were elected to Congress to try to end its dysfunction and had hoped to be reaching a bipartisan compromise over border security to reopen the government. 

 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) enjoys broad support among her caucus just weeks after Democrats took back control of the chamber and elected her its leader, and few dispute her opposition to building a border wall. Yet while the wall for many has become a toxic symbol of President Trump’s immigration agenda, some Democrats would rather be emphasizing an effort to reach an agreement with Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans.

“There’s a number of us on the Democratic side who are quite concerned that we’re not working on negotiated positions and taking the bull by the horns and trying to think about what it would look like,” said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a new Michigan lawmaker and former Central Intelligence Agency analyst.

Centrist Democrats huddled with Republicans on Thursday night to try to find a compromise to pitch to leadership. So far, none of lawmakers’ efforts to cut a deal have managed to end the impasse with the White House.

 

Some Democrats are concerned that giving the president any compromise could lead to more shutdowns in the future. This is already the third government shutdown of Mr. Trump’s presidency. “Next he’ll want a moat with alligators,” said Rep. Harley Rouda (D., Calif.).

When asked about concerns within her caucus on Friday, Mrs. Pelosi said, “We’re in pretty good unity in our conference.” 

She and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) have rejected Mr. Trump’s demand that lawmakers approve $5.7 billion to build the border wall as a condition of reopening the government. A meeting on Wednesday ended after Mrs. Pelosi told the president she wouldn’t support a border wall even if he opened the government for 30 days. The president abruptly left, saying “Bye-bye.”

Plenty of Democrats support Mrs. Pelosi’s strategy, which includes passing bills that have bipartisan support in the Senate. The House first passed a package of bills that would fund most of the government through September and extend current funding for Homeland Security through Feb. 8. Later the House passed a series of individual spending bills. Some Republican senators have urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) to pass the bills.

 

“We had a very good opening gambit,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D., N.J.).

 

Democratic aides note that Mr. Trump is a difficult negotiating partner, frequently shifting positions and complicating the efforts of anyone trying to cut a deal with him.

Still, many new Democratic lawmakers who beat Republicans in the 2018 midterm want their leadership to be more aggressive in at least trying to strike a compromise. Many of them will be among the most vulnerable in the 2020 elections, as Republicans fight to win their majority back. Their new offices, some still crowded with boxes and not yet fully staffed, have been flooded with phone calls from angry federal employees and others affected by the shutdown, asking when it will end. 

While few support the border wall, some are concerned the tone of the negotiations hasn’t conveyed their willingness to reach an agreement to tighten border security. Democratic leaders have focused on reopening the government first but have said they support more border security.

“Compromise is the best way forward, and at the end no one is going to get everything they want, but we have to realize that people’s lives are at stake and we have to get things done,” said Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D., N.Y.).

Mrs. Pelosi has called the wall “immoral,” as well as expensive and ineffective, but some Democrats believe they should be emphasizing the fiscal argument over the moral one.

“I’m very comfortable saying no to $40, $50 billion that we don’t have, that we’d have to borrow from China, to build a wall that would be incredibly ineffective,” said Rep. Ron Kind, a centrist Democrat who represents a Wisconsin district Mr. Trump won. “We can be making that point of emphasis a little stronger,” he said. “Anytime you can get Democrats back talking about fiscal responsibility again, that’s a good place for us to be.”

Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Hoyer have been trying to provide lawmakers with resources and keep them updated on negotiations, an aide said. Her office found some lawmakers weren’t receiving notices from Democratic leaders because they didn’t have their email set up, which led to some of the confusion over strategy, her spokesman Drew Hammill said. 

Mrs. Pelosi sent out new talking points on the shutdown to Democrats on Friday night.

The public has so far put more of the blame for the shutdown on Mr. Trump, taking some of the pressure off Democratic leaders. A poll released last week by Reuters/Ipsos found that 51% of adults believe the president deserves “most of the blame” for the shutdown, followed by 32% blaming Democrats and 7% blaming congressional Republicans.

And Democrats know that Mrs. Pelosi faces competing pressure from the party’s left wing, which would push back fiercely should she signal any willingness to fund the wall.

“It would come from those of us who believe we’ve already given enough wall funding away,” said Rep. Filemon Vela (D., Texas). “I would go much further than that. I would tear the existing structure down.”

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wall-impasse-frustrates-many-newly-elected-house-democrats-11547380801?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1

[Pitcher]

30 Democrats in Puerto Rico with 109 lobbyists for weekend despite shutdown

 

Some 30 Democratic lawmakers left the government shutdown behind Friday on a chartered flight to Puerto Rico for a winter retreat with 109 lobbyists and corporate executives during which they planned to see the hit Broadway show “Hamilton” and attend three parties including one with the show’s cast. 

Those attending the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC winter retreat in San Juan planned to meet with key officials to discuss the cleanup after Hurricane Maria at a roundtable Saturday. 

But the weekend is packed with free time for the members and their families on the trip. 

 

“We are excited for you to join us for CHC BOLD PAC’s 2019 Winter Retreat in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Each year, this retreat serves as a way for our CHC BOLD PAC Members and friends in the D.C. community to come together to escape the cold and discuss our shared priorities for a stronger and more prosperous country,” said a memo on the trip. 

Some 109 lobbyists and corporate executives are named in the memo, a rate of 3.6 lobbyists for every member. They include those from several big K Street firms, R.J. Reynolds, Facebook, Comcast, Amazon, PhRMA, Microsoft, Intel, Verizon, and unions like the National Education Association. 

Screen shot from BOLD PAC memo.

The event is taking place in a seaside resort where rooms go for $429 a night. Food is being provided. 

 

BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, chartered a 737 for members, their families, and chiefs of staff to attend the weekend. The memo said the weather will be a balmy 80 degrees. The dress code is "resort casual." 

A spokesman would not identify the members, but Secrets obtained a list that included several congressional leaders. On the list was Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but an official in her office said that she did not make the trip.

Neither did Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Lujan, a spokeswoman said Saturday.

“This year’s winter retreat promises to be our most widely attended yet with over 220 guests, including 39 Members of Congress and CHC BOLD PAC supporters expected to attend and participate!” said the planning memo. 

The trip represented the largest congressional delegation to Puerto Rico since the September 2017 hurricane and members were to spend part of their time focused on that issue, according to the schedule.

In addition, their chartered jet carried 250 pounds of donated medical supplies.

But the junket comes at an awkward time, on the day 800,000 federal workers did not receive their first paycheck of the shutdown, with many worried about basic living expenses like food. 

Bold PAC Chair Rep. Tony Cardenas said in a statement: "House Democrats voted to open the government multiple times; sadly, Senate Republicans and President Trump are continuing to put partisan politics ahead of our country, forcing the government to remain shut down. As our Bold PAC members make their way to Puerto Rico for this important weekend — the largest contingency of House Democrats to visit Puerto Rico where they'll be hearing from Commonwealth and local elected officials about the ongoing recovery efforts — we will be closely monitoring the situation in Washington. If there is any progress by Senate Republicans or the White House to reopen the federal government, then we will act accordingly." 

He added: “This gathering was planned months before Trump decided to shut down the federal government for his unnecessary and costly border wall. The purpose of hosting Bold PAC’s retreat in Puerto Rico is to see and hear from the more than 3.5 million American citizens who have been working tirelessly to rebuild their lives on the Island after Hurricane Maria. This remains a national priority, and it is necessary for us to be there and honor our fellow American children, seniors, veterans, men and women." 

 

The members paid for Hamilton tickets on their own. The party with the cast is sponsored by Latino Victory, a Democratic political action committee. 

They are scheduled to see the show Sunday and return home at 4:45 p.m. Monday.

Cristobal J. Alex, the president of Latino Victory, tweeted that the gathering will focus on the island’s recovery. “We’re on the ground in #PuertoRico prepping for this major gathering. The island is still reeling for Trump’s failures. There are displaced in need. We need Congress to act. @latinovictoryus,” he tweeted.

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/30-dems-in-puerto-rico-with-109-lobbyists-for-weekend-despite-shutdown

[md11fr8dawg]

Yeah Baby, those Rats really care about the little guy, you know their base!! Let em eat Cake!!

Edited January 14, 2019 by md11fr8dawg