Pelosi says another shutdown ‘not going to happen’

February 15 is rapidly approaching, and thus the deadline for lawmakers to agree on a budget for the federal government. Of course, the question on everybody’s mind is, will there be another government shutdown?

According to Rep. Nanci Pelosi (D-CA), there will not. The House Speaker, in a recent interview with Politico, insisted that not only will there not be another government shutdown but that President Donald Trump will not receive funding for the most contentious item on the budget — a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

How is Pelosi going to pull this one off?

The first time around the budget discussion table, Democrat and Republican congress members were so unwilling to budge from their respective positions on the wall that the government entered a 35 day shutdown — the longest in history, lasting from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019.

Here we are, just a few weeks later, and not much has changed. Trump is still determined to get the wall built, calling for it once again in his recent State of the Union speech, and Democrats are still against it.

Yet, in the interview with Politico, Pelosi resolutely stated, “There will not be another government shutdown. No, it’s not going to happen.”

So, what’s going to give? Pelosi based her prediction on the notion that Republican lawmakers are unwilling to face the political consequences of another shutdown, and will capitulate on the wall.

“I have a club that I started, it’s called the ‘Too Hot to Handle Club,'” she said. “And this is a too-hot-to-handle issue.”

Willing to compromise … mostly

Thus, before even heading into the budget discussion, Pelosi has made up her mind that there will be no funding for the wall. But she does not expect the Democrats to get a complete windfall.

Pelosi told Politico that she would be willing to compromise on a wide range of issues. Lowering prescription drug prices, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, and rebuilding infrastructure would all fall into this category.

But, as Politico reported, “She remains firm that there won’t be new money for Trump’s wall.”

The mistaken notion

The other side of the coin, which Pelosi may be forgetting, is that there is a sizable number of Americans that understand the importance of the wall to the safety of our country, and who will be even more upset with their representatives in Congress if they give in to Democrats on this issue.

Furthermore, just because Pelosi says something doesn’t mean that her party has to follow. Indeed, another report from the same publisher, Politico, suggests that Democrats and Republicans are “closing in” on a wall deal to avoid another shutdown.

---