(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have repeatedly refused to negotiate with President Donald Trump to end the ongoing government shutdown. Other members of their party, however, are not so stubborn. One fed-up Democrat destroyed his party’s leadership on live television over the weekend after watching them perpetuate a shutdown that has left government employees without the necessary funds to buy groceries and pay their bills.
President Donald Trump has spent the last month working to find a compromise with the Democrats which would provide $5.7 billion in funding for the border wall and reopen the government. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, have been notably less enthusiastic about striking a deal with the president, opting to partake in lavish vacations and luxury getaways with lobbyists instead.
This behavior could not have been a bigger slap in the face to government employees who are without paychecks and struggling to put food on the table for their families and pay their mortgages, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi showed no sign of slowing down her busy schedule of jet-setting on the taxpayer’s dime. Ultimately, President Trump decided to deny her the use of government aircraft for her globetrotting.
Last week, Trump grounded Pelosi’s flight to Belgium, Egypt, and Afghanistan, citing the government shutdown and pending negotiations, and adding that if she wanted to “fly commercial” at her own expense instead of utilizing a military aircraft, she could certainly do so.
Even without another trip on the horizon, however, Pelosi refused to negotiate with the president over the weekend when he proposed granting a three-year protection period from deportation for those with status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) order signed by former President Barack Obama in return for $5.7 billion for the border wall.
But not everyone in the Democratic Party is proud of this behavior. In an interview with Fox News, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) explained that he sees the partial shutdown as “disgraceful” and wants to do what it takes to work with Republicans to reopen the government.
“I think we need to ensure that we negotiate as much as possible, as soon as possible 24/7,” said the congressman. “I believe it’s been disgraceful to see our Coast Guard literally on soup lines and going to kitchens just to get food. I think it’s disgraceful to see that our corrections officers, our federal corrections officers are affected by all of this.”
“If we all feel this way, I mean if we really do feel this way, this is not just some amorphous, philosophical issue — these are real people that can’t pay real bills — then we’ve got to get this done,” he added.
According to Van Drew, there is a “part of the party” that is willing to come to an agreement that includes increased funding for the wall. “It doesn’t mean we’re fractured and everybody has split apart, it just means that we need to get this done,” he said.
“If we all know we want to do something about DACA, we all know that we want to immediately open up our government, then we know that the problem is border security. So let’s sit down,” concluded the New Jersey Democrat.
You would think that the vast amount of government employees who are suffering would surely be enough to bring Democratic leadership to the table, but apparently not. They ought to be spending every second of every day working to end this shutdown, but sadly, President Trump is the only one working overtime to do the right thing.
Do Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer really care more about the interests of those undocumented immigrants who cross our border illegally than they do about suffering American citizens? Or are they allowing their hatred for President Trump to supersede their love for their country and constituents? Any way you slice it, it isn’t a good look.
