Trump Faces Off With Democrats, as Both Sides Refuse to Budge on the Budget: ‘I Know of No Plan’

Budget wars. Wall wars. Washington.

Friday approaches, and Trump remains positioned to resist any sort of a cave, despite Democrats’ firmly planted feet over a spending package.

When the clock strikes midnight, Government shutdown will be coming down all of our chimneys. Merry Christmas.

The President’s sticking to his guns over border wall funding. He demands $5 billion for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, but Dems aren’t keen on giving a cent over $1.3. That will provide fencing and security, but no wall.

It’s the same ol’ same ol’. Each side will blame the other.

Personally, I think the Democrats have painted themselves in a corner. Their staunch refusal to acquiesce to anything Trumpian has demanded they resist his greatest campaign promise. Some have admitted we need a secure border, but they cannot, at this point, agree to the wall on principle. If they do, they’ll seem as a trader to the party. I imagine they’d be more likely to appropriate funds for a spiked pit, a shark-infested moat, a dragon-filled maze, a 2,000-mile-long guillotine. Anything but a wall. They’re stuck in Stupid Mode, wrenched into it via the last two years of opposition for opposition’s sake.

On Monday evening, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn offered — to reference Seinfeld — a “Prognosis Negative” as he exited a meeting:

“I know of no plan.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer expressed similar hopelessness:

“President Trump still doesn’t have a plan to keep the government open. … So everyone knows the situation: even with a Republican Congress, no threat or temper tantrum will get the president his wall.”

Via Twitter, Trump called “hogwash” on Dems’ posturing over wall-less security:

“Anytime you hear a Democrat saying that you can have good Border Security without a Wall, write them off as just another politician following the party line. Time for us to save billions of dollars a year and have, at the same time, far greater safety and control!”

Anytime you hear a Democrat saying that you can have good Border Security without a Wall, write them off as just another politician following the party line. Time for us to save billions of dollars a year and have, at the same time, far greater safety and control!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 17, 2018

Tuesday morning, he continued:

Illegal immigration costs the United States more than 200 Billion Dollars a year. How was this allowed to happen?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2018

Meanwhile, many anti-Trump voters are ensconced in this sort of gets-you-nowhere meaninglessness:

A wall we can all support! pic.twitter.com/pqaBkaF9Dn

— SueBHuni (@SueBHuni) December 18, 2018

There is one possibility for a federal continuation: the President could give the green light to a short-term funding provision known as a “CR,” which would keep the ball in play while delaying voting for difficult funding matters.

Folks, it’s a showdown.

As stated by Fox News:

The ball seems to be in the president’s court: Lawmakers from both sides seem willing to punt into the New Year, and fight then.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, continue to push the same plan offered during last week’s contentious Oval Office meeting with Trump. The proposal would wrap together six appropriations bills with a one-year spending measure for the Department of Homeland Security – including the $1.3 billion for border security. An alternative is a one-year funding package for all seven outstanding spending bills.

Cowboy Trump means business. It’s why the country elected him.

But gridlock gets nothing done. So what’s the right course of action?

Friday is certainly coming soon. However, three days in Washington years is a pretty long time. Anything could happen.

But it probably won’t.

Stay tuned.

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