Odds Say US Government Shutdown Will Extend Beyond January 18
By Robert Duff in Politics News
Updated: December 31, 2020 at 11:19 am ESTPublished:
- The U.S. Government shutdown began Dec. 21st
- Friday, 800,000 federal workers missed their first 2019 paycheck
- Saturday, it will become the longest government shutdown in American history
Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton to become President of the United States. On Saturday, he will beat Bill Clinton as the sitting President during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Bill Clinton was President during the 21-day deadlock between December 1995 and January 1996. But odds are that Trump isn’t just going to surpass the Clinton shutdown. It looks like he’s going to obliterate it.
BREAKING: Three Republican sources tell me even if Democrats did give Trump wall funding, he wouldn’t reopen the government. He apparently is thrilled about the shutdown. Likes how FBI agents & other federal workers have been furloughed. Truly thinks all federal workers are Dems.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) January 10, 2019
Trump appears to be reveling in the shutdown. No wonder they are offering odds that it will go beyond Jan. 18.
Odds U.S. Government Shutdown Will End on or Before Jan. 18, 2019
| Will U.S. Government Shutdown Will End On Or Before Jan. 18, 2019? | Odds (01/10/19) |
|---|---|
| Yes | +140 |
| No | -180 |
Trump is reported to be considering utilizing FEMA disaster relief funding to pay for his border wall. He continues to suggest he may declare a state of emergency in order to circumvent Congress and gain his border wall money via Executive Order.
Will Trump Go to the Wall?
Has the master of diversion finally hit the wall? Trump has made a career of drawing attention away from what’s really going on, but this time, Congress isn’t budging on his demand for $5.7 billion to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Back on Earth, polling continues to show the shutdown is a loser with voters, and Trump is to blame. https://t.co/VaAS04R9W4
— Jennifer Truth Over Phony Balance Rubin 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@JRubinBlogger) January 11, 2019
Trump, who originally pronounced that he would own the shutdown, has since sought to shift the blame on the shoulders of Democrats, but that doesn’t seem to be taking effect.
Polls this week all show an increasing number of Americans are blaming Trump over Dems for the shutdown. https://t.co/1WcL4D0b1h pic.twitter.com/xa5jwfyRwP
— Janie Velencia (@JanieVelencia) January 9, 2019
On December 25th, an Ipsos/Reuters polled indicated that 47% of Americans blamed Trump for the shutdown. A second Ipsos/Reuters poll, taken January 7th, saw that number jump to 51%. At the same time, those who blamed the shutdown on the Democrats decreased from 33% to 32%.
Shutdown Victims are Fighting Back
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, among the 420,000 federal workers still on the job without pay, filed suit Friday to attempt to force the government to pay them.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Friday hoping to force the government to pay the more than 15,000 air traffic controllers who have been working without wages now for three weeks https://t.co/ntKqQbI1bu
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 11, 2019
Also on Friday, some federal workers took to posting their pay stubs on social media.
If you wonder how the shut down is really affecting folks… my brother’s pay stub as an Air Traffic Controller… be better America pic.twitter.com/6XhZ5ROqvx
— cat heifner (@catheifner) January 10, 2019
There are also fears that the shutdown is leaving several vital U.S. government websites vulnerable to hackers.
Can Trump Spin His Way out of This?
If he opted to do an end run on Congress and declare a national emergency to try to use Defense Department funds for the wall, Trump would no doubt be challenged on the issue in court. Trump continues to insist he won’t do this, in essence attempting to spin pressure back on Congress to come to a deal he’ll approve.
Taking pride in shutting down the government — taking pride in threatening to do so for months or years — is not the behavior of a responsible president. #TrumpShutdown #EndTheShutdown
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 10, 2019
But Trump definitely looks to have overplayed his hand, and backed himself into a corner. He’s stubborn, and views life in black and white terms where there must be a winner and a loser. And like a little boy, appears ready to pout until he gets his way, no matter how many people get hurt.
The shutdown will continue, and there’s no end in sight.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
