For three days, Senate Democrats staged a shockingly irresponsible act of political theater. They shut down the United States government on Friday night, blocking funding for our military, vulnerable children needing health care, and seniors. They held the needs of millions of Americans hostage and chose to fight for the interests of 700,000 illegal immigrants instead of their own constituents.
They resisted negotiating with Republicans and rejected a short-term spending bill despite opposing none of its provisions. They demanded a solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program as a condition for reopening the government. They rejected responsibility for the shutdown, while recognizing that Republicans’ 51 Senate votes would not be enough to keep the government open.
Then, on Monday, they folded.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell secured a deal Monday to fund the government until Feb. 8 and address immigration reform separately over the next few weeks. This was basically the exact same deal the Democrats outright rejected on Friday. The majority of Democrats flipped their votes in support of the spending bill, confirming what we already knew: Their tantrum had no purpose, and their half-baked strategy of obstruction had backfired. So what was the point?
Democrats got nothing from the crisis they orchestrated. They were outed as hypocrites, who once warned against a shutdown but were now the ones to trigger it – including Democrat leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. What’s worse, the shutdown never should have happened in the first place. It was entirely unnecessary and would have been simple to avoid, if only Democrats cared more about the people they claim to represent than their own petty games.
Americans know exactly where to place the blame – after all, the majority prefer keeping the government open, and funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program, over resolving DACA now, a program that does not even expire until March. Now that a funding deal has been reached, both sides of the aisle can work on a long-term solution for the future of DACA and pursue immigration reform that keeps our communities safe and rewards law-abiding immigrants.
Republicans are ready to negotiate – but not at the expense of paychecks for the people who keep our country safe. In fact, Republicans in Congress today are much more willing to negotiate than former President Obama during the 2013 government shutdown; Obama said at the time he would not consider any outside policy proposal until the shutdown ended.
Monday’s vote to reopen the government made it abundantly clear that while the Republican Party stands for the interests of Americans, the Democrat Party stands only for blind resistance. Democrats wasted three days before deciding to support an agreement that Republicans had already offered – and 16 of them still voted against it. That includes Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
These Senate Democrats and their colleagues own every single second of the shutdown fiasco.
Americans will remember Democrats’ gamble on our troops, U.S. national security, and vital government services when they head to the polls later this year. Come November, obstructionists in their party are going to pay the price of their meaningless games and political hostage-taking. The only thing I’d like to ask them is: Was it worth it?
