President Trump is truly a man alone. This isn’t new, as he was elected for that very reason; he campaigned as someone who would confront the status quo, and by doing so, make America great again. The budget battle is the perfect illustration of how lost Congress is and confirms the importance of why Mr. Trump was elected: to stop the nonsense in Washington that is ruining our lives. He is the right president, but the Republican Party is not his team.
The “new budget compromise” was released Monday, which would fund the government through September, revealing an Obama administration wish list. It also made clear the swamp in Congress, which includes both parties, was aggressively trying to kill the president’s agenda and stated priorities. The media keep telling you this is the “Trump Budget.” But don’t be fooled – it’s very much the “Obama-Ryan Budget.”
The current hot mess of a budget reflects priorities of last year. Congress isn’t “compromising” or “negotiating,” and they’re certainly not thinking about what’s best for the United States. No, their agenda is a simple one for a simple gang: Stop Trump. So why not change things up a bit by furthering the president’s priorities? Because, simply, Congress isn’t “compromising” or “negotiating,” and lawmakers are certainly not thinking about what’s best for the United States. No, their agenda is a simple one for a simple gang: Stop Trump.
Just a few gems from the pit: It fully funds Planned Parenthood, fully funds sanctuary cities, it bails out Puerto Rico’s disastrous Medicaid system to the tune of $295.9 million, increases funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion, restores Pell Grants year-round for college students (at a time when the federal government should be considering the withdrawal of federal funding for students who participate in violence or organize to smash free speech), and, according to Roll Call, includes $300 million for Food For Peace in war-torn South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria.
These are nations without functional or centralized governments; aid of that sort in those environments never reaches the people. Instead, it fills the bellies of terrorists and warlords.
The one thing the Republicans are crowing about is the increase in defense spending. Another $15 billion sounds like a lot, but after the evisceration of the military and its infrastructure by Mr. Obama, it’s a drop in the bucket. It’s also another insult as it’s only half of what the president requested.
So it funds Planned Parenthood, but there is nothing for the border wall. But it’s worse than that. Breitbart reports, “The fine print in the bipartisan 2017 budget plan includes several paragraphs designed to prevent Donald Trump’s deputies from building a border wall with the reserve cash routinely stored in agency savings accounts.” This charade allows the Democrats to boast that they “stopped the Trump agenda,” while Republicans are reduced to being thankful that they were allowed to increase defense and security spending during a time of war.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan has turned the majority we gave him into a grown-up Oliver Twist holding his bowl up to Nancy Pelosi, begging for more.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump appeared to realize what was happening. CNN reported, “President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that the country needs a ‘good shutdown,’ as well advocated for changing Senate rules, in a pair of tweets where he complained about the congressional negotiating process.”
The Trump tweets continued, “The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We … either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix mess!”
Mr. Trump is right. The Democrats have made it clear that they’re not negotiating in good faith. High-profile Democrats continue to call for his impeachment and “resistance” no matter the issue. Their lack of regard for the process the Founders expected of the Senate was highlighted by the Democrats filibustering the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice for the first time in our history; a man they all knew was fully qualified.
What we have going on in Congress is the government version of what liberals are doing in the university – bully, disrupt, riot and threaten until they get their way.
This isn’t a check and balance. The Democrats have shirked their duty and abandoned their responsibility. Driven by their hatred for the president personally, and their inability to face their own monumental failures, there has been no “compromise,” there are only tantrums and obstruction.
The supposed threat of a government shutdown is always used as the excuse by Congress to compromise us into oblivion. We’re told it’ll hurt the Republicans’ chances of getting re-elected. Funny how the Democrats are never worried about who gets blamed.
Make no mistake – the swamp is testing Mr. Trump. If this bill moves forward and he signs it, including, as Breitbart reminds us, the “forfeiture language intended to stop Trump’s deputies from using leftover funds to start building the wall, whose construction was authorized by Congress in 2006,” he would be giving away important powers for no reason whatsoever. The swamp expects the president to fall for it. It’s time the president reminded Congress who he is, and the American people will have his back.