Mitch McConnell is enabling Trump's government shutdown — and is being called out by his fellow senators for doing so.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recently announced that even if the new incoming Democratic majority in the House passes legislation to reopen the government, he will refuse to bring it up for a vote in the Senate. And now he's getting mocked for being a reliable Trump henchman, enabling the ongoing Trump shutdown of the federal government.
In a statement on the Senate floor, McConnell said, "The Senate will not waste its time considering a Democratic bill which cannot pass this chamber and which the president will not sign." But just two weeks ago, the Senate passed that same legislation via a voice vote.
McConnell's change of heart is clearly a ploy to bolster Trump, who is in the middle of a multi-week tantrum over funds for his useless and racist border wall.
Democratic Senators took to Twitter to ridicule McConnell's pathetic flip-flop.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), wrote, "Triple checking the CR vote was unanimous in the Senate right?"
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), replied, "Yes, Brian, it was." He added, "Further query: does the Constitution still allow the Senate to vote to override a veto (on, for instance, a bill that passed the Senate 100-0) or did that part get edited out when I wasn't looking?"
Schatz responded to the question: "One moment please. Ok, yup, constitution still allows for overrides."
New York Times reporter Julie Davis noted McConnell's hypocrisy. "One of the bills the House will consider tomorrow does exactly what legislation McConnell himself brought up last month (and which passed the Senate *unanimously*) did: devote $1.3B to border security and fund DHS thru Feb. 8," she wrote.
Pundit Symone Sanders also took notice of McConnell's previous support for legislation he now opposes and wrote, "Sounds like Senator McConnell is all too willing to aid President Trump in playing games with hardworking American’s paychecks."
The shutdown is unpopular.
The public clearly blames Trump — who caused it — and ordinary Americans have described it as "stupid." Businesses that rely on tourism to government-funded sites that have been shut down are hurting, while national parks and the environment are forced to deal with overflowing garbage and human waste.
Despite all this, McConnell is sticking by Trump by misusing his own power to dictate the Senate agenda.
The Democratic proposal to reopen the government has enough support in the House and Senate to pass, and had enough support before to even override a possible Trump veto.
But Mitch McConnell has sided with Trump instead of America and is working to aid his political ally instead of the country. That's why he has become the butt of the joke, just like Trump.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
