The State of the Union postponed; speaker says first end the government shutdown
Pew Research reports 58 percent of those surveyed continue to oppose substantially expanding the border wallBy Mark Trahant
Indian Country Today
indiancountrytoday.com How many children are afraid because they know their parents are worried? Or broke. Even hungry. “My granddaughter came home from school and said she was hungry,” writes Darla Morgan, Shoshone-Bannock from Fort Hall, Idaho. “I said didn't you eat at school? She said, ‘Yes,’ but the other kids wanted her food because they were more hungry than her. I was caught off guard because what she said next broke my heart. She said, ‘Grandma some kids have no food at home, they only get to eat at school.’” Morgan said that story made her want to help more, to work with the tribe, other community members, and serve elders. “We need a food bank, drop off spots and even donations for cleaning supplies, hygiene, baby items so our little babies will stay fed,” she wrote. “Even wild game would help, maybe a local farmer has extra spuds they can help us get thru this difficult time. If our community can come together, we will be ok.” The key word, perhaps, is community. And that remains a particular challenge in Washington, D.C., where folks are deeply divided by ideas about what kind of country this should be. So where are we at in terms of resolving the longest government shutdown in history?
On Wednesday Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told the president that it would be better for him to not give the annual State of the Union as long as the shutdown continues. That speech had been set for January 29. “Sadly, given the security concerns and unless government re-opens this week, I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing … " Pelosi wrote in a letter to Trump. Republicans were not happy. “It’s not a security issue, it’s politics and she knows it,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California. A White House official told CNN that the president still plans to deliver the speech. But from where? Pelosi suggested the White House. But she is the host if the State of the Union is to come from Congress and that she’s not having. She has a leverage point and is willing to use it. (The state of the union is not a requirement. The Constitution only requires a report from the chief executive from time to time. But it's become an annual ritual on television.)Today, I wrote to @realDonaldTrump recommending that we delay the State of the Union until after government re-opens, as the @SecretService, the lead federal agency for #SOTU security, faces its 26th day without funding. https://t.co/K2oL8WGvqo pic.twitter.com/g3fIlxDbbK
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 16, 2019
Also Wednesday a Capitol Hill group that calls itself the “problem solving caucus” met with the president. But that group started the meeting with the statement that the president should reopen the government and then negotiate on the border; that’s exactly what the president has said he will not do. The one wild card in this dispute is the economy. The White House now says the shutdown is costing the country much more than it first projected. And that could get worse if unpaid federal workers -- such as TSA agents at airports -- suddenly quit working. Already the Coast Guard hit a milestone when it became the first U.S. military force to not pay its service members during a shutdown. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl L. Schultz thanked his team, writing, “stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride. You are not, and will not, be forgotten.” The border patrol, the FBI, BIA, and many other law enforcement agencies are in the same situation. At some point, the women and men who do the work will not be able to afford to do so. The only question is “when?” And on Wednesday the White House asked some 50,000 federal workers to return to the job. Without pay, of course.“The President and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus. They listened to one another and now both have a good understanding of what the other wants. We look forward to more conversations like this.”
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 16, 2019
Indian Country Today is compiling #ShutdownStories from tribal communities and others affected by the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Spreadsheets: Impact of shutdown on tribal communities | Impact on individuals, nonprofits
Mark Trahant is the editor of Indian Country Today. He is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Follow him on Twitter @TrahantReports. This story originally appeared on Indian Country Today.
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