This week the government officially shut down despite one political party holding control over the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House. There has been plenty of finger pointing on both sides, but both Democrats and Republicans have expressed their frustration with President Trump and his advisors for a lack of consistency and clear leadership. "Congressional leaders tell me to negotiate with President Trump," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer complained, "[and then] President Trump tells me to figure it out with the congressional leaders." Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed similar concerns, saying, "The Senate needs to lead 'cause no one else is... The White House staff, I think, is making it very difficult." President Trump on Sunday expressed his exasperation with the government shutdown and rekindled bipartisan animosity by tweeting, "Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our Military and Safety at the Border. The Dems just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51% (Nuclear Option) and vote on real, long term budget, no C.R.'s!"
The aforementioned "nuclear option" involves changing the Senate rules and requiring only a simple majority to pass legislation, as opposed to requiring 60 votes (Republican currently have a 51-49 majority in the Senate). Democrats last used this tactic in 2013, when they confirmed Obama Cabinet officials and a number of federal judges. Last spring, Republicans used this option to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, and have since used this majority to appoint a dozen Circuit Court of Appeals judges for life. However, many Republicans, including Mitch McConnell, oppose going nuclear to end the government shutdown and push through legislation. Should the Republicans lose control of the Senate after the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats could then use the same tactic to push through their own policies with impunity. Many feel the option should only be used when compromise is deemed impossible.
Although the government shutdown has dominated this week's news, there have been a number of smaller policy moves worthy of note. One such change comes in the U.S. withholding $65 million in aid from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, an organization that provides aid for Palestinian refugees. Earlier this January, Trump used Twitter to claim that the U.S. gets "no appreciation or respect" for the funding that the country provides to Palestinians and to Pakistan. The State Department at the time followed up on the tweet by withholding security assistance to Pakistan, and now aid will be withheld from Palestinians as well (many of whom currently live in Israel). Although the U.S. will still give $60 million in funding, aid groups have swiftly condemned the decision. Israeli officials however praised the change, claiming that it is long overdue. The State Department only put forward a statement that the aid was being withheld for "future considerations." Whether the U.S. will return to its previous levels of funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency remains to be seen.
