Politics and Money

[Elroy Jetson]

After two years of effort, Congressional Republicans still refuse to give Trump funding for his fabled Mexican border wall, with only four weeks left before a Democratic majority is seated in the House.

Trump has said he will shut-down the US government on December 7 when budget funding needs to be renewed unless the Budget Bill contains full funding for his mighty wall, which Republicans call a waste of money unlikely to provide any improvements over the current border fence system.

Now with less than a week left, Trump has announced he will give Republicans a two week extension due to the death of President George H.W. Bush until December 21 when he will shut-down the Federal government.


This will provide Congressional Republicans less than ten days to agree to the border wall funding they oppose, or see Trump shut-down the Federal government.

If Republicans fail, Trump hopes House Democrats will be more open to a comprehensive immigration bill which could include border wall funding or eliminate the need for a border wall spending.

Trump and House Democrats will still be faced with the Republican majority in the Senate, which will be even larger after January 1, leaving many observers to wonder why Trump expects Senate Republicans will have a suddenly change of opinion next year.

Sen. Mitch McConnell has said "with the federal budget in deficit," following a major tax cut for America's wealthiest, "this is no time for major infrastructure spending on a border wall."