12/17/2018
No money left to keep the government open. It could be reality just before the holidays. Fox’s Chad Pergram has more with “The Speaker’s Lobby.”
I’m Chad Pergram with the Speaker’s Lobby.
A partial government shutdown looms later this week.
Nine of 15 cabinet departments and dozens of agencies run out of money at 11:59:59 pm this Friday if Congress doesn’t act.
So, you’d think lawmakers would be sweating things out trying to cut a last minute deal.
Hardly.
The House of Representatives finished up Thursday afternoon and won’t hold any votes until 5:30 pm Eastern Time Wednesday just two and a quarter days before the shutdown.
The Senate isn’t considering government spending either turning instead to a criminal justice reform bill.
Everyone is dug in. In addition, all elements, except the border wall are resolved in the seven outstanding appropriations bills.
This is a pressure tactic where Congressional leaders shrink the time frame to work something out in an effort to carve a deal.
It’s kind of like the Stockholm Syndrome.
Lawmakers and staff don’t want to be in Washington for the holidays. So the leaders bring everyone back just before Christmas and after a while, the Congressional “hostages” start to sympathize with their captors.
They’ll vote for anything just to jet out of Washington and rush back home to their families for Christmas.
With the Speaker’s Lobby, Chad Pergram. Fox News
