The US Senate has apparently saved the government from a shutdown in September. That came via passing of a bill recently that allowed $857 billion of bipartisan spending. This bill will provide extra funding to the military, health, and education sectors. Everyone benefits from this apart from President Trump.
Trump has a way to get his demands done. He’s been constantly lobbying for the border wall that he promised in his campaign. The former reality shows celebrity and business tycoon could shut down spending if his demand isn’t met. Congress, in the next ten business days, needs to prepare a package that is appealing to Trump so he can sign it off.
The Government could possibly shut down on September 30 which is reportedly the day it could go bankrupt. Trump has previously almost not approved a spending package because it wasn’t the funding he was satisfied with. He reportedly stated that he would never sign a similar bill in the future.
Trump has been toughening up his stance on immigration and its likely Congress would not take him on with Election Day so near. Trump will possibly not approve spending packages or have them modified if his demands on immigration and other issues aren’t met, based on a recent tweet. It could also mean the end of the Diversity Visa Lottery which has been around for decades.
So what are President Trump’s demands? These include issues he campaigned on during his Presidential battle with Hilary Clinton. Trump wants the requisite funds for the border wall that has been quite unpopular with his political opponents. Another issue is the “catch and release” policy that allows undocumented immigrants to no longer to be detained and wait for their asylum claims to be processed. Finally, the diversity visa lottery. Trump wants immigrants to be considered on merit and not via the lottery. This will allow immigrants who offer value to the country other than coming in by luck or gaining sponsorship via relatives. Democrats and older Republicans aren’t too comfortable with this idea.
Republicans in the Senate would try to appease the President by offering a $20.4 billion increase in defense allocation which would also provide pay increases to the military men and women. This way, Trump may be okay without demanding funds on the wall he’s been wanting to be built for a long time. The government could be spared from another shutdown in this regime prior to the November midterm elections.
It’s Trump versus the Congress. Hopefully, whatever happens, is a win-win for both parties and there is no government shutdown. No one wants another 2008-09 situation when the economy crashed and everything went haywire. That’s an extreme possibility but President Trump is hopefully smart enough to avoid another shutdown in his term. He may have to loosen some of his demands for the greater good. We just have to keep our fingers crossed. Trump has been a businessman for most of his career so hopefully, he can put his experience to good use as the head of state.