The progressive faction of the Democratic caucus is now bashing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for bargaining with the Republican leadership of the Senate to end the government shutdown this afternoon. According to a report from The Hill, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) even chimed in with her reticence towards Schumer. “I don’t see that there’s any reason…I’m speaking personally and hearing from my members…to support what was put forth,” Pelosi said, charging that her delegation should resist the temptation to cave to the measure put forth by Republicans.
Progressive activists have taken an even more ferocious tone. Murshed Zaheed, a political director at the progressive advocacy group Credo, stated, “It’s official! Chuck Schumer is the worst negotiator in Washington, even worse than Trump.” The reported showed his grievance towards any congressional measure that open up the government without an immediate fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act (DACA). “Any plan to protect Dreamers that relies on the word of serial liars like [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell [R-KY], [House Speaker] Paul Ryan [R-WI] or [President] Donald Trump is doomed to fail,” Zaheed opined.
On Monday afternoon, Schumer and McConnell agreed on a continuing resolution for a three-week stopgap bill to fund the federal government through February 8, held on a compromise to vote on a DACA fix before then. The agreement, however, does not include a guarantee that a DACA agreement will see a vote in the House.
Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, also proclaimed, “Today’s cave by Senate Democrats — led by weak-kneed, right-of-center Democrats — is why people don’t believe the Democratic Party stands for anything.” Which, of course, is very true. The Democrats are not interested in mending DACA. Liberals have held the House and the Senate before, yet they never passed any resolutions for immigration. They only use the illegal status of immigrants as a political bargaining tool.
Although five House Democrats voted in favor of the House spending measure, the “Schumer Shutdown” will make it harder to elect progressives in 2018. Presidential hopefuls for 2020, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have all voted against coming together with the Republican leadership to find a way to fund the federal government. Harris has said, “I refuse to put the lives of nearly 700,000 young people in the hands of someone who has repeatedly gone back on his word. I will do everything in my power to continue to protect Dreamers from deportation.” The California lawmaker clearly believes DACA is related to a spending bill – which it is not. After all, DACA does not expire until March, per President Trump’s agreement last year.
In Virginia, Senator Tim Kaine, who is up for re-election this year, has been adamant in his resistance to the Trump Administration and in his voting record against funding programs vital to American citizens. Every single Virginia Democrat in Congress voted “no” on any continuing resolution. House of Delegates member Jennifer Wexton (D-33) has continually commented that it was the Republicans that shutdown the government. However, she is factually incorrect. It was the Republicans in Congress, every member from Virginia, including Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (VA-10), the incumbent opponent of Wexton, that voted in favor of funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
For Democrats, holding the government hostage is in their political playbook. American children, military personnel, government employees, and those receiving social security check are in the firing line for progressives who believe people who are in the country illegally are more important.