BLOGJanuary 22, 2018

Here’s Why Both Sides Are Using Military Families to Fuel the Funding Debate

What’s going on?

The government is still shut down, and Republicans and Democrats can’t seem to agree on a funding fix to reopen it.

The longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the chance that it will negatively impact military service members and their families. Members of the U.S. military are continuing their work unpaid along with essential civilian government employees until Congress can agree on a funding deal.

Would It Really Be so Bad if the Government 'Shut Down'?

Soon after the Senate vote that failed to fund the government on Friday, Sen. Claire McCaskill asked for an amendment that would allow military pay to continue uninterrupted while the government is shut down. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell objected to the measure, blocking it from the Senate floor.

What’s the next step?

The Senate is expected to vote at noon today on a bill that would reopen the government and keep it funded for the next three weeks.

Glenn’s take:

We’re being forced “to watch grown men and women act like children, argue for things they know they probably don’t have any chance of actually getting,” Glenn said of the government shutdown.

“Both sides are using military families as pawns to argue for the highly improbable,” he said of Republicans and Democrats.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: I’m sure most of you are listening to this right now from inside the safety and security of your Government Shutdown bomb shelters. For those of you that did manage to venture out into the horror, I salute your bravery.

The shutdown is now entering its third day. The Senate has a procedural vote at noon today that could fund the government temporarily until February 8th, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope. Don’t crack the lid on those bomb shelters just yet. The rumor is the relationship between the White House and Chuck Schumer is at an all-time low. Trump met with Schumer on Friday. Trump wanted the wall, and Schumer wanted Amnesty. You can imagine how well that conversation went.

This entire thing is just so silly. The government will eventually get funded, but until that happens we’re going to be forced to watch grown men and women act like children, arguing for things they know they probably don’t have any chance of actually getting. Will the wall get funded?

Anything is possible, but I have my doubts. Will DACA become law? Let’s not forget that Obama had to write an executive order, specifically because he knew both parties wouldn’t be able to successfully vote on it.

One side WILL eventually blink, but - the question is - how long is this going to take? If this stretches through the week, we’re going to get dangerously close to this affecting our men and women in uniform. MIlitary families can’t miss a paycheck. We already pay them next to nothing for what they do. Now, the soldiers risking their lives in combat zones will also have to worry about paying their bills back home.

Both sides are to blame here. Both sides are using military families as a pawn to argue for the highly improbable. You’d think military families would be off limits in this power play between overgrown children, but they’re more than willing to play that card. One Democrat actually tried. Here’s Senator Claire McCaskill on the Senate floor, pleading for an amendment to keep paychecks going to the military:

You’d think Republicans would jump at this and take it. Here’s Mitch McConnell’s response:

The turtle has spoken. Both sides are to blame here, and neither one seems to really care about the military. End this stupidity. Get back to doing whatever it is you guys do. You know, having super cool lunches at the Capital Grille, or whatever. Your arrogance and stupidity has consequences.