ANALYSIS
‘A Democratic shutdown’: Trump blames Democrats for DHS funding shortfall but signals willingness to negotiate
Partial government shutdown drags on as Democrats and Republicans clash over DHS immigration operations.
Donald Trump on Air Force One
Donald Trump claimed the current government shutdown is the fault of the Democratic Party. The partial shutdown enters its fourth day this Tuesday after the leaderships of both parties failed to reach consensus on a new budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is likely to last at least another week, with lawmakers now in recess and negotiations at a stadstill.
Democrats are calling for changes in how the department conducts immigration operations, such as preventing agents from wearing masks and prohibiting entry into private property without warrants. Republicans are defending those measures as necessary, arguing, for example, that the masks are indispensable to protect the identity of federal uniformed officers.
“This is a Democratic shutdown,” Donald Trump said Monday aboard Air Force One. “It has nothing to do with Republicans, Democrats shut it down.” The president also said the opposition was upset “because crime numbers are very good.”
Although he said he was willing to meet with the Democrats to negotiate an agreement, he warned that he did not like "some of the things they are asking for." "We are going to protect law enforcement, we are going to protect ICE," he added.
In addition, Trump posited his administration's immigration actions as part of its overall security strategy. "They are part of the whole system that is working," he maintained and gave the example of the federal district: "Washington DC now is considered a very safe city."
Although it came about because of a lack of agreement between Republicans and Democrats over ICE activities, the shutdown also affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard and the Secret Service.
Both ICE and CBP continue to operate. In fact, in the last few hours DHS announced new arrests over the Presidents' Day weekend. Ninety percent of DHS employees will continue to work, albeit without pay, the AP reported.
Kristi Noem, who heads the department, emphasized that the shutdown also affects the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): "Democrats are withholding paychecks from the men and women of DHS while they clean up this Democrat-created disaster," she argued, alluding to the cleanup of the Potomac River in Maryland. "Unbelievable hypocrisy."
Four Trump quotes: from the SAVE Act to Iran negotiations
- Voting ID: said Democrats oppose voter identification because "they want to cheat in elections." The House last week passed a bill, known as the SAVE Act, that would force voters to present ID. Days later, the president assured that, whether or not the bill is passed, he will find ways to require proof of identity for the midterm elections.
- Inflation: "great financial numbers, you saw low inflation, very low inflation," the Republican celebrated. The January inflation stood at 2.4% year-on-year, beating experts' expectations and December's 2.7%. The improvement was driven by falling energy prices. "Gasoline is less than $2 a gallon in many places, which nobody expected to see," Trump said. "Prices are coming down a lot."
- Democrats in Munich: The president criticized appearances by several Democratic figures at the Munich Security Conference. About the participation by Hillary Clinton, he claimed she had demonstrated that she "seriously has Trump Derangement Syndrome." And about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Governor Gavin Newsom: "This was a bad look for our country. These two people are incompetent... at leasy Hillary is competent, she is just Trump deranged."
- Iranian negotiations: "I´ll be involved in those talks, indirectly," the president said. Iranian and U.S. delegations will meet this Tuesday. "They wanna make a deal, I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal," he maintained after recalling the attack he ordered against its nuclear facilities in June.
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