Donald Trump ends the shutdown temporarily with no wall funding

  Earlier today the President announced he had reached a deal with the Congress to open up the government for a few weeks while negotiations on the border wall continue. Here is more:

President Trump said Friday he had reached a deal with congressional leaders to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations over border security funding continue, marking at least a temporary concession by the president to Democrats.

Speaking in the Rose Garden, Mr. Trump said he would sign a bill to open the government until Feb. 15 and start negotiations between the House and Senate over a full-year bill funding the Homeland Security Department, which oversees the border.

“After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside, I think,” Mr. Trump said.

The stopgap spending bill, which would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, provides no immediate funding for a border wall. Mr. Trump said he would continue to push for funding for such a barrier in the next three weeks, declaring: “Walls shouldn’t be controversial.”

  So basically the “master negotiator” got nothing in return for reopening the government except the promise of continued negotiations and possibly a little bipartisanship. I would like to ask the President what he has seen that leads him to believe the Democrats are going to give up anything when they would not even entertain the offer of a DACA extension to reopen the government. Sure there may be a few RINO Republicans who are willing to put partisanship aside because they are soft on immigration anyway, but there will be no Democrats willing to budge so we will be right back in the same spot on February 15th.

  Perhaps Donald Trump believes the threat of another government shutdown, combined with his threat to use an emergency declaration will force the Congress to negotiate on a border wall but I find the chances highly unlikely. In fact I find the timing of this announcement to be suspicious and I think the President was looking for a diversion from the news that Roger Stone was arrested and indicted early this morning.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium