House Dems to Force Vote Against Shutdowns

GOP not happy about symbolic vote they call 'totally partisan' messaging
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2019 1:24 AM CST
Updated Jan 30, 2019 5:39 AM CST
House Dems to Force Vote Against Shutdowns
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., accompanied by House Democratic members stand after signs a deal to reopen the government, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

House Democrats are planning to hold a vote against government shutdowns on Wednesday—a symbolic move that will do nothing to prevent another shutdown, but will force House Republicans to go on the record as being for or against shutdowns. A draft of the measure seen by Politico states that "shutdowns are detrimental to the nation and should not occur." The measure was revised after conservative Republicans including Rep. Mark Meadows slammed "totally partisan and political messaging points" including no fewer than five mentions of President Trump and a quote from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy saying "going into a shutdown is stupid," a Democratic aide says.

But while Wednesday's House vote will be symbolic, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that they don't want to see any more shutdowns, USA Today reports. "There is a building consensus ... that shutdowns don’t make sense and that we ought to put legislative prohibitions in place to keep us from ever shutting down again," GOP Sen. Rob Portman said Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expanded on his saying that there is "no education in the second kick of a mule." "There certainly would be no education in a third kick of the mule," he said. "I don’t like shutdowns. I don’t think they work for anybody, and I hope they will be avoided." (The shutdown that ended last week took an estimated $3 billion off America's GDP.)

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