Skip to main content
- The ongoing partial government shutdown entered its 22nd day Friday, officially becoming the longest in American history. The previous record was 21 days, between President Clinton and the Republican Congress, lasting from December 1995 to January 1996.
- Government workers have resorted to shopping at discount stores and selling their things on Facebook Marketplace while bracing for their first missed paycheck on Friday. Some 800,000 are working without pay or being furloughed as the shutdown continues.
- Conservative Republicans in Congress are privately warning President Trump not to try to declare an emergency to build his border wall. Members of the House Freedom caucus are worried both about the protracted legal battle and the precedent for a future Democratic president.
- The current turmoil in Washington has also caught the attention of credit rating agencies. Should the shutdown last until March, it could prevent Congress from raising the debt ceiling. Fitch warns that could cost the United States its AAA credit rating.
- Game theorists have long studied the sort of dilemma currently confounding Pennsylvania Avenue. So, who is to blame for the shutdown? According to FiveThirtyEight, we are. We, the voters, are watching, which alters the bargainers’ incentives.
- Nancy Pelosi become the first person since Sam Rayburn in 1955 to regain the Speakership, as the new 116th Congress was sworn in on Thursday. The Democrats retook the House after eight years in opposition, but Republicans increased their majority in the Senate.
- The new Congress will include a record number of women, and be the most racially and religiously diverse in American history. The vast majority of such gains came from House Democrats, although Republican Marsha Blackburn will serve as Tennessee’s first woman senator.
- Democrats face long odds at accomplishing much of their ambitious agenda, with the White House and Senate still Republican. However, they did pass a number of sweeping rules changes, and seated new committee chairs— who will now have subpoena power.
- One of Speaker Pelosi’s first official acts was to invite President Trump to deliver the annual State of the Union address on January 29. With no end in sight to the current funding impasse, it is quite possible that by that date, the government will still be shut down.
- Meanwhile, Senate Republicans’ top priority is likely to be confirming more of President Trump’s judicial nominees. The upper chamber already moved at breakneck speed over the last year, outpacing the last five presidents.
Communal News wants to offer you the best possible service. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies. If you object to the use of cookies please adjust your browser settings accordingly. Accept Privacy & Cookies Policy