Posted on 01/24/2019 8:25:14 PM PST by be-baw
Frustrated GOP senators read Vice President Pence the riot act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, telling him the partial government shutdown needs to end soon, according to lawmakers in the room.
Republican senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), warned the vice president that prolonging the shutdown is not a smart political strategy, in hopes of sending a clear message to President Trump that he needs to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.
Lawmakers vented their irritation to Pence shortly before six GOP senators defected to vote for a Democratic-backed bill that would open the government without funding Trump’s proposed border wall.
One GOP senator said lawmakers told Pence “the shutdown needs to come to an end, this is not a strategy that works [and] we never should have had a shutdown in the first place.”
Pence in turn told them that “the president is interested in striking a deal,” according to the source.
The pushback against Pence came from outspoken critics of the shutdown like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), as well as from lawmakers who usually keep a lower profile — Sens. John Boozman (Ark.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.).
One of the most remarkable moments during the Senate luncheon came when McConnell told Pence that shuttering the government to try to secure funding for a border wall was not a smart approach.
“McConnell talked about how we need to bring this process to a close; we should never have had a shutdown; they don’t work; I’ve said this numerous times; I don’t know how many times I’ve told you there’s no education in the second kick of a mule,” said a GOP source familiar with the meeting.
A spokesman for McConnell declined to comment on specific conversations during the private lunch but noted that the Kentucky Republican made his thoughts about a potential government shutdown clear in mid-December.
“I think that a government shutdown is not a good option. That’s my view. The American people don’t like it,” the GOP leader told reporters on Dec. 18, four days before funding lapsed. “You remember my favorite country saying, ‘There’s no education in the second kick of a mule.’ We’ve been down this path before.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said after Thursday’s meeting but before the Senate votes that colleagues were “airing their concerns.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters after the Senate votes that Pence got an “earful” from senators.
“We’re all hearing from our constituents who are working for no pay,” Cornyn said. “And there’s a parade of horribles of how people who are having to cope with not getting paid, and it’s not good.”
“There was a lot of frustration expressed about the situation we find ourselves in,” he added.
Pence urged Republican lawmakers at the lunch to stay unified, pressing them not to vote for the proposal from Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) to fund the government until Feb. 8 without additional funding for a border wall, according to the GOP source familiar with the meeting.
To underscore the stern message they sent to Pence, six Republicans — Murkowski, Isakson and Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Susan Collins (Maine), Cory Gardner (Colo.) and Mitt Romney (Utah) — voted for the Democratic proposal. But the 52-44 vote fell short of the 60 needed to advance the bill.
Murkowski said after the votes that she told Pence the shutdown has to end as quickly as possible.
“I reminded colleagues that I was feeling a very keen sense of urgency on this because Alaska has the highest number of federal workers that are impacted by the partial shutdown and we needed to get this open now,” said Murkowski, who is supporting a measure with Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin (Md.) and Chris Van Hollen (Md.) that would reopen the government for three weeks without providing wall funding.
Isakson’s spokeswoman, Amanda Maddox, said her boss "spoke to his colleagues at today’s lunch to share his reasoning for voting the way he planned.”
“He didn’t know the vice president would be at today’s lunch when he decided on making the speech,” Maddox said. “He wasn’t trying to send any message but was merely speaking his conscience.”
“...we should never have had a shutdown; they don’t work;”
Tell that to the Democrats who have the Republicans groveling because they shut down the government.
There are so many scandals in the last 30 or 40 years it’s difficult to keep track.
These damned GOOBERS need to go look into the nearest mirror to see just WHO is at fault, because it certainly is NOT Pence nor Trump!
You think I don’t know that.....
You might not have seen all of my posts.
I really want to see Pres. Trump veto the bill and let Congress eat it or override it.
In either case, the onus is on Congress, the President gets off the hook.
Yep, cuck-#NeverTrumpers
The Amazing Spineless Republicans
They’re not spineless. Their donors don’t want a wall, and they’re standing up for their donors. This isn’t a matter of GOP senators lacking the courage of their pro-wall convictions. It’s that they oppose the wall - they convictions are for open borders - and they are standing tall for their convictions
I always liked Rin-Tin-Tin...
Well I’m convinced. They need to drag this thing out as long as possible.
Yep. Murkowski, Gardner, Romney, Alexander, Isakson and Collins. And only Manchin voted for the Republican Bill. So....fed....up.
Is Pence taking a strong stand for the wall?
“according to lawmakers in the room”
Romney lies being passed off as general GOP sentiment, and they wonder why they get called enemies of the people.
We ARE Rome, in so many ways.
“Frustrated GOP senators read Vice President Pence the riot act at a closed-door meeting Thursday, telling him the partial government shutdown needs to end soon”
as I have been saying for a while now — watch the Senate.
Glad Marsha is in Corker's seat(she represented my district in congress) A good solid conservative.
Wonder who will go for the Flannel Fraud's seat?
I don’t know, but in the article, Pence told them that Trump isn’t agreeing to ANYTHING that doesn’t cough up enough money for the wall.
Another version of “This is not the hill to die on.”.
Who WAS that guy who said “See ya at the bill signing!”?
Oh yeah. THAT guy. The newest and bestest buddy of Barack and Moochelle. With Hillary as their “sister”.
You know, the one that likes Globalism and golfing with Bill Clinton.
It really makes me sick how spineless RINOs (our side) are, succumbing to the miasma of the swamp.
Today, Mittens and Lee of Utah, Murkowski, Gardner, Isakson and Collins all sold out.
Meanwhile, there seems to be only reasonable RAT, Manchin, whom President Trump praised as a good man today.
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