This is a shout out to all those who have taken the time to call/ make contact/ email/ visit/ protest and did whatever they could think of to get our US lawmakers’ attentions, that we wanted this US government shutdown ended immediately, that was started on a whim by the Republican President Donald Trump on the 22nd of December 2018 and which has been finally ended on the 25th of January 2019.
Thank you to the business leaders who kept up the pressure on our legislators and the White House as it became obvious, for example, that air travel was becoming less safe. The press really got out there to share the stories of how those 800,000 public servants were experiencing the pain over having their paychecks delayed for a month along with the million plus government contracted workers who had to forego any pay. We watched the lines for peoples to get a free meal, to visit food banks, as if we were watching a third world country.
More than anything, President Trump, with his cabinet members and the US Congressional GOP lawmakers sent a message of how they really felt about hard working, good, decent average Americans, which wasn’t a positive one.
It’s safe to say that none of us ever want to see a repeat of a government shutdown over a political dispute, again, as there is nothing which justifies putting US government workers through the living hell that they have just endured for the past 35 days.
It seems like the pressure that was placed on our US politicians did have an effect to where there are quite a few looking to enact legislation to permanently ban future government shutdowns. The Democratic Party House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of them who could be leading the charge for the drafting of a law to end the possibility of future shutdowns.
See: 5 lingering effects of the longest government shutdown in US history/ Business Insider
Here is the rest of the story…
On January 25, 2019, Sam Stein of the Daily Beast penned the following report, “Pelosi Embraces Legislation To Effectively Prevent Future Government Shutdowns” (“And she isn’t the only one to do so after the just-completed 35-day shit show.”)
Excerpts:
“With America’s longest shutdown ending on Friday (10/25/19(, lawmakers are turning their attention to another dramatic political objective: making sure such episodes can never take place again.”
“In a briefing with reporters and columnists on Friday (1/25/19), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the highest official yet to formally embrace legislation that would effectively prevent the government from closing. And she hinted that she may even push a proposal in the near future.”
“[Former Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI)] had a bill that I’m hoping we might be able to put forward,” Pelosi explained. “And what that bill said is that if you do not, on any appropriations bill, I’m not talking about the omnibus or minibus”—aggregate spending bills— “any appropriations bill that does not get agreed upon within a timely fashion by the date, you automatically go into a CR” — a resolution to keep current spending levels going— “until you do.”
“Were Pelosi the lone figure to embrace such a concept, the chances of it actually materializing into law would be slim. But in the wake of the just-completed shutdown over border wall funding, top Republicans have joined the chorus seeking to pass legislation that would prevent shutdowns from ever happening.”
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the president pro tempore of the Senate, put out a statement on Friday (1/25/19) that included this conspicuous request about the government funding bill that Congress now must reach in three weeks, when the current deal expires: “The final package should also end government shutdowns once and for all.”
“And in the halls of Congress following the announcement of a resolution to the current standoff, longtime Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who is retiring from office, said “that government shutdowns should be in budget negotiations what chemical weapons are to real warfare…. completely off limits.”
“That so many veteran lawmakers feel so strongly about prohibiting government shutdowns speaks, in part, to the growing harm those shutdowns are inflicting. Since 1976, the government has experienced 22 lapses in funding, ten of which resulted in federal workers being furloughed. But three longest of those furloughs have all taken place since 1995: including a 16 day impasse in 2013 and the just ended 35 day one.”
Gronda Morin 
It is a brilliant idea, and the Senate might just be fed up enough with Trumpantics that they will even pass it with a veto-proof majority! I hope.
Hugs!
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Dear Jill,
Maybe this time, the lawmakers in the US Congress can finally act in concert for something the American peoples could cheer.
I’m betting that the lawmakers were hearing a lot, not so kind words, from their constituents. The president’s lie that government workers were backing his play regarding the government shutdown in exchange for extra funding for his wall that would construct maybe 200 miles of a wall that he didn’t even know where it was going to be built, is probably his #1 worst whopper.
If I were them, there is no way that I would want a repeat. This idea may have legs.
Hugs, Gronda
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I am so happy for the government workers in your country and I hope your law makers do pass legislation to ensure it can never happen again.
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Dear Carol Hopkins,
Thanks for the positive support. It’s not okay for politicians to use/ harm their own constituents as political pawns/ hostages. It’s time to end this practice.
Hugs, Gronda
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Most definitely!
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Strike while the iron is hot. No one ever wins a shutdown and the American people HATE them, no matter which party is seen as “at fault.” People’s lives should not be completely upended like this ever again.
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Dear TokyoSand,
Your point is well taken. There are no winners when the American peoples have been harmed because politicians can’t figure out how to do their jobs. There’s a reason the US Congress members have only a 9% approval number by the American population.
Hugs, Gronda
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This could be the lone bright spot of this shutdown. Get it done!
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Dear August Jensen,
If there is a bright spot to Donald Trump’s presidency is that it highlights things that need fixing like ending the possibility for both parties to use the threat of a government shutdown as a bargaining chip.
The other is making it so future presidential candidates must make public a minimum of 10 yrs. of their IRS tax returns. Think about this. This alone would have President Trump deciding not to run for a second term.
Hugs, Gronda
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Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Speaker of the House Pelosi and others want legislation to permanently end the government shutdowns.
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Dear Suzanne,
This will be the one positive outcome from this government shutdown that ended up being so painful to so many peoples if this death sentence of a law for any future government checks is passed by our US lawmakers.
Thanks a million times over for all your support and for this reblog.
Hugs, Gronda.
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Little by little POTUS will have to be reined in maybe even before he realizes it. Nancy Pelosi ‘s daughter said her mother could cut your head off and you wouldn’t even know you’re bleeding. —- Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
Speaker Pelosi’s daughter has a point as she wields her power graciously without blustering, yelling, name calling. President Trump doesn’t know how to play well in her world.
Hugs, Gronda
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As someone from another country I think it’s weird that your government shuts down (often for partisan reasons) occasionally. I’m not sure if any other democracy has to regularly vote to ensure essential government services are continued to be funded, or if they do, they certainly don’t seem to make it such a partisan issue.
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Dear Joanne the geek,
Frankly, there are no sound reasons for there to be a government shutdown in the USA where 100s of 1000s government public servants are forced to go without their pay or have them delayed. Some of them were required to work even though they were not getting pay checks.
What happens is that members in the US Congress have to agree on a budget as to how they plan to manage the country for the following year. Monies cannot be allocated to run the government until all parties in the US Congress come to a meeting of the minds and then have it signed off by the president. In this case both parties thought they had an agreement that had the tacit approval of President Trump and they were in the process of voting on this agreed upon plan. But then the president changed his mind at the last minute, demanding that the US Congressional members fund more monies to pay for his US southwestern border wall. The congressional members refused to give into his demands, and voila the government shutdown was started.
So, good hardworking American taxpayers ended up paying because we have a dysfunctional government.This is why peoples like myself will be pushing hard for a law to prevent the possibility of future government shutdowns.
Hugs, Gronda
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Gronda, with a certain bent on childish tantrums on top of childish storytelling, this legislation would be welcome. You would think this would be unneeded, but politicians seem to get in their own way. Keith
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What an honor to have a strong speaker like Nancy Pelosi! Thank you for ALL you do for ALL of US!
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