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Medved: ‘Idiotic’ government shutdown a win for Trump
Jan 22, 2018, 4:03 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2018, 6:45 am
A sign outside the Library of Congress. (AP)
(AP)
A government shutdown that lasted less than 72 hours is over, for now. Senate Democrats fell in line and voted to approve a spending bill that funds the government until February 8 in exchange for the promise of a vote on immigration reform.
KTTH’s Michael Medved called the government shutdown “idiotic,” saying that the whole thing was actually a win for President Trump.
RELATED: Government shutdown is downright embarrassing
“This thing was stupid. It was costly. They always are. It surely will end up costing several billion dollars of your taxpayer money for this gamesmanship,” Medved said. “I am very glad it’s over. No matter what you say, no matter how you feel about him, it’s another victory for President Trump. And it’s a fairly substantial victory.”
Democrats had been holding out for a deal that would extend DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) and protect DREAMers, the 700,000 or so young unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
Trump announced an end to DACA in September, stating that Congress had until March 2018 to agree on a more permanent solution. A California federal judge recently ruled that the program must be restarted.
“The idea that somehow shutting down the government was going to protect DREAMers. It never was,” Medved said. “What will protect DREAMers is the goodwill of Republicans, Democrats, and the overwhelming majority of Americans.”
On Friday, the Senate voted 50-49 to block a spending bill that would have prevented the government shutdown. Five republicans voted with a majority of Democrats, and five Democrats switched sides and voted in favor of the bill.
The Senate vote on Monday to end the brief shutdown tallied 81-18. Two Republicans, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill.
“It’s a good thing for the Congress. It’s a good thing for the Republican Party. And yes, it’s a very very good thing for the President of the United States,” Medved said.
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