Congressional Republican leaders thought they had it all figured out, but then Trump tweeted.
The Freedom Caucus says they won't vote to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government so senior Republican leaders thought they'd force Democrats to help them keep the government running by attaching an extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to the CR.
That was their plan, but then Trump tweeted about it this morning.
CHIP should be part of a long term solution, not a 30 Day, or short term, extension!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
Trump's random tweet left congressional Republicans scrambling to figure out if Trump even understood what he was talking about, leading Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to subtweet Trump.
This is how we govern now.
The current house Continuing Resolution package has a six-year extension of CHIP, not a 30 day extension
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 18, 2018
The White House has released a new statement that says Trump will sign the continuing resolution if it passes the House and Senate, but it's not clear if it will actually pass. It's unknown how many Democrats, if any at all, will vote for the blackmail bill that funds the government for just a month along with the Children's Health Insurance Program.
The continuing resolution Republican leaders are pushing does not include anything for DREAMers because Trump said he wouldn't sign a bill if it doesn't include full funding for his fantasy border well.
So here we are. It's still possible the continuing resolution will squeak through at the last minute, but I'd say this is the closest we've come to a shutdown since 2013.
Update 6:30 pm... word is House Republican leaders were able to bribe the Freedom Caucus with more defense spending. That always works.