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On a conference call with hundreds of state, local, and community leaders Tuesday, the Russian asset in the Oval Office said he'll never back down on his government shutdown. "We're not going back until it's over. We're going to build this wall. It's going to happen," he said. "We're going to stay out for a long time if we have to. We'll be out for a long time." Four times during the call Trump said he wasn't going to back down, he was going to get his wall.
Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took an absolutist stance when asked he if would break from Trump and allow a vote to override a veto to reopen government on the floor. "Of course not," he said.
Of course not. Meanwhile, he's also standing by while the Trump administration overreaches its authority to reopen the parts of government that are getting the most public, media, and lobbyist attention and backlash. Like making sure the mortgage banking industry is happy.
That means recalling thousands of federal aviation inspectors to work, even though they're not going to get paid, even though under federal guidelines they are not classified as essential.
It means the IRS is recalling 60 percent of its workforce—some 46,000 workers—to process refunds. Without pay. Meaning all these people that have been told to find temporary jobs won't even be able to do that because they'll be working full-time in their regular jobs. Without getting paid. The administration is getting sued for this, by the National Treasury Employees' union for illegally forcing people to work without pay.
It's all par for the course for Trump. Not paying workers is what he's known for. And McConnell isn't going to do a thing about it. Not unless we make him.
Call your Republican senators at 202-224-3121 and don't stop until this is over.