Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will have the final say on what spending bills do and do not get a floor vote. All spending packages must get his approval. He will likely do what he always does, abandon border wall funding to get an outrageously high spending bill passed. The problem is that this time, Democrats are demanding the President stop all building of the wall and cancel the transfer of funds from the Defense budget.

The Senate has not passed a defense spending bill for 2020 amid partisan fighting over the president’s use of military funding for the border wall. We have a stopgap bill until December 31st.

Democrats will not allow the President to continue building the wall, which he has been able to do with diverted military funds. It seems protecting our border isn’t important, only Syria’s border is important.

Most Democrats will not and have not supported a spending bill for the Department of Defense and the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.

They are the resistance.

Despite the fact that Democrats sued the President over diverting funds and the Supreme Court allowed the President to build the wall, the Democrats will not honor the court win. Democrats will now block funding and shut down the government which they successfully blame the President for since they have control of the media.

THE DEMAND

The White House is demanding $5 billion in appropriations for the wall this budget year — up from $1.4 billion now. It is also demanding to keep its powers to transfer Pentagon dollars as well — and to get Congress to refill Pentagon military base construction projects tapped last month to pay for up to $3.6 billion worth of border fencing.

A senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the closed-door session said it was unproductive.

Democrats, who will skeletonize the military without taking a breath, are suddenly concerned about taking money from the military.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Democrats “seem more focused on scoring political points than ensuring our military has the certainty and funding it needs to counter our adversaries.”

“I am not optimistic,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. “I don’t see the Senate taking action that would enable us to have an active negotiation with them. They haven’t set the groundwork. And until they figure out the (subcommittee allocations) — although we are having very nice conversations — I don’t see progress.”

Democrats claim they don’t want a shutdown, but it does appear they do unless all border wall construction is stopped.

DEMOCRATS DEMAND THE PRESIDENT STOP BUILDING THE BORDER WALL

The Democrats filibustered a much larger measure anchored by the $695 billion Pentagon funding bill, protesting Trump’s plans to again transfer billions of dollars from the Pentagon to the border wall project. The mostly party-line vote triggered a familiar round of finger-pointing.

“This delay is because they insist on including in this bill authority for President Trump to raid American tax dollars from our military — money that is intended for specific military priorities — to pay for his wall, which he promised that Mexico would pay for,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “And that is unacceptable.”

They care about the military, they really care.

Democrats say White House demands for $5 billion for Trump’s long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall have led the GOP-controlled Senate to shortchange Democratic domestic priorities.

That appears disingenuous. They have plenty of money for social programs and there is no end to what they want in terms of handouts as people can see from the Democrat candidates agendas, which include Medicare for All – including illegals, free housing and free income – to include illegals, free PK-college education – to include illegals, reparations, and so on.

NOW IT’S ABOUT IMPEACHMENT

Shelby was unable to say whether Congress can manage both impeachment proceedings and pass the spending bills.

“It would be a wonderful thing to do, do all of our approps, do all of that. The question is will it be done,” Shelby said.

Sen. Thune is hoping the impeachment will encourage cooperation.

It’s more likely the opposite will take place. Democrats will not allow this President to do anything productive. They want him impeached although he did not commit a crime.

Let’s not forget eleven GOP senators are opposed to the emergency declaration and the transfer of funds for the border wall. They voted with Democrats in September. The eleven Republican senators who voted against the emergency and the wall included Susan Collins (R-ME, Mitt Romney (R-UT), retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), Sens. Roy Blunt (MO), Mike Lee (UT), Jerry Moran (KS), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Rand Paul (KY), Rob Portman (OH), Pat Toomey (PA), and Roger Wicker (MS).

Shelby probably does not have the votes he needs.

They might pass another short-term spending bill, but that is the only hope.