Tag: Republicans

Elizabeth Warren’s Wealth Confiscation Tax Would “Redistribute” 2.75 Trillion Dollars Over 10 Years

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

Elizabeth Warren is making it exceedingly clear that she is a socialist, and that is quite frightening considering the fact that she could potentially become our next president. 

Unless some really big name unexpectedly enters the race, there is a decent chance that Elizabeth Warren could win the Democratic nomination in 2020.  And if she ultimately won the general election, the Democrats would likely have control of both the House and the Senate during her first two years in the White House as well.  So that means that the proposal that you are about to read about could actually become law in the not too distant future.

After AOC’s proposal to raise the top marginal tax rate to 70 percent received so much favorable attention, it was just a matter of time before Democratic presidential candidates started jumping on the “soak the rich” bandwagon, and the first one to strike was Elizabeth Warren.

When she announced her new proposal on Twitter, she dubbed it the “Ultra-Millionaire Tax”…

We need structural change. That’s why I’m proposing something brand new – an annual tax on the wealth of the richest Americans. I’m calling it the “Ultra-Millionaire Tax” & it applies to that tippy top 0.1% – those with a net worth of over $50M.

It would be bad enough if this was just a one-time tax on wealth.

But it isn’t.

Please note the use of the word “annual” in Warren’s tweet.  That means that the rich would keep getting hit with this tax year after year after year.

Those with more than 50 million dollars in assets would pay a 2 percent tax each year, and those with more than a billion dollars in assets would pay 3 percent each year…

The Post reported that Warren has been advised by Saez and Gabriel Zucman, left-leaning economists affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley, on a deal that would levy a 2 percent wealth tax on Americans with $50 million-plus in assets. For Americans with assets above $1 billion, that tax rate would increase to 3 percent.

The newspaper, citing a person familiar with the plan, reported that Warren’s plan would try to counter tax evasion by boosting funding for the IRS, and by levying a one-time tax penalty on people with more than $50 million who try to renounce their U.S. citizenship. It would also require that a certain number of people who pay the wealth tax be subject to annual audits, the Post reported.

3 percent may not sound like a lot to many of you.  But over the course of a couple of decades many families could have their fortunes almost completely wiped out by this wealth confiscation tax.

According to economist Emmanuel Saez, this new tax would be imposed upon approximately 75,000 families and would raise 2.75 trillion dollars over 10 years.

Clearly this is a move by Warren to appeal to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.  I really like how Zero Hedge made this point…

Elizabeth Warren has never been a friend to the wealthy. But in the age of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, merely advocating for “holding the rich accountable” simply doesn’t penetrate like it did back in 2008. And that’s because, on the left flank of the Democratic Party, you’re not really a progressive unless you believe that the existence of billionaires is a policy error.

And surprisingly, there is actually a lot of public support for such a proposal.  In fact, a recent Fox News poll found that Americans overwhelmingly support soaking the rich…

Voters support tax increases on families making over $10 million annually by a 46-point margin (70 percent favor-24 percent oppose), and support a hike on those making over $1 million by 36 points (65-29 percent).

There is less support for a broader tax increase: 44 percent favor raising rates on those with income over $250,000, and a small minority, 13 percent, approves of an increase on all Americans.

Of course so much depends on how a survey is worded.  For example, I would be willing to bet that a survey would show that well over 50 percent of all Americans would back my proposal to abolish the income tax completely.

Over the coming months, Democratic presidential contenders are going to be continuously trying to one up each other with their promises to tax the rich and give out free stuff.  By the end, someone out there may even be promising to give free rides to the Moon to everyone.

But if Elizabeth Warren really wants to be considered a serious contender, she needs to eliminate the ridiculous gaffes that have plagued her in the past.  For instance, she recently claimed that we have “two co-equal branches of government”…

Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., already has declared that the government has “three chambers of Congress,” the House, the Senate and the presidency.

Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has claimed on Twitter that the government has “two co-equal branches of government, the president of the United States and Congress.”

“The Notorious RBG (Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg) is gonna be ticked off that she’s been forgotten again,” said a post on the Twitter news-aggregating site Twitchy.

And there is certainly no excuse for such a gaffe, because she used to be a law professor.

In the end, it is difficult to understand why so many Americans seem to want to march down the road toward socialism.  Because as President Trump has noted, Venezuela has shown us where that road leads…

“We’re looking at Venezuela, it’s a very sad situation,” Trump told reporters. “That was the richest state in all of that area, that’s a big beautiful area, and by far the richest — and now it’s one of the poorest places in the world. That’s what socialism gets you, when they want to raise your taxes to 70 percent.”

He added: “You know, it’s interesting, I’ve been watching our opponents — our future opponents talk about 70 percent. No. 1, they can’t do it for 70 percent, it’s got to be probably twice that number. But, maybe more importantly what happens is you really have to study what’s happened to Venezuela. It’s a very, very sad situation.”

Unfortunately, political proposals don’t have to actually make sense, and right now Elizabeth Warren is doing all that she can to win the progressive vote.

 

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WATCH: Schumer Mocks Trump Immediately After Trump Opens Gov To Negotiate

By Ryan Saavedra

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer mocked President Donald Trump on Friday immediately after the president ended the government shutdown so non-essential federal employees could get paid and so both of the nation’s major parties could work on a deal to fund border security.

Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a press conference following Trump’s announcement that he would sign a short-term continuing resolution to fund the federal government through mid-February.

“The American people do not like it when you throw a wrench into the lives of government workers over an unrelated political dispute,” Schumer said. “Working people throughout America empathized with the federal workers and were aghast at what the president was doing to them. Hopefully, now the president has learned his lesson”

“Now, once the president signs the continuing resolution, we in Congress will roll up our sleeves and try to find some agreement on border security,” Schumer continued. “Today the president will sign the bill to reopen the government along the outlines of what we have proposed and hopefully it means a lesson learned for the White House and for many of our Republican colleagues: Shutting down the government over a policy difference is self-defeating.”

“It accomplishes nothing but pain and suffering for the country and incurs an enormous political cost to the party shutting it down,” Schumer continued.

WATCH:

During the press conference, Pelosi refused to answer whether she would accept “any sort of physical barrier in a border security plan.”

After 36 days of spirited debate and dialogue, I have seen and heard from enough Democrats and Republicans that they are willing to put partisanship aside — I think — and put the security of the American people first,” Trump said at a press conference on Friday. “I do believe they’re going to do that. They have said they are for complete border security, and they have finally and fully acknowledged that having barriers, fencing, or walls — or whatever you want to call it — will be an important part of the solution.”

“So let me be very clear: We really have no choice but to build a powerful wall or steel barrier,” Trump concluded. “If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15th, again, or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency. We will have great security.”

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Government Open… …And Border No Wall Still No SOTU!

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By Charlie Spiering

President Donald Trump announced Friday a plan to end the partial government shutdown, by temporarily caving to Democrat demands to reopen the government.

Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations continued — with no apparent wall funding concessions from Democrats.

The president warned that if Congress could not successfully negotiate a deal including wall funding in three weeks, he would be forced to announce a State of Emergency, which would allow him to shift funds to build border structures without Congress.

“If we don’t get a fair deal from Congress, the government either shuts down on February 15th again or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws and the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency,” he said.

He argued that he had heard from enough Democrats during the shutdown who were willing to support border security including physical barriers as part of the solution, allowing him to reopen the government temporarily.

“Many disagree, but I really feel that working with Democrats and Republicans, we can make a truly great and secure deal happen for everyone,” he said.

The president announced a bipartisan congressional committee to review border patrol requests for security and asked them to come up with a compromise deal.

“They will put together a homeland security package for me to shortly sign into law,” Trump said. He urged both parties to work together to solve the problems at the border. He defended the idea of a wall or a physical barrier as part of the negotiations.

“Walls should not be controversial,” Trump said.

The president delivered his remarks in the Rose Garden at the White House. Vice President Mike Pence together with several members of Trump’s cabinet attended the speech including Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Other White House staff including senior adviser Jared Kushner watched the speech. They clapped as Trump announced his decision.

Trump announced his decision as Federal workers face a second missed paycheck as the government shutdown enters its 35th day.

The president thanked federal workers who suffered financial difficulties as a result of the shutdown, vowing that they would receive back pay.

“You are very, very special people. I am so proud that you are citizens of our country,” he said. “When I say ‘Make America Great Again,’ it could never be done without you.”

Trump made his announcement after Congress reached an impasse on a bill to reopen the government. Both Senate measures failed to meet the necessary 60-vote threshold needed to move a bill forward. Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to compromise with Trump on any wall funding, demanding unconditionally that the government be reopened first.

The White House finally caved to Democrats demands, despite Trump’s repeated assertions this week that he would not do so.

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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN SUGGESTS FBI TIPPED OFF CNN BEFORE RAIDING ROGER STONE

Greta Van Susteren Suggests FBI Tipped Off CNN Before Raiding Roger Stone

Former Fox News host questions how news network obtained audio of FBI banging on Stone’s door

 | Infowars.com – JANUARY 25, 2019

RELATED: CNN Producer Admits He Was “Waiting” Outside Roger Stone’s House an Hour Before Arrest

Former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren suggested that the FBI could have tipped off CNN before the arrest of Roger Stone, after a dramatic video emerged which featured audio of FBI agents banging on Stone’s door.

Stone was arrested at 6am at his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla on a seven-count indictment which includes one count of obstruction, five counts of making false statements and one count of witness tampering.

Video of the raid was released by CNN as soon of news of the arrest emerged. It contains audio of an FBI agent shouting, “FBI open the door” while banging on the door.

Van Susteren immediately took to Twitter to claim that the FBI “obviously tipped off CNN”.

“CNN cameras were at the raid of Roger Stone…so FBI obviously tipped off CNN…even if you don’t like Stone, it is curious why Mueller’s office tipped off CNN instead of trying to quietly arrest Stone;quiet arrests are more likely to be safe to the FBI and the person arrested,” she tweeted.

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“Tipping CNN off so that it was there w/ its cameras is an issue worth exploring,” she added.

She later acknowledged that others could have tipped off the FBI, including Stone himself.

“Upon reflection, there are others who could have tipped off CNN …others knew, maybe even Stone suspected it and tipped them off…as an aside, if I worked for a news org and had the tip, I would have sent cameras,” tweeted Van Susteren.

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Stone will make an initial appearance later Friday at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. He has vowed not to testify against President Trump.

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Mueller probe: Fully armed FBI agents arrest Trump’s ex-adviser Roger Stone in pre-dawn raid

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The FBI has arrested Roger Stone, a former campaign adviser to US President Donald Trump, in a surprise early morning raid on his home. Stone has been indicted on charges including obstruction and witness tampering.

He was arrested at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following Thursday’s indictment by the office of the US Special Counsel Robert Mueller which is investigating Trump and his associates over allegations surrounding his 2016 campaign.

Read more

Roger Stone pleads the Fifth, snubs Senate Democrats’ invitation to testifyRoger Stone pleads the Fifth, snubs Senate Democrats’ invitation to testify

Stone is facing one count of obstruction of proceedings, one count of witness tampering, and five counts of false statements.

It is alleged that Stone, who officially left the Trump campaign in August 2015, told campaign officials in July 2016 about future WikiLeaks (referred to in Mueller’s document as “Organization 1”) releases of damaging information found in leaked Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails. US intelligence claims the emails were hacked by Russian “government actors.”

During Trump’s campaign, Stone boasted about having connections with WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, but later said it wasn’t a direct link. Instead, he said that he relied on New York radio host Randy Credico (named “Person 2” in the Thursday indictment) as a “go-between.”

The indictment says Stone lied to the House Intelligence Committee about his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks and tried to convince another person to give false testimony.

Stone, a long-time ally of Trump, was recently praised by the US president for saying he would “never testify against Trump” and for having “guts” in the face of the “rogue and out of control prosecutor” Mueller.

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The FBI showed up at Stone’s door in force. Agents arrived armed with assault rifles and clad in body armor, and without warning.

FBI agents are among those left without pay due to the ongoing US government shutdown, and the fact that they still went and arrested Stone had the anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ praising on them on Twitter for “protecting this country.”

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Since Trump came to power, FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ‘Russiagate’ probe has been investigating the US intelligence community’s allegations that he had colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign. Stone’s arrest is arguably the most significant of the probe, which has so far resulted in several high-profile arrests on charges unrelated to the still unproven “collusion.”

Russia has dismissed all allegations of working to put Trump in power or control his decisions.

ALSO ON RT.COMMueller shoots down BuzzFeed’s latest ‘Russiagate’ scoop with a rare dismissal

Many of Trump’s opponents blame Russia for his surprise 2016 victory against Hillary Clinton. In April 2018, the House Intelligence Committee concluded that Trump had not colluded with Moscow, but later the Senate committee said he did, choosing to side with US intelligence assessments.

Those assessments, as well as media reports often based on unnamed sources (many of which have since proven to be false) remain the chief basis for the ‘Russiagate’ allegations, as Mueller’s team has so far failed to uncover proof of collusion in its two-year probe.

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PROGRESSIVE ANTI-SEMITISM IS ON THE RISE

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By Alex Titus

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is back in the news after defending a 2012 tweet she wrote stating that “Israel has hypnotized the world.” In a recent CNN clip, she questioned how her comments could be construed as “offensive to Jewish Americans.”

Yes, comparing the Jewish state to some sort of manipulative global force — how could anyone possibly find that offensive?

Omar’s comment alone is striking, but what is more concerning is that her comment represents a growing strand of casual anti-Semitism in progressive politics. Activists and politicians on the far-left are continually finding themselves embroiled in controversies related to remarks on Jews and the Jewish state. Clearly, it’s time for progressives to get their house in order.

Jews are right to be concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in America.

In 2017, incidents related to anti-Semitism increased by a whopping 57 percent in the United States according to the Anti-Defamation League. Making up only 2 percent of the population, Jews faced more physical attacks than all other religions combined in 2017. The notorious Boycott, Sanction, and Divestment (BDS) movement is gaining steam across the country.

Despite this growing problem, some progressive politicians and activists seem to have no concern espousing the historically hateful rhetoric that leads to wide-scale anti-Semitism. Omar’s 2012 tweet is a great example. As Bari Weiss noted in a recent op-ed for the New York Times, Jews “hypnotizing” the public was the very plot of Jud Süss, a popular Nazi propaganda film.

The Jew as a “manipulator” has also made its way into the public discourse after Trayon White, a Democratic Member of the D.C. City Council, stated in a Facebook video last year that Jews were responsible for controlling the weather.

“Y’all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation … And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man. Be careful,” White noted in the video.

The Rothschilds frequently play boogie man in a host of other anti-Semitic conspiracies.

Anti-Zionism also makes up an important facet of this brand of progressive politician and activist. Sure enough, Omar supports the deeply flawed BDS movement meant to harm the Jewish state.

Omar’s anti-Israel views are backed by Michigan Congresswoman and progressive firebrand Rashida Tlaib. A widely circulated picture of a map in her Congressional office showed a sticky note of the word “Palestine” covering Israel’s existing borders. References to Palestine engulfing Israel are a not so subtle hint at the dissolution of the Jewish state.

Tlaib also makes no qualms paling around with Abbas Hamideh, a known pro-Hezbollahactivist. Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist organization, frequently hosts rallies where supporters chant “Death to Israel!” Choice exerts of Hamideh’s tweets include clamoring against the “criminal Zionists” and praise for Samir Kuntar, a convicted terrorist, and murderer.

Prominent left-wing grassroots activists have also had their fair share of controversy. Tamika Mallory, the President of the Women’s March, has become embroiled in scandals related to her stances on the Jewish state and who she chooses to associate with.

In a recent interview on PBS’ “Firing Line,” Mallory refused to answer whether Israel should have the right to exist. “I just don’t feel that everyone has a right to exist at the disposal of another group,” she noted during the back and forth. After being pressed, Mallory angry stated that she was “done talking” about the subject.

Mallory also refuses to disavow her association with Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan who she once dubbed “The greatest of all time.” Yes, this is the same Farrakhan who proudly compared Jews to “termites” and that “Lying, murderous Zionist Jews” were behind the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Asked to condemn Farrakhan’s blatant anti-Semitic remarks in an interview on ABC’s “The View” by Meghan McCain, Mallory refused based on the grounds that McCain’s line of questioning was “racist.”

The past few months make clear that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has work to do. Progressives can either choose to stop associating with politicians and activists who spew hate towards Jews or continue down a dangerous path of mainlining anti-Semitism. For the Jewish people and America’s sake, we should hope they choose the former.

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WATCH AS OVER 100 ILLEGALS JUMP BORDER BEFORE GETTING ARRESTED

Watch As Over 100 Illegals Jump Border Before Getting Arrested

Customs and Border Patrol also apprehended around 375 migrants last week

Infowars.com – JANUARY 24, 2019

More than 100 illegal aliens were recorded jumping a border fence before being apprehended by federal authorities:

During the crossing, which happened near Yuma, Arizona, on Monday, the migrants climbed over a 18-foot, bollard-style border fence using a ladder you can see a smuggler running away with at the end of the video.

“It shows how brazen these smugglers are and the fact that they’re unafraid,” said Jose Garibay, the Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector spokesman. “They know that we’re not gonna go into Mexico to apprehend them.”

“So once he puts up that ladder, gets his commodity — in which he looks at these humans — in the United States, then he takes down his ladder, and as you saw in the video, just walks back to wherever he hid the ladder and continues on with his day.”

“It’s presumable that this individual has done it more than once,” he added.

Last week, Customs and Border Patrol also apprehended around 375 migrants who dug short, shallow holes under barriers that were not concrete reinforced at several spots east of San Luis, Ariz., which is near Yuma.

“The area became a major corridor for illegal crossings in the mid-2000s, prompting the federal government to weld steel plates to a barrier made of steel bollards that had been designed to stop people in vehicles, not on foot, Border Patrol spokesman Jose Garibay III said,” reported KTLA. “In those spots, there is no concrete footing to prevent digging.”

The Democrats are pushing the narrative that securing the border should not be a priority. Alex Jones has a message for the president about using his authority to do the right thing.

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Here’s Something the Press Won’t Tell You: Mexican Cartels Eat the Hearts of Their Victims

By Peter D’Abrosca

A fascinating report from News Australia published Jan. 20 reveals a startling fact about some of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartels: they rip out the hearts of their murder victims and eat them.

“But some barbaric factions of the gangs are believed to have even turned cannibal and actually eaten parts of their rivals,” the report said. “And in a particularly twisted initiation ritual, young members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel were forced to eat the hearts of murder victims. Local prosecutors claimed two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, remained unrepentant after they were drugged with crack then forced to eat human flesh by senior cartel bosses.”

Even with hundreds of stories about illegal aliens brutally killing Americans, (here) raping children, (here and here) and selling drugs en masse, (here) some Americans still support open borders.

Even though Mexico has an ever-increasing problem with beheadings, some Americans still support open borders.

Trending: Native Activist Who Harassed Catholic Teens Identified As Actor From 2012 Skrillex Video About Attacking Police

Is a culture that cannibalizes its murder victims a bridge too far? Likely not for the Democrats, who will oppose President Donald J. Trump and his border wall at all costs.

See the source image

See the source image

“A similar event took place in 2015 when hopefuls of La Familia Michoacana were forced to eat their rivals after torturing them and cutting them up while alive,” the report continued.

The report continued:EL BLOG DEL NARCO,LO

Los Zetas cocaine kingpin Heriberto Lazcano, who was killed in a shootout with Mexican Marines in 2012, was notorious for feeding victims to the lions and tigers he kept on his ranch.

But it was his practice of eating human flesh that thrust him into international headlines two years ago.

A reporter who spent time with him told El Blog del Narco, “After sentencing him (the victim) to death, he orders him to bathe, and even to shave his whole body and let him de-stress for two or three hours, even better sometimes he gave them a bottle of whisky to relax, then he ordered a very quick death so there is no adrenaline in the meat to prevent it getting bitter or hard.”

He would then devour the man’s buttock flesh in tamales after it had been cooked in lemon and served on toast.

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Senate rejects dueling GOP, Democratic bills to end partial government shutdown

By Gregg Re

The Senate on Thursday rejected both the Democratic and GOP proposals to end the ongoing partial federal government shutdown, with both measures falling far short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass.

Although each of the dueling measures was expected to fail even before Thursday, it was hoped twin defeats might spur the two sides into a more serious effort to strike a compromise. Almost every proposal needs 60 votes to advance in the Senate, which is under 53-47 Republican control.

The final vote on the GOP bill was 50-47. West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin was the lone Democrat to cross over and support the GOP package, which would have provided $5.7 billion for President Trump’s proposed border wall while also offering several immigration-related concessions and tightening asylum rules. GOP Sens. Tom Cotton and Mike Lee voted against the Republican measure.

“If this had been a vote to begin debate on a deal to end the shutdown, I would have happily voted yes,” Lee told Fox News. “But this was a vote to end debate on a bill that I believe is fundamentally flawed. In fact, after specifically asking for assurances that we would be allowed to offer amendments, no assurances were given. This bill as is simply does not do enough to reform our immigration system or address the crisis at our southern border.”

The Democrats’ plan would have reopened agency doors through Feb. 8 while bargainers seek a budget accord, but included no wall funding. The vote was 52-44 on the Democratic bill, with all Democrats voting yes and several Republicans crossing over, including Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, and Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander. Not voting on the bill were Sens. Richard Burr, Rand Paul, James Risch, and Jacky Rosen.

Both the GOP and Democratic measures would have reopened federal agencies and pay 800,000 federal workers who are about to miss yet another paycheck amid the shutdown, now in its 34th day.

In the wake of the failed votes, a bipartisan colloquy was underway on the Senate floor between senators trying to forge a bipartisan solution to reopen the government.

Several House Democratic representatives, including Reps. John Lewis, Bobby Scott, Gregory Meeks, and Jamie Raskin, were gathered in the back of the Senate chamber during the vote, apparently to protest the Senate’s failure to consider several bills to end the shutdown that passed the Democratic-controlled House.

Migrants seen climbing over border wall in Arizona

Migrants seen climbing over border wall in Arizona

Border Patrol agents in Yuma, Arizona apprehend a group of over 100 Central Americans who illegally scaled the border wall.

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a moderate, told Fox News before the votes that she would support both of the proposals, and that Congress has an obligation to work on further negotiations through the weekend.

“I personally think both of them are flawed, but having said that, I’m going to vote for both of them,” Murkowski said. “We’re going to have two show votes, and my hope is that after that, it will allow us to really get down to work.”

Murkowski continued: “So to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, if you don’t like the provisions that have been laid down, then let’s let’s work them through. Let’s get to yes here. I don’t like the asylum provision, quite honestly, that the president laid out there. So let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about this. But if we do these two votes this afternoon and then everybody skedaddles for the weekend –Wow. What kind of a message is that?”

WATCH: TRUMP UNVEILS NEW SLOGAN FOR BORDER WALL

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the Democratic plan was a “down the middle (to) reopen government and has received overwhelming support from both sides before President Trump said he wouldn’t do it.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., countered that the GOP proposal was “a compromise package the president will actually sign,” calling Schumer’s alternative a “dead-end proposal that stands no chance.”

“It’s hard to imagine 60 votes developing for either one,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. GOP moderates such as Murkowski and Susan Collins of Maine are expected to vote for the Democratic plan, as is Cory Gardner of Colorado, one of the few Republicans representing a state carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The White House was eagerly watching Thursday’s votes. Officials think it will be harder for Democrats to keep sticking together amid Trump’s offers, according to a person familiar with White House thinking who was not authorized to speak publicly. They are hopeful for defections by Democrats who may cross party lines to vote with the president.

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At a panel discussion held by House Democrats on the effects of the shutdown, union leaders and former Homeland Security officials said they worried about the long-term effects. “I fear we are rolling the dice,” said Tim Manning, a former Federal Emergency Management Agency official. “We will be lucky to get everybody back on the job without a crisis to respond to.”

DEM CAUCUS MEETING ROILED BY TALK THAT SUPER BOWL SECURITY MAY BE AFFECTED BY SHUTDOWN

The partial shutdown began just before Christmas after Trump indicated that he wouldn’t sign a stopgap spending bill backed by top Republicans like McConnell, who shepherded a bill through the Senate that would have funded the government up to Feb. 8. The House passed a plan with money for the wall as one of the last gasps of the eight-year GOP majority.

On Thursday, almost five weeks later, House Democrats continued work on a package that would ignore Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for a wall with Mexico and would instead pay for other ideas aimed at protecting the border.

Many Democrats who oppose the wall supported a border barrier in the past, what changed?

Many Democrats who oppose the wall supported a border barrier in the past, what changed?

How do past border proposals stack up to President Trump’s? GOP strategist Lauren Claffey explains.

Details of Democrats’ border security plan and its cost remained a work in progress. Party leaders said it would include money for scanning devices and other technological tools for improving security at ports of entry and along the border, plus money for more border agents and immigration judges.

A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was the latest indicator that the shutdown is hurting Trump with the general public. While his approval among Republicans remains strong, just 34 percent of Americans like his performance as president and 6 in 10 assign a great deal of responsibility to him for the shutdown, about double the share blaming Democrats, according to the poll out Wednesday.

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