Outside the Beltway

As public opinion of the President continues to slide his pandering to his far-right base increases.

The economic impact from the just-concluded government shutdown was apparently quite substantial.

The economy took quite a hit from the President’s pointless shutdown over a border wall that will never be built.

After an essentially pointless 35 day shutdown, some members of the House and Senate are proposing bills that would make government shutdowns impossible.

Looking ahead, the political landscape does not look well for the President.

Is the settlement of the government shutdown just delaying the inevitable?

Regardless of whether or not you think Nancy Pelosi won the government shutdown, Donald Trump clearly lost.

The Speaker was dealt a winning hand and played it with the skill of a seasoned pro. But the outcome was all but inevitable.

In a deal that can only be described as a cave by the President, the government shutdown is on course to be ended by the end of the day today.

The Trump Administration either doesn’t realize the impact the shutdown is having on Federal workers who haven’t been paid in a month, or it doesn’t care.

As the shutdown enters day thirty-five, there are some signs of movement in Washington but no real progress.

The Senate rejected Republican and Democratic proposals as expected but there are some signs of movement forward.

As the shutdown enters its thirty-fourth day and the Senate gets ready to vote on proposals that have no chance of succeeding, Democrats are preparing a new proposal.

President Trump has backed down in his showdown with Speaker Pelosi over the State of the Union Address, but that does nothing to bring us closer to a resolution of the government shutdown.

As the shutdown continues, the President’s political position is becoming weaker. He doesn’t seem to care, though.

There’s a way that Congress and the President could make future government shutdowns impossible, but they probably won’t do it.

The Senate has the ball this week in terms of action on the government shutdown, but its work is going to end up being utterly pointless.

The government shutdown is beginning to negatively impact the public’s perception of the health of the economy.

Two years into his Presidency, Donald Trump continues to set the wrong kind of records.

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet again in February, but it’s hard to see why.

Not surprisingly, the President’s proposed shutdown deal is not being received well by Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Could Maryland Governor Larry Hogan be just the kind of Republican to challenge Trump in 2020?

The initial reaction to President Trump’s proposal to reopen the government is not going over well on either side of the aisle.

President Trump put an offer on the table to end the shutdown, the question is whether it will actually lead anywhere.

Is Trump about to make an offer (plus the SOTU letter may have helped).

With Democrats making a new proposal and the President set to speak later today, there could be movement on ending the government shutdown. I wouldn’t be too optimistic, though.

Instead of staying in Washington, Congress should go on recess so Members of Congress and Senators can hear from the people how the shutdown is impacting them.

New polling seems to indicate that President Trump is losing support among an important part of his base.

The efforts by Speaker Pelosi and President Trump to leverage their institutional powers raise interesting questions.

As the government shutdown continues, Washington is coming to resemble a fight between toddlers. Except the toddlers have the excuse of not knowing any better.

President Trump responded to the suggestion that the State of the Union be rescheduled by revoking military transportation for a Congressional trip to visit troops in Afghanistan.

Despite their rhetoric, Republicans in Congress have shown through their own inaction that they don’t really support the President’s border wall.

As the shutdown continues the numbers get worse for the President, but he doesn’t seem to care.

Nancy Pelosi is “suggesting” to the President that the State of the Union be rescheduled for a time after the government shutdown ends, but it clearly seems like more than just a suggestion.

The Speaker is well within her rights to make Trump’s invitation conditional on ending the shutdown. But let’s not pretend we can’t keep him safe.

As the shutdown drags on, it’s beginning to have an impact on the economy.

Theresa May’s Brexit deal suffered the worst defeat in the modern history of the British Parliament, and nobody is sure what happens next.

After twenty-five days, there’s no end in sight to the Federal Government shutdown. You can thank the President for that.

As the shutdown goes on, the polls are getting worse for the President.

As the government shutdown enters through its twenty-fourth day, attention is shifting to Senate Republicans who could be pressured to break ranks and potentially force a resolution.

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

Border states/districts are not as pro-wall as presidential rhetoric might make you think.

The numbers aren’t good for Trump.

If you’re looking for the biggest obstacle to a resolution to the government shutdown, look no further than President Donald J. Trump.

President Trump appears to be backing away from the idea of declaring a national emergency to get his wall built. But the other options he’s considering aren’t much better.

Federal employees deemed “essential” missed a paycheck yesterday in violation of US labor law.

California Senator Kamala Harris is set to enter the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination later this month.

The government shutdown has now entered historic territory, and the Trump Administration is moving closer to a “national emergency” or other extra-legal means to get money for his wall.

President Trump is claiming he never said Mexico would directly pay for the wall, except for all those times when he said Mexico would directly pay for the wall.

Iowa’s Steve King has long expressed anti-immigrant and racist views, now he’s asking why that’s a bad thing.