(Cartoon image is by Clay Jones at claytoonz.com.)Months ago, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ended. Also months ago, Donald Trump issued an executive order that would end DACA (which protected immigrants brought to this country as children -- and have graduated from American schools and going on to higher education or served in our military, while committing no crimes).
Republicans know that the American people overwhelmingly support both CHIP and DACA, and they have repeatedly said they want to pass both programs (especially since the continuing resolution failed and the government was shut down). That is obviously a lie.
If they really wanted to re-instate both CHIP and DACA, they could have brought them both the the floor of the House and Senate for a vote -- and both would have passed. But they have not done that. Instead, they have, in effect, taken both these programs hostage. They want to use them to force Democrats to agree with other things they want -- attaching CHIP to the continuing resolution to fund the government, and attaching DACA to comprehensive immigration reform.
Why have they done this? Because they cannot control the members of their own party, and need Democratic votes. But instead of compromising, which the Democrats are willing to do, the Republicans prefer the heavy-handed and unethical tactic of holding CHIP and DACA hostage -- which is nothing more than extortion.
Now they have added a third group of hostages in an attempt to force Democrats to agree to their continuing resolution -- the members of our military. Republicans have whined about our soldiers, sailors, and airmen not getting paid during the government shutdown. But whining is all they want to do. Democrats have tried to bring up a bill that would continue military pay during the shutdown -- but Mitch McConnell and his Republican cohorts refuse to allow that to come to the Senate floor for a vote. They prefer to use the military as hostages to gain their own political ends.
The Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House, but have shown themselves incapable of governing. That's why they are resorting to hostage politics -- and it is deplorable! They must be voted out of power in November.
