GOP senator prays Trump isn't stupid enough to force another shutdown

On Thursday morning, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked the Almighty to intervene and prevent Trump from embarking on another disastrous government shutdown.

“Let’s all pray that the president will have wisdom to sign the bill so the government doesn’t shut down,” Grassley pleaded from the Senate floor.

Sen. @ChuckGrassley: "Let's all pray that the president will have wisdom to sign the bill so government doesn't shut down." pic.twitter.com/phUQOfdYC7

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 14, 2019

Grassley isn’t the only Republican senator leaning upon a higher power to intervene. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters, “I pray” Trump signs the bill.

Republicans stood by Trump during the 35-day shutdown that started in late December 2018, which Trump instigated when he threw a tantrum demanding $5.7 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

When Democrats refused his demand, Trump pouted, shut down the government, and worked with Republicans to thwart all efforts by Democrats to reopen it. Those five weeks wreaked havoc upon the country.

Around 800,000 federal workers, plus hundreds of thousands of government contractors, went more than a month without receiving a paycheck.

During that time, 1 in 4 federal workers impacted by the shutdown were forced to visit a food pantry in order to feed themselves and their families. Many fell behind on their bills, even after digging into their savings and retirement accounts.

Airline workers warned of catastrophic risks to air travel, and air travel was even temporarily halted near the end of the shutdown.

As the Trump-induced crisis lingered, former Homeland Security secretaries warned that Trump was putting the country’s national security at risk.

Trump and his out-of-touch administration did not seem to understand the pain and suffering they were causing. Millionaire Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was baffled that people were struggling after being denied two consecutive paychecks. One Trump advisor said workers might be better off without paychecks. And during all this, Trump spent $50,000 installing a room-sized golf simulator in the residence of the White House.

In the end, the Trump shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion. Some federal workers are still waiting to receive their back pay, and Trump has still not committed to signing a funding bill this week. If Trump refuses, the government would shut down starting Saturday, Feb. 16.

After enabling the recent Trump shutdown, Republicans are backing down, caving to Democratic demands, and begging heavenly forces to prevent Trump from inflicting more pain upon the country.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.