Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution reads:
“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law;”
Senate Democrats have voted 13 times, so far, to deny the appropriation to fund the bulk of the U.S. government.
Under the Senate’s current set of rules, a supermajority of the Senate (60 votes out of 100) are needed to pass the bill that would reopen government.
From The Hill newspaper,
Donald Trump called on Senate Republicans on Thursday to initiate the “nuclear option” and get rid of the filibuster, which would allow them to end the government shutdown and pass legislation with a simple majority.
Earlier this month, Senate Republicans modified the filibuster rule to prevent Senate Democrats from blocking votes on routine executive branch confirmations. A matter as critical to the nation’s health and safety as reopening government should require only a simple majority of Senators voting.
After all, people are dying. From the Associated Press (AP),
Judges could rule on the fate of SNAP food aid as deadline nears for shutdown to end payments
Federal district court judges are considering orders to compel Pres. Trump to violate the section of the constitution reprinted above. They want him to “draw from the treasury” to pay for food stamps, in the absence of an appropriation passed by Congress. in violation of his oath of office.
The real problem with all of this lies in the fact that there IS no money in the treasury. America is more than $38 trillion (with a “t”) in debt.
To pay for the food stamps needed for the next month to feed the 1 in every 8 residents who are incapable of feeding themselves, the government must borrow billions of dollars from the Chinese, or from as-of-yet unborn generations of Americans.
This can’t go on.
