The clash of Trump-Pelosi after the first battle of the new era

Nancy Pelosi often quotes Abraham Lincoln, saying that public opinion is everything. This is a theory that will be put to the test when the new Democratic majority in the House this week will vote for the government to end the closure of the government with no money for the wall on the border between the President Donald Trump and Mexico.

The very ambitious decision to reopen the government This will be the first major battle between Trump and Pelosi as the Democrats take control, ready to reaffirm the power of the legislature and confront the White House.

Trump relies on public support while he is asking for $ 5 billion to build the wall. . He said that he was in no hurry to abandon a flagship campaign problem as he launched his own bid for reelection in 2020. But Pelosi is just as sure as the public will be on the side of the Democrats when they try to put the government back to work, and move on to health care and other priorities, including monitoring the White House.

As the city's closure begins, the closure of the popular Smithsonian museums and the harshness of 800,000 federal employees, the stalemate is becoming a true testament Republicans rarely exercise monopoly control about the government in Washington.

"We are going to do our job," said Representative Jim McGovern, outgoing chair of the Rules Committee, vowing to legislate reopening the government. "The president should take the" yes "answer and return to Twitter."

As Republicans give up their grip on Congress and House Speaker Paul Ryan drops the hammer, the White House looks forward to a confrontation with Pelosi. the crisis will tarnish the opening of the new legislative session and, with it, its expected return to the office of the president.

Trump is committed to the long term, according to government officials not allowed to speak in public and to ensure anonymity. After quickly threatening to close the government over the wall, he now thinks he has public opinion and, at least, the backbone of his supporters behind him.

The President did not say that he would veto Democratic legislation, if it arose. his office. But the idea of ​​muddling the Pelosi president's posts only reinforces Trump, the officials said. A protracted crisis could hinder the ability of House Democrats to launch their agenda, which includes investigations of the president and oversight of his government, including Russia's interference in the elections.

Rather than launching negotiations, the president is silenced. the White House, tweeting. "Veterans on border security treatment by President Trump – 62% approval," Trump reported on Sunday, referring to AP VoteCast, a national survey of more than 115,000 voters – including more than 4,000 current and former members of the service, led for The Associated Press. by NORC at the University of Chicago. He found that veterans generally agreed with Trump's performance, but that women, the fastest-growing demographic group, defied this trend and that a majority disapproved of it.

Other Republicans, however, are more wary of the White House's approach. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, chairman of the Credit Committee, said Sunday that a prolonged stalemate was making all parties "ridiculous".

"If we blame each other, it could last a very long time," said Shelby. on CBS & # 39; "Face the Nation". & # 39; & # 39; It's not a question of who wins, who loses … Nobody wins in one stop, we all lose. "

Meanwhile, Pelosi shows no sign of weakness, eager to both reopen the government and launch the Democratic Program.

When the House opens Thursday, one of the first votes will be the return of Pelosi to the post of President The California Democrat is confident of having the support to win.

Democrats in House Prepare Three Legislative Projects A Temporary Solution, Similar to the Bill Passed by the Senate before Christmas, aimed to maintain border security at existing funding levels, at $ 1.3 billion, and reopen the government until February 8. but no money for the wall, the others would also keep border funds at current levels, without wall money, but for the rest of the fiscal year, until September 30.

On the other side of the Capitol, the chief of the Senate minority Ch Schumer showed little light with Pelosi, and he was able to maintain Democrats' cohesion, effectively neutralizing White House's attempt to divide its ranks, even after their defeat in the Senate in November.

Schumer immediately began to approach the Democratic senators after the mid-term elections to hear their views on Trump's $ 5 billion request for the wall, according to a person familiar with the talks, but not allowed to speak in public. He quickly learned that even the most vulnerable senators in the states that Trump won in 2016, while promoting border security, did not want to spend that money on the wall.

One of the Democrats of the Red State, Montana Senator Jon Tester, said Sunday that Trump has been campaigning for Mexico to pay the wall, but if the president says now: " We will always build the wall, but we will charge the American taxpayer – we will use the American taxpayer as an ATM, this is not the direction to follow. "

Republicans, who will continue to control the Senate under the leadership of the majority, Mitch McConnell, have not announced their next decision. They have largely left the negotiations to Trump and the Democrats, and it is not clear whether McConnell would consider the bills that the House could pass under Pelosi.

Republican Senators are anxious to come back to confirm Trump's judicial appointments, and say they no longer want to consider a final stop law unless they know that Trump would like to do so. adopt after the president has rejected their bill passed by the Senate.

Democrats in the House advance with other priorities in the first weeks of the new Congress. including a set of rules that will impose new transparency and control over legislative operations – including a requirement that all bills be considered by committees before proceeding to the rostrum for votes. They also provide for quick action on health care, including a resolution to fight the legal challenge of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard, D-Calif., The new chair of the credit sub-committee responsible for homeland security, said in an interview that her office was preparing a bill to keep the government running smoothly.

We must keep our promises, "she said, pointing out that the public had" considerable influence over what was going on "in Washington, DC

What if the closure was slow in getting into the new Congress? "I do not even want to think of that."

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The Associated Press writer, Washington, contributed to this report.

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