Many Americans could soon lose critical federal aid, leaving some lawmakers wondering if it's time for Donald Trump to start negotiating with Democrats. Participants in the discussion Washington Week with The Atlantic joined last night to discuss the growing pressure to reopen the government, and when (or if) the president will become directly involved.
Trump tends to “get involved when there is a need,” Seung Min Kim, a White House reporter for The Associated Press, said last night. “That need will arise when Republican leaders tell him, 'OK, you need to come in and do something about this.' However, Kim continued, the message from Republicans has been fairly consistent: To end the shutdown, Democrats will have to vote on the existing funding bill. “That calculation—that Republican line—has not changed at this point,” she added.
I join the guest moderator and Atlantic staff writer Vivian Salama discusses this and more: Paul Beckett, senior editor of the magazine Atlantic; Jeff Mason, White House Correspondent Reuters; Kim, Associated Press White House reporter; and Andrea Mitchell, Chief Washington and Foreign Affairs Correspondent NBC News.
View full episode Here.
