DEMS/GOVERNMENT/LEGISLATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Democrats will try to block action on a Syria sanctions bill when it comes up for a vote Tuesday [1-8-19], an effort to keep the focus on the government shutdown. Democrats also will discuss at their weekly policy lunch Wednesday [1-9-18] whether to broaden that blocking tactic to all legislation, according to a senior Democratic aide..Over the weekend, the two Democratic senators from Maryland — Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen — who represent thousands of furloughed federal government workers, first publicly raised the idea of blocking bills on the floor to raise the political stakes on President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is refusing to put any government funding bills on the floor unless Trump supports them. McConnell has said he won’t make his members vote on a bill to reopen the government without assurances that Trump would sign it, though at least two Republican senators have pushed to reopen the government while wall negotiations continue. he measure in question Tuesday, combines four Middle East-related bills, including new sanctions on the Syrian regime, and is viewed by critics of Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops there as a vehicle to speak out against that move.”
–Manu Raju and Ted Barrett, “Senate Democrats considering blocking all legislation that doesn’t reopen the government,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, January 7, 2019