By Brandon Sapienza, Staff Writer
Last week, I was enjoying the newest edition of the New York Times on my iPad, like I do every day. One of the headlines I saw caught my eye, and it read, “Senate Closes Deal on Two-Year Spending Bill, Ignoring Trump.”
On one hand, it is nice to see both parties working together to keep the government open, but the concerning element is how Congress chose to ignore President Donald Trump.
For those who have read my articles on the president recently, you know I am all about having strong legitimacy. For President Trump, his legitimacy as Commander in Chief has been dwindling and has never been where it should be. Based on the reaction about Trump’s State of the Union from Republicans and the country as a whole, confidence about the current state in the government should be at a high. However, rocked by scandal in the White House and memos coming out of nowhere, Trump can’t do his job of working with Congress. This says a lot about the state of the government.
In the last edition of The BV, I highlighted the problems with the intelligence community and some parts of Congress, but looking at the government as a whole, there is a greater issue. When lawmakers refuse to even consider Trump when making budgetary decisions, there is a problem. The government was designed by our founding fathers to be separate but, at the same time, collaborate. The president, who ultimately enforces the budget, should have some say on what the budget is.
This whole situation also says a lot about President Trump. On many occasions while campaigning, Trump mentioned that he was a dealmaker and is a great negotiator. I’m no businessman, but saying that you’re willing to have a government shutdown is not a good start at the negotiating table.
For once, I applaud Congress for working together and trying to make compromises for the greater good of the country. At the same time, the president should be ashamed for his actions regarding a budget he has to enforce. Trump has no one to blame but himself for the lack of trust Congress has in him.
