Government Shutdown - The Latest

NBC News Radio National Correspondent Rory O'Neill joins us to discuss the latest in the ongoing government shutdown. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So when you say nuked about the government shutdown, we're
talking about the nuclear option, which is something the president
is urging. Senate Republicans Doe Rory and thel ANBC News
Radio national correspondent on the live line. Thanks for doing
this this morning, choriste.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
So, I guess let's start with a definition for those
that might not be familiar with the couple of times
that we've done on the other side of the aisle
in the last couple of decades. What is the nuclear option?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, right, they want to get rid of this filibuster.
This is what requires sixty votes in the Senate to
end the debate and bring about the vote to have
one of these to bring about the vote on the legislation,
in this case, that continuing resolution that would keep the
government open. The whole idea of the filibuster is to
protect the minority's voice. And when you talk to these senators,

(00:52):
especially those who've been around for a while, they've been
the majority, they've been the minority, they're the majority again now.
They like the protection that the filibuster gives when they
are in the minority. And it's sort of it's it's
that heart of the Senate. That makes things a bit
more even keeled, rather than going with the wild swings
that we often see from the House. So President Trump

(01:12):
wants to get rid of the philibuster, but a lot
of his fellow Republicans in the Senate do not. And
this is one of the rare times we're seeing Congress
say no, thanks, mister.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
President, isn't that interesting? So that takes the three quarters
vote down to a simple majority, and so it's that's
probably that's dead un arrival. I guess can you say
that it is yes?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Because you know there are only three votes I think majority,
but that the Republicans have in the Senate. And you know,
I can tell you five ten names off the top
of my head who are Republicans who are non on this,
including people like Senator John Thun the majority leader, but
also Mitch McConnell and John Kennedy and Ran Paul like
they all want this institution to stay as is and

(01:59):
to keep the philibuster in place, knowing that, yeah, this
is a short term solution. It's that sugar high, it's
the rece's cup we've all been eating the past week.
But it is going to crash and crash hard when
you're out of power.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
So where do we stand, day thirty seven, it's a
new record. What sort of conversations are going on to
open the government back up again?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, today Senate Democrats are having a little quiet caucus
meeting because they're trying to develop an exit strategy. It's
not going to be about this continuing resolution that was
passed by the House because it's only good through November
twenty first, anyway, so what does that catch it fourteen days. Instead,
they're trying to get something that would be a continuing
resolution for a longer period of time that would also

(02:44):
include these protections or at least a guarantee of a
vote on the protection of the subsidies of the Obamacare policies.
So this is all being done by the way, on
the sidelines. Leadership isn't really involved in these talks. That way,
they can all go up to the microphone and you know,
pound the lecturn and do what they do.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Interesting, right, and take a couple of weeks they signed
the CR. It's good for a week, and here we
go again. Rory O'Neil inter sing News Radio national correspondent,
thank you.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
No way to run a country, all right? Thanks Deve,