He is in the mire isn't he? From The Economist today America’s federal government shuts down HOWEVER swiftly and recklessly Congress appeared to be barrelling toward a government shutdown on January 18th and 19th, optimists had one reason to hold out hope. Donald Trump planned to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration with a party at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Florida. Ticket prices began at $100,000 a pair, which covered dinner and a picture with the president. Mr Trump said he would not leave Washington until a continuing resolution (CR) was passed; to many, that implied a deal would somehow, despite all appearances to the contrary, be struck—Mr Trump loves hosting, and would not want to leave his rich friends in the lurch. But on the afternoon of January 19th, reports emerged that Mr Trump was cancelling his trip. Apparently the optics of taking a taxpayer-funded flight to rake in millions at a fundraiser while hundreds of thousands of federal workers prepare to be furloughed proved too gruesome to contemplate, even for this White House. On December 18th, the House passed a short-term spending bill to keep the government open until February 16th, but at 10pm on January 19th, it failed to pass the Senate.
