Democrats Need to Stop Prioritizing 'No Kings' Events Over a Needed Budget Deal
NASA is closed.
Its website contains an ominous message that it is "currently Closed due to a lapse in Government funding."
This is just one example of how radical Democrats in Washington, D.C. have halted progress and productivity at the federal level while they pose for pictures at "No Kings!" rallies with anti-Trump protesters.
It is hard to think how this shutdown could be anything other than a political move by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his cronies to try and stop President Donald Trump's agenda from moving forward.
But that's exactly what the majority of the American voters elected him to do.
When I served in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the first term of President Trump's administration, what stands out to me the most is how mission-driven and focused the president is as a leader.
And, I have watched many leaders in my lifetime, the first of which was my own grandfather, U.S. Secretary James A. Baker, who served Presidents Reagan and Bush.
When working for him, I noticed that President Trump does not back down because of manipulation; and he's not afraid of anyone.
During this second term in office, the world stage has been a witness to both these truths I learned first-hand from our commander and chief. He does not back down — not even from China and Russia — and he's a leader always pushing for peace, compromise, and agreement.
We saw that in the long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza that came along with the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas for more than 500 days.
The Biden administration had a chance to return the hostages or make the same deal to end the war. But they did not. It took a leader who could not be manipulated or pushed around to get the job done.
It took a leader who would put people above politics.
The current back-and-forth from Democratic leaders during this federal shutdown, shows us the same contrast.
The president won't be intimidated by fake calls for Medicaid funding, meant only to garner headlines. The president is right that those Democratic extremists calling the shots to keep this shutdown going are running a kamikaze mission, one only intended to cause chaos at any price.
Unfortunately, the price is now the furlough of federal workers — at NASA and throughout the federal government — which affects us here in Houston, and across the state of Texas, where we are proud to be home of numerous military bases full of men and women who depend on the federal government to make ends meet.
These are great Americans who can't afford to miss one paycheck, but that's now the reality of where this political shutdown has them.
They are paying the price of calculated chaos the Democrats brought.
And, it looks eerily similar to when the Texas House Democrats staged "walk outs" here earlier this year when they left the Capitol instead of trying to negotiate or legislate through their complaints about the Texas redistricting process.
Fortunately, we know from President Trump's record of success here in the U.S., and now globally. We know he will stand strong, force the Democrats back to the negotiating table and bring this shutdown to an end.
He is the only one who can.
In my current position as the executive director of the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) here in Houston, we know President Trump is also the only one who can keep our country's entire oil and gas metroplex safe from the next Hurricane Katrina.
We are working with his administration to "Build the Gate" to protect the Port of Houston from a direct hit by a major hurricane, which would devastate the $1 trillion in economic benefits tied to our Houston Port, along with its more than 3.4 million related jobs.
As we always say about our key coastal protection projects: "The Gate Cannot Wait."
However, while radical Democratic leaders push our U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study and research timelines even further behind schedule, we are back to waiting again.
Our military troops, NASA, and many Department of Transportation functions are also waiting. President Trump is right we shouldn't have to wait for a budget deal.
We need Democrats to set aside their politics and step it up on their call as public servants.
America can't wait any longer.
Coalter Baker is executive director of the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD). During President Donald Trump's first term in office, Baker served in the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Prior to that, Baker served on President Trump's presidential campaign in Arizona. He now advocates for funding the GCPD, which would be the largest ever Army Corps of Engineers project.
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