January 1, Double Fail: Government Shutdown Day 35

• Two Bills to Reopen the Government Die on Senate Floor
• Federal Workers, Contractors Expected to Miss 2nd Paycheck

800,000 federal workers won’t get their paychecks for the second time this month.

There is still no reprieve in sight. This is affecting both government employees and the contractors who will never be repaid for their furloughs.

Now there is a ripple effect of the shutdown spreading across America— businesses across the country are starting to feel the pain of lost business that may never return.

The AP reports: “It’s hard to know just how much the shutdown is depressing consumer spending because the Commerce Department, which compiles and reports such data, was itself closed by the shutdown.”

“We’re actually going to have small business, very soon, impacted negatively because we can’t get an SBA loan,” said Huntington Bancshares Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Steinour, in a recent article in the Washington Post.

“Lost consumption may not be fully made up once the shutdown ends as we find the consumer more cautious in their spending habits.”Bank of America economists told Bloomberg.

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, with a net worth in the hundreds of millions, said on CNBC today he doesn’t “quite understand why” federal workers are going to food banks instead of getting loans to survive the “liquidity crisis.”

“These are basically government-guaranteed loans because the government has committed, these folks will get back pay once this whole thing gets settled down.”

CNN: President Trump Prepping for National Emergency on Border

“The White House is preparing a draft proclamation for President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency along the southern border and has identified more than $7 billion in potential funds for his signature border wall should he go that route, according to internal documents reviewed by CNN.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Mulling Plan to for Extra Taxes on Wealthy Americans

Under the plan, Americans whose assets are above $50 million would be hit with a 2 percent wealth tax. People with more than $1 billion will see a 3 percent wealth tax on their assets, according to the Washington Post.

Black Eye: Florida Secretary of State Resigns Over Blackface Photo

The “photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a private Halloween party 14 years ago”, the Tallahassee Democrat Reported. 

FL Governor Ron Desantis said, ”It’s unfortunate. I think he’s done a lot of good work.”

Colin Powell Gets Roadside Assistance from Wounded Veteran

Former Sec. of State and retired Army Gen. Colin Powell made news Thursday after a veteran who lost his leg in Afghanistan helped him change a tire on the side of a busy highway near the nation’s capital.

“You touched my soul and reminded me about what this country is all about and why it is so great,” Powell wrote on his Facebook page.

“Let’s stop screaming at each other. Let’s just take care of each other. You made my day.”

Male Cheerleaders Set to Debut at Super Bowl

Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies, members of the L.A. Rams Spirit Squad, will be the first men to perform with an NFL cheerleading team during a Super Bowl, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution