>> Thompson: FOR MORE ON THE
SHUTDOWN, "WASHINGTON POST"
REPORTER DAMIAN PALETTA JOINS US
NOW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
SO, DAMIEN, YOU'VE BEEN KEEPING
YOUR EYE ON ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS
IN WASHINGTON TODAY.
CAN YOU JUST TELL US WHAT ALL
HAS HAPPENED AND WHERE DO WE
STAND NOW?
>> SURE, I MEAN, I THINK THINGS
HAVE GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE.
WE SAW PRESIDENT TRUMP HAVE
LUNCH TODAY WITH SOME HARD-LINE
CONSERVATIVES AT THE WHITE
HOUSE, PEOPLE THAT REALLY
SUPPORT HIS, YOU KNOW, PUSH TO
DEMAND MONEY FOR THE BORDER
WALL.
CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS WERE ON
CAPITOL HILL, BUT THEY MADE NO
REAL PROGRESS, EITHER.
IN FACT, THE SENATE HAS
ADJOURNED UNTIL TWO DAYS AFTER
CHRISTMAS.
A NUMBER OF FEDERAL AGENCIES
WILL BE CLOSED.
WE'VE ALREADY SEEN, YOU KNOW,
DOZENS OF NATIONAL PARKS CLOSE
TODAY.
AND 380,000 FEDERAL WORKERS, NOT
TO MENTION ALL THE CONTRACTORS
AND OTHERS, WILL BE SENT HOME
WITHOUT PAY BEGINNING WEDNESDAY.
>> Thompson: YOU MENTIONED THAT
THE SENATE'S ADJOURNED UNTIL THE
27th, BUT, I MEAN, HOW LIKELY IS
IT THAT WE'LL ACTUALLY SEE THIS
GET RESOLVED THEN?
OR, I MEAN, DO YOU THINK THAT
THIS MIGHT JUST CONTINUE UNTIL
THE DEMOCRATS TAKE OVER THE
HOUSE IN JANUARY?
>> IT'S INCREASINGLY STARTING TO
LOOK LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, ONCE YOU GET TO THE
27th, YOU'RE ABOUT A WEEK
AWAY FROM DEMOCRATS TAKING
CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
DEMOCRATS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE ON
VERY SOLID GROUND HERE IN THIS
IMPASSE BECAUSE PRESIDENT TRUMP
SAID LAST WEEK THAT HE WOULD OWN
THE SHUTDOWN.
HE WOULD BE PROUD TO SHUT DOWN
THE GOVERNMENT.
THE REPUBLICANS HAVE KIND OF
CHANGED THEIR POSITION MULTIPLE
TIMES LEADING INTO THE SHUTDOWN,
SO NANCY PELOSI IN THE HOUSE AND
CHUCK SCHUMER IN THE SENATE, YOU
KNOW, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UNIFY
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO HOLD
FIRM AND OPPOSE ANY MONEY FOR
THE WALL.
SO, THE DEMOCRATS FEEL LIKE
THEY'RE IN GOOD POSITION, AND
THEY CAN MAYBE WAIT THIS OUT
ANOTHER WEEK.
>> Thompson: DO YOU THINK THAT
ALL OF THIS POLITICAL JOCKEYING
IS KIND OF FORESHADOWING WHAT
WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHEN THE NEW
CONGRESS COMES INTO SESSION?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
I THINK BOTH SIDES ARE KIND OF
FEELING EACH OTHER OUT, AND
NEITHER SIDE WANTS TO GIVE IN.
NANCY PELOSI, WHO'S GOING TO BE
THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN
JANUARY, YOU KNOW, NEEDED TO
PROVE TO HER MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY
HER NEW MEMBERS, THE NEW
DEMOCRATS WHO WERE JUST ELECTED,
THAT SHE CAN STAND UP TO
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND, YOU KNOW,
REALLY HOLD THE LINE.
SIMILARLY FOR CHUCK SCHUMER, WHO
WILL REMAIN THE SENATE MINORITY
LEADER BUT WHO HAS A LOT OF
POWER BECAUSE DEMOCRATS CAN
BLOCK LEGISLATION IN THE SENATE.
SO, WITH THEM WORKING TOGETHER,
THEY REALLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
ACT AS A BIG CHECK ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S AUTHORITY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, ON THE OTHER
HAND, FEELS LIKE HE HAS TO, YOU
KNOW, TAKE A TOUGH POSITION OR
DEMOCRATS WILL TRY TO
ESSENTIALLY TAKE AWAY ALL OF HIS
POWER.
SO, THERE'S A REAL, YOU KNOW,
SHOWDOWN HAPPENING HERE, AND IT
COULD DRAG ON FOR QUITE A WHILE.
>> Thompson: SO, FOR THE NEXT
FEW DAYS, WHEN THE GOVERNMENT IS
DEFINITELY GOING TO BE SHUT
DOWN, WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE
WE GOING TO SEE?
HOW IS IT GOING TO AFFECT
PEOPLE?
>> WE SAW MANY, MANY NATIONAL
PARKS TODAY WERE CLOSED.
THE GATEWAY ARCH IN ST. LOUIS,
WHERE I'M ORIGINALLY FROM, WAS
CLOSED.
MANY OTHER PARKS CLOSED THEIR
DOORS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
EVEN IN PUERTO RICO, THEY WERE
CLOSED.
THAT'S, OBVIOUSLY, INCONVENIENT
AND HURTS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BUSINESSES MAYBE CONNECTED
TO THOSE NATIONAL PARKS.
I THINK WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY,
WE'RE GOING TO START SEEING THE
REAL IMPACT ON A LOT OF FEDERAL
WORKERS, LIKE I MENTIONED.
380,000 FEDERAL WORKERS WILL BE
SENT HOME INDEFINITELY WITHOUT
PAY.
ANOTHER 400,000 WORKERS WILL
CONTINUE TO GO TO THEIR JOBS,
BUT THEY WILL NOT BE PAID UNTIL
THIS IS RESOLVED.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN
MIND THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, A
HANDFUL.
MULTIPLE FEDERAL AGENCIES, BUT
NOT ALL FEDERAL AGENCIES WILL BE
IMPACTED.
THE PENTAGON IS NOT IMPACTED,
BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY IS IMPACTED.
SO, IT COULD HAVE KIND OF AN
UNEVEN IMPACT, BUT IT WILL
DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, BE FELT BY
MANY PEOPLE.
>> Thompson: ALL RIGHT, DAMIEN
PALETTA OF THE "WASHINGTON
POST."
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
>> MY PLEASURE, THANK YOU.