Senate Republicans fear shutdown fight between Pelosi and Trump weeks before election

Amid escalating tensions between US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and US President Donald Trump, the Senate Republicans are expecting shutdown fight just weeks before the 2020 elections and the threat to attaining a slim majority in the chamber. According to international media reports, there is widespread anxiety among GOP senators that US President’s inclination towards picking disagreements during nationwide protests and police brutality is a ‘political liability’ and leading to falling in his ratings. 

The Hill has reported that Trump is likely to pick a fight with Pelosi in September over the matters of government funding for the next fiscal year that starts on October 1. The relationship between both influential personalities has only grown intense over the last few years since the 35-day shutdown at the end of 2018 and the start of 2019. Trump has repeatedly referred the US House Speaker as “Crazy Pelosi” in his tweets while lashing out on Democrats. Just last month, the US President had called Nancy Pelosi “morbidly obese”. 

The international media outlet has cited unnamed GOP senators who said that the last thing they want just a few weeks before the elections that are due to begin on November 3 is a standoff on funding which could lead to a possible government shutdown. 23 Republican Senate seats are up for reelection whereas, only 12 Democratic seats are at stake in the upcoming polls. 

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Names of confederate leaders ‘have to go’

Recently, both Pelosi and Trump have gone opposite ways on the issue of renaming US military bases that are named after confederate leaders. While the US House speaker has said that those names “have to go”, Trump has pledged his administration “will not even consider” the proposal. The pressure has been mounting on White House to change the name of US army forts amid nationwide protests for Black Lives Matter. Pelosi has said that Trump “seems to be the only person left who doesn't get it."

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