About 200 Capitol Police Officers are working without pay to secure the ‘No Kings’ rally in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
The protest marked the 18th day that the federal government has been shuttered because Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on funding priorities. If the shutdown stretches much longer, more federal employees will miss paychecks.
Police posted on rooftops with sniper rifles, accounts noticed.
The Senate requires 60 votes to reopen the government, and there are only 53 Republicans in the Senate.
The irony of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, advertising the “no-kings” rally is that he’s held political power for decades, and he's one of the few people who can reopen the government.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, also attended the rally, a man who’s been in political power for over 30 years, accounts noted on X.
Since 1981, the federal government has shut down four times, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
- Nov. 14-18,1995
- Dec. 16, 1995 - Jan. 5, 1996
- Oct. 1-16, 2013
- Dec. 22, 2018-Jan. 24, 2019
This is now the third-longest shutdown. If it stretches much longer, then millions of low-income families won't receive food and other safety nets provided through the federal government.