Congress, after their Spring Break, gets back to work today. On the top of their priority list is to get a spending bill done that will prevent a government shutdown at the end of the week, something that might be difficult given the fact President Trump is pushing for tax reform and healthcare to be done now.
The first thing to explain is what a government shutdown is. Analyst Chris Begala says it doesn't mean what the term implies. Most of the government does not in fact, shut down.
“Government shutdown sounds like the end of the world. In reality, 86% of government workers still went to work,” Begala said of the shutdown we saw in 2013.
But if this happens, Begala says it could come back to haunt Texas Republicans running for re-election next year, including Senator Ted Cruz.
“As of right now, Ted Cruz has a lot of shoring up to do with the Republican base. I know that. I’ve seen the polls over the last few months,” Begala explained.
A poll last week showed Cruz trailing Congressman Joaquin Castro, who still hasn't decided if he will run. The same poll showed Cruz and Beto O'Rourke, who is officially in the race, tied at 30%.