Republicans and the Trump administration are bracing for a lengthy government shutdown, taking steps to alleviate any political pain that might boomerang on them while seeking to make life difficult for Democrats.

The White House is taking steps to redistribute funds to ensure the military gets paychecks during the shutdown.

Doing so in this way takes care of a constituency important to the GOP and Trump, but it deprives Democrats of a vote to fund the military.

The White House also all but dared Democrats to push back on Trump’s maneuverings, a position Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) articulated Tuesday.

“If the Democrats want to go to court and challenge troops being paid, bring it. OK,” he said during a press conference at the Capitol.

Federal law enforcement may be next, as the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday indicated it is searching for ways to pay officers at the federal level.

In addition, the White House has laid out plans to keep funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

White House........

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