The Note: Republicans face year-end messes of their own making

By RICK KLEIN MARYALICE PARKS Dec 17, 2018, 6:15 AM ET

They didn’t repeal. They never replaced. They built up defenses around the president, but they didn't build his wall.

Now, the GOP faces a year-end crush of headlines and deadlines that are direct consequences of their actions –- or the lack thereof.

A partial shutdown of the government looms at the end of the week. If it happens, it will be because President Donald Trump continues to insist on a border wall that Republicans don't care enough about to pay for while they still control all of Congress.

That issue is now enmeshed in a revived debate over migrant separations at the border, following the death of a 7-year-old in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody.

Meanwhile, a federal judge's ruling has thrown Obamacare -- all of it -- into doubt just weeks before Republicans surrender control of the House. They'll face pressure before the holidays to respond in ways that protect those who they've promised to protect.

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/note-republicans-face-year-end-messes-making/story?id=59851226