The Theater of the Absurd continues!
Here we go again….exercising the most worthless and idiotic waste of limited Congressional time….the old ‘shutdown two-step”…..
Time is almost up—again—for Congress to provide the funding to keep government operating. Negotiators agreed Thursday on a $1.2 trillion spending bill but might not be able to get it through both houses by the Friday midnight deadline, the New York Times reports. The obstacles include burdensome congressional rules, and bending them to hurry the process might not be enough—though the bill has broad support in both chambers. With a partial shutdown possible over the weekend, White House officials implored the legislative branch on Thursday to “send this critical legislation to the president’s desk for signature without delay.” The funding would run through September.
At risk are more than half the government, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Department, and health agencies. A weekend shutdown wouldn’t be catastrophic, per the Washington Post, but anything longer would cause problems. More than half of the IRS’ employees could go on furlough at an awkward time. Active-duty military personnel, Border Patrol officers, and TSA screeners would go unpaid. The first rule was set aside Thursday evening, when House Republican leaders scheduled a floor vote for Friday morning; members are supposed to have at least 72 hours to consider a bill before voting on it.
The situation in the Senate is dicier. Several GOP senators have indicated they’ll propose amendments to slow the bill down. Senate rules mean a Friday vote on the floor could quickly roll into a Sunday or a Monday vote instead. The compromise plan would hold spending on domestic programs steady but allocate more for veterans programs and the Pentagon. Foreign aid would be reduced. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that it’s up to House Republican leaders to keep the bill moving. Once in place, he said, the legislation “will extinguish any more shutdown threats for the rest of the fiscal year, it will avoid the scythe of budget sequestration, and it will keep the government open without cuts or poison pill riders.”
So many problems in this country and this is what the slugs the people send to DC waste their time doing…..that and taking time off to visit with their handlers and their agents.
These types to lame ass games are killing this country….and the peasants dance.
Are we really that jaded that we think these ‘people’ work in our best interests?
I’m not!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Even across ‘The Pond’ we recognise that your Congress does not work on behalf of it’s primary employers ‘The People’, but for it’s secondary employer, those that fund them with holidays, free flights and electioneering funding. It seems that the far right have a stranglehold on any and all legislation, and there’s little enough of that these days. Hugs
Thanx for the visit and comment….too bad the American people cannot see as well as my friends from across the pond. chuq
What David said…
Best wishes, Pete.
It was well said….chuq