Tag: Government Shutdown

Time Has Run Out

It is here the sands finally ran out of of the hourglass and the dreaded governmental shutdown is now in the record books.

With the shutdown what can we expect to see from our government….

Plunged into a government shutdown, the US is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline, the AP reports. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental, and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide. “We don’t want it to shut down,” Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline.

But the president, who met privately with congressional leadership this week, appeared unable to negotiate any deal between Democrats and Republicans to prevent that outcome. The AP previously published a look at what to expect:

  • Most Department of Homeland Security employees would continue to work, because much of the department’s workforce is connected to law enforcement or works in areas funded by user fees as opposed to Congressional appropriations.
  • Medicare and Medicaid programs and services will also continue uninterrupted, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services, like the mailing of Medicare cards. The government has enough money to fund Medicaid for the first quarter of the next fiscal year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Also, eligible states will continue receiving payments from the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
  • The National Park Service has not said whether it will close its more than 400 sites across the US to visitors. Park officials said Tuesday afternoon that contingency plans were still being updated and would be posted to the service’s website.
  • While FEMA’s core disaster relief functions would not be affected, at least in the short term, other aspects of the agency’s work would be impacted. Some grant approvals would be paused, and no new policies could be written under the National Flood Insurance Program, halting new mortgages that require flood insurance. Still, an extended shutdown could, in a worst-case scenario, exhaust FEMA’s existing Disaster Relief Fund, which stands at about $10 billion.
  • Air traffic controllers already certified and on the job would be among the essential workers who would continue during any shutdown but their pay could be affected. A shutdown could also set back the multibillion-dollar effort to overhaul and modernize air traffic control equipment.
  • At the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half the agency’s workers will be furloughed. Those still working include people who deal with infectious disease outbreaks and care for research animals and maintain laboratories. Federal officials said CDC would continue to monitor disease outbreaks.
  • Research and patient care at the National Institutes of Health would be upended, with about 75% of the staff furloughed. Patients currently enrolled in studies at the research-only hospital will continue to receive care during a government shutdown. Additional sick patients hoping for access to experimental therapies can’t enroll except in special circumstances, and no new studies will begin. Scientists face the prospect of costly laboratory research going to waste because most of the sprawling campus of the nation’s premier medical research agency will empty out.
  • Most of the Food and Drug Administration’s core responsibilities would continue, including responding to public health threats and managing product recalls and drug shortages. Some routine activities, including previously scheduled inspections of company manufacturing plants, will be halted. But the agency will continue to conduct inspections when it has reason to suspect a problem that could endanger consumers.
  • The State Department expects to furlough more than half of its remaining direct-hire personnel in the US, although embassies and consulates abroad will remain open and provide services to American citizens.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency says a contingency plan for a possible government shutdown would leave more than 10% of its staff in place to handle “significant agency activities” that are required by law or necessary to protect life and property.

That will give you an idea of what will continue working and what will be limited……

How long will this remain in effect?

What games will be played?

Stay tuned.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Shutdown Two Step–Update

Tick Tok MFers!

There has been some negotiations between the two parties on saving the nation from a governmental shutdown and as the deadline draws near it is not looking too promising for a deal.

Democratic congressional leaders left the White House on Monday without a deal to avert a government shutdown, which otherwise would take effect at 12:01am Wednesday. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said “large differences” remain between the parties on health care funding, the New York Times reports, and Vice President JD Vance said, “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.” The Democrats said the private meeting, which included President Trump, was candid but didn’t make any progress toward a breakthrough.

One door was left slightly open, per Politico. Trump administration officials seemed amenable to bipartisan talks on extending health insurance subsidies that are about to expire, which Democrats want to avoid. “Let’s work on it together,” Vance said. But the GOP side said the negotiations could only take place if government remains open. “We’re seeing people not being able to get the health care they need, and the American people are crying out for some help,” Schumer said. Republicans have not made any concessions on the issue, per the Times. The White House Office of Management and Budget has advised federal agencies to prepare for potential workforce reductions if the shutdown occurs.

Let’s say the shutdown happens….who will be the winner?

This silly game does nothing for this country other than a diversion from the manure spread by both parties on a wide array of subjects.

They have until 12:01 am tomorrow to come up with a solution….who knows they may just do it for it seems they relish the idea of a last minute deal because it plays so well in the media.

This dance has become pathetic, disgusting and unnecessary….there are more important issues that deserve this much attention…..but when you have spineless political hacks in Congress this saga is the best we can expect.

What will the news be tomorrow when we all arise for our morning cup?

I REad, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Will This Save Our Country?

There is a new battle over the possibility of shutting down the government….this time it is the Dems that are considering using this game to further deal with Donny….but seriously…..would that be a good idea?

The House members took the time to pass a short term plan to avoid a governmental shut-down….

The House on Friday passed a short-term spending bill to extend government funding for seven weeks and avoid a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, but prospects looked dimmer in the Senate, where the two parties show no signs of budging on the matter. The bill would generally continue existing funding levels through Nov. 21, reports the AP. Democratic leaders are adamantly opposed and are threatening a government shutdown if Republicans don’t let them have a say on the measure, as some Democratic support will be needed to get a bill to President Trump’s desk for his signature. The vote was 217-212.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had few votes to spare as he sought to persuade fellow Republicans to vote for the funding patch, something many in his conference have routinely opposed in past budget fights. But this time, GOP members see a chance to portray Democrats as responsible for a shutdown. “We were very careful. We put no partisan measures in this. There’s no poison pills. None of that,” Johnson said leading up to the vote. In a sign the vote could be close, Trump weighed in, urging House Republicans to pass the bill and put the burden on Democrats to oppose it. GOP leaders often need Trump’s help to win over holdouts on legislation. “Every House Republican should UNIFY, and VOTE YES!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said that in opposing the continuing resolution, Democrats were working to protect the health care of the American people. He said that with Republicans controlling the White House and both branches of Congress, “Republicans will own a government shutdown. Period. Full stop.” The House vote now sends the bill to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate will vote on the measure along with a dueling Democratic proposal. But neither is expected to win the 60 votes necessary to advance.

Another close vote… playing the partisan game of do as little as possible.

At least we have a shot at some sort of logic but then it has to go to the senate, where logic goes to die….

Let the game begin….

The Senate rejected competing measures on Friday to fund federal agencies for a few weeks when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1, increasing prospects for a partial government shutdown on that date. Leaders of the two parties sought to blame the other side for the standoff, reports the AP:

  • Democrats accused Republicans of not negotiating with them to address some of their priorities on health care as part of the funding measure, even though they knew some Democratic votes would be needed to get a bill to the president’s desk.
  • Republicans said Democrats were making demands that would dramatically increase spending and were not germane to the core issue of keeping agencies fully running for a short period of time while negotiations continued on a full-year spending measure.
  • “The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process. And the Democrat bill is the exact opposite,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said shortly before the votes. “It’s what you might call, not a clean CR, a dirty CR—laden down with partisan policies and appeals to Democrats’ leftist base.” The AP reports the Democratic proposal would extend enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax breaks and spending cuts bill enacted earlier this year.

This song and dance bullshit is getting old….when will these turds start acting like the reps we elected them to be?

Donny is cheer leading for a shutdown…..

President Trump on Friday predicted the government would shut down “for a period of time” amid an impasse in the Senate between Republicans and Democrats.

Trump expressed some pessimism about the two sides reaching an agreement that can garner 60 votes in the Senate. Republicans have 53 seats in the chamber, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to support a funding measure to keep the government open.

“We’ll continue to talk to the Democrats, but I think you could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time,” Trump said. “And we’ll take care of the military. We’ll take care of Social Security. We’ll take care of the things we have to take care of.

“A lot of the things Democrats fight for … will not be able to be paid,” Trump added. “So we’ll watch and see how we do with that.”

(thehill.com)

This would fit nicely in his smear campaign and help make for a rally to drooling mental midgets a success.

Donny is hoping the shutdown occurs….he is licking his hateful lips.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Yet Another ‘Shutdown’ Two-Step

It seems every year the country has to go through this government shutdown BS….usually it is the GOP that is threatening the shutdown without their favorite spending cuts….after decades of silliness the Dems have now decided that the threat is such a good idea….

Centrist Democrats fear their party could blunder into a government shutdown this month as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) are taking a hard line on the government funding package that needs to pass by Sept. 30.

Democrats broadly agree the looming expiration of enhanced health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act — combined with deep cuts to Medicaid that Republicans enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — will hit millions of Americans with higher health care costs.

The senator said it’s “not clear” how voting against a short-term clean funding measure and forcing a government shutdown would give Democrats more leverage over Republicans on the looming expiration of the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

The senator argued the possibility that health care costs for millions of Americans could increase substantially in 2026 should be dealt with through the regular appropriations process, which would move forward if Democrats agree to short-term deal to fund the government through October or into November or December.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5499731-democrats-government-shutdown-threat/

Dems after the election of Donny promised to change things up with the way they handle their roll in government….and now as usual they have reverted back to the same tactics they have always had….react no original thought.

Then our Clueless Leader has called the Dems bluff….

Is a government shutdown imminent? President Donald Trump and the Senate’s top Republican said they don’t see a path to a bipartisan deal to fund the government, with 18 days left to make it happen.

The president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., came out with slightly different messages  Friday, but they both would lead to the same result — a government shutdown.

Trump is telling Republicans they don’t need to work with Democrats to reach an agreement.

“Don’t even bother dealing with them. We will get it through, because the Republicans are sticking together for the first time in a long time,” the president said on Fox and Friends.

Republicans need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to get over the 60-vote threshold. Despite that, Trump wants Republicans to do it alone.

“If you gave them every dream, right now. Every dream that they want to give away money to this and that and then destroy the country; if you gave them every dream, they would not vote for it,” Trump added.

https://san.com/cc/trump-says-gop-shouldnt-work-with-democrats-to-fund-government/

Good to see the dream of compromise/bi-partisanship is still alive and kicking (that is sarcasm)….

It is also more good news that His Majesty wants nothing but division that is how is still worthless ass will stay in the WH.

This whole ‘shutdown’ drama is nothing more than theater of the absurd and our politician play their parts well….not for the people but rather for their party.

I kicked the party line to the curb many years ago and maybe others should look and do the same….these parties are destroying this country and most are allowing it….they should be ashamed of themselves.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Showing Their True Colors?

In my post from yesterday when the GOP and the Dems were in talks for the spending bill to avoid a government shutdown I asked the question….

“This is a problem….do they show backbone and fight the new spending bill which they will be accused of causing a government shutdown or do they support and betray a lot of what they say the are for?”

Last not my question was answered and answered predictably….

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor on Thursday that he’ll vote to advance the Republican funding bill and bring enough Democrats with him to avert a government shutdown. “For sure the Republican bill is a terrible option,” Schumer said, per the Washington Post. Democrats have called the bill a power grab by President Trump and Republicans. “But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take … much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.” He added, “I will vote to keep the government open.”

The only other Senate Democrat so far to clearly state he’ll back the GOP bill is Sen. John Fetterman. But Schumer’s decision will give political cover to other Democrats, the Hill reports. He said that there weren’t enough votes in his caucus to pass the measure as of Wednesday but that many members were undecided. Schumer announced his switch during Democratic luncheon, shocking many of his senators, per the New York Times. Democrats in the Senate, House, and elsewhere, as well as party activists, have been pushing hard for Schumer’s caucus to block the bill and defy Trump.

But there are fears among Democrats that a government shutdown would give Trump and Elon Musk an opening to make greater cuts to the government, by decreeing which employees are essential and must work through a shutdown and which are nonessential. Senate Democrats have been wrestling with which option is worse. “For Donald Trump,” Schumer told the group, per the AP, “a shutdown would be a gift.” The procedural vote to which Schumer committed is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

The passage is not set in stone….but the leadership of the Dems proved my point ….time for a change.

In answer to ,y and others criticisms Schumer has taking to pen and paper….

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised enough Democratic support to pass the Republican funding bill that will avoid a government shutdown, despite admitting the bill is “terrible.” In a guest essay at the New York Times, he explains himself while calling President Trump a “nihilist” who’s “taken a blowtorch to our country” and now “wants full control over government spending.” Though the Republican bill is “deeply partisan” and, yes, “terrible,” it is the lesser of two evils, Schumer writes, arguing a government shutdown would give Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk—who is reportedly very much in favor of a shutdown—”permission to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now.”

The administration “would have wide-ranging authority to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel nonessential” and “congressional Republicans could weaponize their majorities … to reopen only their favored departments and agencies while leaving other vital services that they don’t like to languish,” writes the New York Democrat. In other words, fighting the six-month government funding bill would be playing into Republicans’ hands. In backing the bill to avoid a shutdown, Democrats can at least avoid piling more suffering for “the most vulnerable Americans, those who rely on federal programs to feed their families, get medical care and stay financially afloat.”

But Schumer’s arguments are unlikely to sway some Senate Democrats, particularly those in the party’s liberal and progressive wings, who Schumer has ironically worked hard to appease over the last five years, per Politico. Elizabeth Warren said the bill, with $12 billion in cuts to non-defense programs, offers Trump and Musk “a blank check to spend your taxpayer money however they want,” while Bernie Sanders said it would “literally take food out of the mouths of hungry children, take healthcare away from seniors, and give a huge tax break to the wealthiest people on the planet,” per the Hill. One senator anonymously tells the outlet, “I think people will see this as a massive sellout to an authoritarian president. You don’t stop a bully by handing over all of your lunch money.”

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

It’s That Time Again!

Time for one of the silliest games in DC….the spending bill and the looming government shutdown.

Theater of the Absurd at it’s best.

That time again when there is no spending bill and the government is only hours away from a shutdown….like I said a silly game that is truly sad.

There was a bill but Trump and his band of misfits peed on it.

The bipartisan spending bill Congress put forward to prevent a government shutdown is dead, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who responded “yes” when asked Wednesday night if the deal had been officially scrapped following President-elect Trump’s rejection of it. House Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet said how he plans to proceed, the BBC reports. Rather than passing a budget for the fiscal year that started October 1, Congress passed a temporary spending bill, which expires Friday. Without a short-term funding bill passing, a federal government shutdown looms.

  • “There’s still a lot of negotiations and conversations going on,” and no clear path forward yet, Scalise told reporters, per the New York Post, which refers to the rejected bipartisan stopgap bill as “bloated” at 1,547 pages. Trump has called for it to be streamlined.
  • Elon Musk, who had also spoken out aggressively against the bill, posted victoriously after news broke that it had been killed. “Your elected representatives have heard you and now the terrible bill is dead. The voice of the people has triumphed.”
  • Trump and VP-elect Vance are also calling for the national debt ceiling to be raised; asked whether that’s on the table for the revised stopgap measure, Scalise would only say, “We’re obviously looking at a lot of options.”
  • The Hill reports lawmakers on both sides seemed to be “caught off guard” by the debt limit increase demand. Politico reports it’s a “complicated issue lawmakers hadn’t planned to deal with for months,” and there’s quite a bit of concern that it can’t be dealt with in a matter of days.
  • Before the deal’s collapse, Johnson went on Fox and Friends to talk about it Wednesday morning, and revealed that he’s on a group text with Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and that he’d been texting with them about the background of the deal the night prior, NBC News reports.
  • He said he reminded them that with the thin margin Republicans have in the House, Democrat votes are needed, but apparently they (and Trump, and Vance) were unconvinced; as the Washington Post explains, critics of the bill claim it contains too many “giveaways to Democrats.”
  • Sources tell Politico and the Hill Johnson is now considering a “clean” continuing resolution as a Plan B, meaning additional provisions such as disaster aid and financial assistance for farmers would be dropped from the spending bill and considered again in the new year. It’s unclear Democrats, or even all of the House’s conservative lawmakers, would support such a move.

It is the same song and dance every time….and then the idiots come to a last minute deal to save the shutdown….but with Trump and the Boyz in the wings will they come top a deal?

Let’s look at the dark cloud….

President-elect Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate—days before a deadline when federal funding runs out.

  • Trump’s sudden decision to make new demands sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays, the AP reports. It leaves House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling to salvage a new plan, days before Friday’s deadline to keep the government open. “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH,” Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement.
  • The president-elect offered a proposal for a continuation of government funding along with a much more controversial provision to raise the nation’s debt limit—something his own party routinely rejects.
  • Democrats decried the GOP revolt over the stopgap measure to keep federal offices running. “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “And hurt the working-class Americans they claim to support. You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow.”
  • Already, the bill was on the verge of collapse, as hard-right conservatives and Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk rejected the plan. Rank-and-file lawmakers decried the massive 1,500-page bill over its increased spending—which includes their first pay raises in more than a decade. A number of Republicans were waiting for Trump to signal whether they should vote yes or no.
  • “This should not pass,” Musk posted on X in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. He warned that “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
  • Sources tell the Hill that Johnson is looking at a “Plan B” involving a “clean” resolution that would continue funding the government while dropping provisions including $10 billion in aid for farmers and $100 billion in disaster relief.
  • The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to pass its annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies in the federal government, from the Pentagon and national security apparatus, to the health, welfare, transportation, and other routine domestic services. When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires Friday

This sad saga gets more ridiculous by the session.

I cannot wait for the rest of the story.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Does Another ‘Shutdown” Loom?

It is that time again….time for the drama and theatrics to begin again for the approaching funding to keep the government up and running….in other words the threat of a ‘shutdown’ is coming.

Here we go again…..but this time it is a bit different….the Far Right is trying desperately to impose the policies of voter suppression under the guise of preventing voter fraud which is a non-starter because there has never been in massive voter fraud.

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a GOP resolution that would have punted a fight over government funding until after the next president takes office and pushed through a noxious voter suppression measure backed by Republican nominee Donald Trump.

The final vote was 202-220, with 14 Republicans joining nearly every member of the House Democratic caucus in voting against the legislation. GOP opponents of the bill included far-right lawmakers who want to slash spending.

Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Don Davis (D-N.C.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) broke with their party and backed the Republican continuing resolution, which would have largely extended government funding at current levels into March.

With Trump’s backing, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) agreed to attach to the continuing resolution the SAVE Act, legislation purportedly aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting—which is already illegal. Voting rights advocates have condemned the SAVE Act as an “unnecessary and dangerous” bill that would “make it harder for voters of color and naturalized citizens to register to vote.”

House Democrats said Wednesday that the failure of the GOP continuing resolution was an inevitable consequence of the party’s decision to push extremist spending bills instead of working on a bipartisan solution to government funding.

The government will shut down on October 1 unless Congress acts. Johnson said leading up to Wednesday’s vote that there is “no Plan B.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-continuing-resolution

We are less than 10 days away from the spending deadline….will there be the usual confrontation and a deal struck hours before the deadline or will these twats get about doing what is necessary to keep this country moving?

I have no faith in either party to do what is right without the drama of a shutdown.

How about you?

Update:  As I was finishing this draft for today’s post I heard that the House came to a deal after all….

Congressional leaders announced an agreement Sunday on a short-term spending bill that will fund federal agencies for about three months, averting a possible partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins Oct. 1 and pushing final decisions until after the November election, the AP reports. Temporary spending bills generally fund agencies at current levels, but an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against Donald Trump, and additional money was added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things.

Lawmakers have struggled to get to this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month’s end. At the urging of the most conservative members of his conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson had linked temporary funding with a mandate that would have compelled states to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote. But Johnson abandoned that approach to reach an agreement, even as Trump insisted there should not be a stop-gap measure without the voting requirement. Bipartisan negotiations began in earnest shortly after that, with leadership agreeing to extend funding into mid-December. That gives the current Congress the ability to fashion a full-year spending bill after the Nov. 5 election, rather than push that responsibility to the next Congress and president.

In a letter to Republican colleagues, Johnson said the budget measure would be “very narrow, bare-bones” and include “only the extensions that are absolutely necessary.” “While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would evaluate the bill in its entirety before this week’s vote, but with the agreement, “Congress is now on a bipartisan path to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt everyday Americans.”

Why was it without the drama this time?

They have an election to try and scuttle so they did not need the diversion of the spending bill to cope with.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Spending Bill Theatrics

The clock was ticking ever so close to a shutdown when like magic (sarcasm) a deal was found and the shutdown was averted.  (Go figure)

The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The vote was 74-24, per the AP. President Biden signed the legislation into law hours later, acknowledging that it won’t please everyone.

  • 11th-hour save: The deal came after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight, but the White House sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and the president would sign it on Saturday.
  • Details: While Congress has already approved money for Veterans Affairs, Interior, Agriculture and other agencies, the bill approved this week is much larger, providing funding for the Defense, Homeland Security, and State departments, as well as other aspects of general government. The House passed the bill Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval. More than 70% of the money would go to defense.
  • Tensions: Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. Any successful amendments to the bill would have sent the legislation back to the House, which had already left town for a two-week recess.
  • Breakthrough: Shortly before midnight, however, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced, “It’s been a very long and difficult day, but we have just reached an agreement to complete the job of funding the government.” He added, “It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it.”
  • GOP strife: The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against. The vote tally in the House reflected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. In a sign of conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated an effort to oust Johnson as the House began the vote, but she held off on further action until the House returns in two weeks.
  • Biden’s take: “This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” the president said in a statement, per the AP. “But it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research, funds mental health and substance use care, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border.”

The vote has the House all a tether….MTG has opened that very large mouth yet again…..

The U.S. House of Representatives started a two-week recess on Friday, but not before a series of events that provoked fresh declarations of what has become a familiar phrase over the past few years: “Republicans in disarray.”

Meanwhile, far-right Republicans like Texas Congressman Chip Roy have made comments like, “Everyone that I know and trust about the border, about overall spending, see it as a complete and total failure and a capitulation by Republicans. And leadership worked the deal, so it’s on leadership.”

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) not only opposed the package but also filed a motion to vacate, hoping to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)—which would only require a simple majority if it came up for a vote.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/republican-house-speaker

Will we have yet another new Speaker of the House?

I love this stuff!

A prime example the games and the waste of time and energy that the Congress has become.

Can we please have some sanity in the Congress for a change?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Same BS, Different Day

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”

No Drama This Time?

The drama I am referring to is the drama around the coming fight over funding the government. For the last few years there has been an endless theater over spending. But a move, that surprised me, the new Speaker has sent a bill to the Senate to try and avoid the drama around a possible shutdown.

The House passed a $460 billion package of spending bills Wednesday that would keep money flowing to key federal agencies through the remainder of the budget year. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation and send it to President Biden before a midnight Friday shutdown deadline, the AP reports. Lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all agencies fully funded before a March 22 deadline. In the end, total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the entire year.

A significant number of House Republicans have lined up in opposition to the spending packages, forcing Republican Speaker Mike Johnson to use an expedited process to bring the bill up for a vote. That process requires two-thirds of the House to vote for the measure for it to pass. The House passed the measure by a vote of 339-85. The nondefense spending in this year’s bills is relatively flat compared to the previous year’s. Supporters say keeping that spending below the rate of inflation is tantamount to a cut, forcing agencies to be more frugal and focus manpower on top priorities. Johnson cited a 10% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, a 7% cut to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and a 6% cut to the FBI.

But many GOP lawmakers wanted steeper cuts. The House Freedom Caucus urged Republicans to vote against the first spending package and oppose the second one being negotiated. “Despite giving Democrats higher spending levels, the omnibus text released so far punts on nearly every single Republican policy priority,” the group said. Johnson countered that Republicans have just a two-vote majority in the House, while Democrats control the Senate and White House. “We have to be realistic about what we’re able to achieve,” Johnson said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would approve the legislation “with time to spare” ahead of Friday’s deadline, per the New York Times.

On the way to the Senate….will the Senate add to the drama or will this be a whitewash and pass?

Is this a new era?

Or are we just waiting for the next shoe to drop?

But for those that want some drama there is always the State of the Union speech which Biden will deliver tonight.  (This ought to be a chuckle)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”