Tag: Government Shutdown

The Shutdown Two-Step!

Here we go again!

The political dance.

Remember just a couple of months ago we were holding our breath waiting to see if the idiots in Congress would allow a shutdown or do the right thing and keep the government working.

And as usual the game came down to the last minute before a deal was announced to keep the government up and running.

Well sports fans if you exhaled at the success then may had better take a deep breath….

Prepare to hear three words a lot this week in regard to DC news: “looming government shutdown.”

  • Two deadlines: Around 20% of government funding expires at midnight Friday unless the two sides strike a deal, with services including food stamps and housing assistance at risk, reports the Washington Post. A shutdown involving the remaining 80% could come the following week, with the deadline there on March 9.
  • Impasse: It’s “all about House Republicans,” particularly hardliners, who are pressuring Speaker Mike Johnson to “string out this fight as long as possible in order to trigger automatic spending cuts,” in the assessment of Punchbowl News, which digs deep into the nitty gritty of negotiations. House Republicans also are making policy demands on issues including abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ rights, per the Post.
  • Busy week: The Senate is back Monday and the House on Wednesday, and hoped-for deals expected over the weekend never materialized, reports the Hill. President Biden will meet with the top four congressional leaders—Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, and Sens. Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell—at the White House on Tuesday, per the AP.
  • One big problem: Biden and Johnson “have virtually no relationship,” as an analysis at Politico explores. They rarely talk and barely know each other, and this chasm is contributing to the DC stalemates, according to the story.

By this time the threat means little of to us peasants….we are numb to these accusations and threats and manure slinging.

Even if it shutdown we will not remember it come September….out attention span is very short.

But if you want to know about these things…..this game that the idiots play (oh BTW Congress still gets paid during a shutdown)….will just be headline fodder and then be gone…but if you want to know then read on….

https://usafacts.org/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-government-shutdown/

Not to worry the Sun will still come up Tomorrow.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Do We Have A Deal?

Tomorrow is the last day for a government deal to stop a shutdown…..so did they come to some sort of agreement?

Why yes they did and thank you for asking…..

Ending the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays, Congress gave final approval Wednesday night to a temporary government funding package that pushes a confrontation over the federal budget into the new year, the AP reports. The Senate met into the night to pass the bill with an 87-11 tally and send it to President Joe Biden for his signature one day after it passed the House on an overwhelming bipartisan vote. It provides a funding patch into next year, when the House and Senate will be forced to confront—and somehow overcome—their considerable differences over what funding levels should be. In the meantime, the bill removes the threat of a government shutdown days before funding would have expired.

“This year, there will be no government shutdown,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference after the bill’s passage. The spending package keeps government funding at current levels for roughly two more months while a long-term package is negotiated. It splits the deadlines for passing full-year appropriations bills into two dates: Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others, creating two deadlines where there will be a risk of a partial government shutdown. “Everybody is really kind of ready to vote and fight another day,” Republican Whip John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said earlier Wednesday.

The two-step approach was not favored by many in the Senate, though all but one Democrat and 10 Republicans supported it because it ensured the government would not shut down for now. Sen. Patty Murray, the Washington Democrat who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, voted for the bill but said it would eventually “double the shutdown risk.” The spending bill also does not include the White House’s nearly $106 billion request for wartime aid for Israel and Ukraine, as well as humanitarian funding for Palestinians and other supplemental requests. Lawmakers are likely to turn their attention more fully to that request after the Thanksgiving holiday in hopes of negotiating a deal.

Damn!  Ukraine and Israel may have to wait for their hand-out.

Of course they, Congress, came to a deal….none of those gutless wonders wanting to be the bah-humbug person for the holidays.  Did you expect anything other than this outcome?

Typical…..kick that damn can down the ever winding road.

Not to worry next year there will be more games to add to the DC chaos.

Stay Tune!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

I Told You It Would Be Interesting

The game is afoot….that ‘shutdown’ game played every so often.

We have a new Speaker and time for him to show his stuff….and yesterday he did just that.

In what is seen as new House Speaker Mike Johnson’s first major test, he is attempting to pull off a feat that eluded predecessor Kevin McCarthy: Get a bill passed to avoid a government shutdown and keep his job. The House was expected to vote Tuesday on Johnson’s plan to pass a continuing resolution to avert a shutdown on Saturday, reports the Hill. Assuming that happens, the Senate was to move quickly as well.

  • The move: Johnson is using what Politico describes as a “parliamentary gimmick” to get his deal done. He is pushing a two-tiered funding schedule that provides money for some agencies through mid-January and others until early February, per the AP. The “laddered” funding plan has drawn plenty of critics, but it appears to have a chance. Johnson’s continuing resolution does not include steep funding cuts sought by conservatives that would have been deal-breakers to Democrats. It also puts off a decision on defense spending until the latter bracket. “We’re not surrendering, we’re fighting,” said Johnson, “but you have to be wise about choosing the fights.”
  • Needs Democrats: Johnson aims to pass the bill “under suspension of the rules,” a parliamentary maneuver that means he needs the support of two-thirds of the chamber and thus help from Democrats, per the Washington Post. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party was “carefully evaluating” the proposal. Other Democrats sounded happy that Johnson had avoided spending cuts or “poison pill” additions and voiced their support, per the Hill. In the Senate, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he’s on board, as is the White House, reports Politico.
  • Jobis safe? Last month, McCarthy’s stopgap deal (passed under the same fast-track process Johnson is using) got him ousted because it angered the House’s hard-right flank. The House Freedom Caucus doesn’t like Johnson’s approach either, reports the Hill, but nobody appears to be trying to push Johnson out. Instead, the caucus said it is “committed” to working with him. Why the difference? “You have to ask the people that did that, that took out the last speaker—and how they can contort themselves into now supporting this speaker making the same play call,” said GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, who served as interim speaker after McCarthy. Hard-right Republican Rep. Chip Roy said that while he disagrees with Johnson’s approach, he “commends” him for trying to solve a difficult situation, per the Post.

And then the proof in the pudding….the vote….

A big win for new House Speaker Mike Johnson: A stopgap funding bill to prevent a government shutdown passed easily on Tuesday. The House voted 336-95 vote to approve the two-tier bill, which funds some government agencies until January and others until February, the Washington Post reports. Johnson needed Democratic votes to pass the measure, which was rejected by dozens of hard-right Republicans. The Senate is expected to pass the bill with bipartisan support before the shutdown deadline of midnight Friday, reports the AP.

That part of the saga is a done deal….how will the characters start pulling this way or that?

Will he or won’t he?

Stay Tuned!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Let The Game Begin (Again)

It is that time again after kicking the can down the road yet again the clock is closing in on round two….and the silliness begins all over again.

The new speaker is starting the game this week….not much to report right now but I bet it gets slimy quickly.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told his GOP conference on Saturday, with just five workdays left before the deadline, that he’s decided on a plan to avoid a government shutdown. As crunch time approaches, the new speaker said, “I wasn’t the architect of the mess we are in” on the phone call, CNN reports. He pitched a two-step continuing resolution instead of the usual funding extension for the whole government. It’s an untested strategy and an attempt to mollify the hardline Republicans generally opposed to continuing resolutions, per NBC News. The proposal has no budget cuts, and it does not include military aid for Israel or Ukraine.

he first bill would fund military construction, Veterans Affairs, the Energy Department, transportation, and housing, running until Jan. 19. The second step cover the rest of the government until Feb. 2. Senators have criticized such an approach as overly complicated and difficult to enact. And House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has called the strategy a “right-wing joyride which would crash and burn the economy.” Republican GOP Rep. Chip Roy, one of the members Johnson was trying to appease, tweeted Saturday that he’s opposed to Johnson’s proposal because it lacks major spending cuts, per CNN. A House vote could happen as soon as Tuesday.

This is the opening salvo….but there is nothing about raping social programs so it is a non-starter for the idiots on the Right.

This whole tragedy will become even more messy that it has in the past….which is a shame for this is not governing just an attempt to disrupt and confuse.

I would say it will be interesting but in retrospect that would be fanciful wishing.

I will be watching and as per usual commenting as well as reporting.

Stay tuned and stay informed.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Big News–We Have A Deal!

As the clock ticked down to the shutdown looming on the political horizon the parties ‘hammered out’ a deal to avoid the catastrophic consequences of a governmental shutdown.

The House approved a last-gasp plan from Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday to keep the federal government running for another 45 days, leaving the Senate to decide whether there will be a shutdown. The bill, which cleared on a 335-91 vote, includes funding for disaster relief and other domestic priorities but not money to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion, the Washington Post reports. The Senate did not immediately schedule a vote. If no plan receives approval from both chambers by 12:01am Sunday, the shutdown will take effect.

More House Democrats than Republicans backed McCarthy’s plan, despite the fact that money for Ukraine is a major issue for them. Democrats wanted to avoid being open to criticism for appearing to be more concerned with bankrolling Ukraine than keeping US agencies running and paying 2 million service members and another 1.5 million federal workers, per the New York Times. White House officials indicated administration support for the House measure, particularly because it didn’t mandate the threatened major cuts to domestic programs, per the Post. Senate Democrats told the Times they expect a vote early in the evening.

There will be no government shutdown. The Senate late Saturday passed a 45-day continuing resolution that averts a shutdown which seemed all but certain as the weekend began, reports the Washington Post. Senators voted hours after the House approved the stopgap measure in a stunning political surprise. Final Senate approval of the spending bill came less than three hours before the midnight deadline. The government will now be funded until Nov. 17, per the AP.

Deep down I thought there might be a last minute deal because all House members would have to answer to their voters and they could take the chance that this issue would come back and bite them in the ass.

But not to worry…..the calm is only for 45 days and this whole stupidity could start all over again.

And Biden wants more cash for Ukraine…..

President Biden on Sunday told Congress to “stop playing games” and authorize the additional $24 billion in Ukraine aid that he’s requested, which would bring total US spending on the proxy war to about $137 billion.

Biden’s comments came after Congress passed a stopgap funding bill at the last minute on Saturday to avert a partial government shutdown that did not include money for Ukraine. The White House wanted the $24 billion in Ukraine war spending to be included in the bill.

“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” Biden said. “We have time, not much time, and there’s an overwhelming sense of urgency … The vast majority of both parties — Democrats and Republicans, Senate and House — support helping Ukraine and the brutal aggression that is being thrust upon them by Russia. Stop playing games, get this done.”

Really Joe…stop playing games….isn’t that what you are doing?

Don’t you just love the games politicians play with your life?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

All Eyes On The Shutdown

At least all eyes in the media is laser focused on this sham of a governmental game show…..Dems have offered a compromise but that was a fart in the wind….things are looking close to dismal.

IST has a rundown for those that prefer to stir clear of the MSM and their constant tomfoolery.

The magic—or dreaded—number is four. As Reuters reports, the US is four days away from what would be the fourth government shutdown in a decade, and things aren’t looking very promising. The Senate is barreling forward with bipartisan temporary funding that House Republicans have already said they won’t support. If Congress can’t manage to pass legislation for President Biden to sign by 12:01am ET Sunday, millions of federal employees will be furloughed, among other consequences. The latest:

  • On Tuesday the Senate handily (77-19) voted to start debating a temporary measure that would provide funding through Nov. 17 and greenlight about $6 billion each in aid for Ukraine and US disaster response efforts. The House GOP opposition is partially rooted in an insistence that any short-term funding measure also take on the issue of migrants at the border.
  • The AP reports Speaker Kevin McCarthy is pushing for a Friday vote on House Republicans’ own stopgap funding measure that would see many federal agencies lose 8% of their funding and include that hard-line border security measure.
  • Politico’s take: “McCarthy is already facing the threat of a far-right rebellion, one that would be virtually guaranteed if he put any Senate-negotiated plan on the floor with billions of dollars in Ukraine aid—not to mention a lack of further spending cuts and no border policy changes.”
  • The Hill sums up the Senate’s chess move: the hope that “if they jam the House right before the deadline, McCarthy will relent and bring it to the House floor, where it would likely pass in a bipartisan vote.”
  • CNN flags one potential Senate wrinkle. Getting the measure passed in time would require a sped-up process that all 100 senators would have to vote in favor of, but GOP Sen. Rand Paul has said he will “slow walk” any bill that contains more money for Ukraine.

This whole thing is just a game politicians play.

Now you know as much as anyone and you did not have to sit through endless commercials to get to it.

You are welcome!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

This Is A Must Read!

(Sorry John this is a day late)

With the shutdown once again looming on the horizon the GOP has done what it always does….offer massive cuts in all social programs.

My friend John at Liming’s Lynkx has provided a look at this barbaric attack on the American people…..and the link he provides…

Right Wing Republicans Going After Critical Safety Net Programs Once Again

When will Americans wake up to the barbarity of the GOP and their hatred of the American people?

What say you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Ukraine And The Shut Down

It is that time again…the debate over the looming shutdown…..and part of the problem will be our massive infusion of cash into Ukraine…

The Pentagon has said that the government shutdown that will happen if Congress doesn’t pass a funding bill by September 30 could hinder US support for Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood told POLITICO that the Defense Department’s suspension of what is considered nonessential activities expected under a shutdown could interrupt “delivery of defense articles, services and/or military education and training” for Ukraine.

During government shutdowns, the US military typically stops activities that are deemed unnecessary for national security, including training. The Pentagon could issue exemptions for the Ukrainian training, but if not, the programs will be forced to stop, including the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s that recently started inside the US.

Sherwood said that the Pentagon would still have access to funds to take weapons from military stockpiles for Ukraine, a program known as the Presidential Drawdown Authority. The Pentagon recently claimed billions became available in PDA for Ukraine due to an “accounting error” that overvalued weapons previously sent to the country, and Sherwood said those funds could be rolled into the next fiscal year, which starts on October 1.

But Sherwood said the actual deliveries could be stopped if the activity is suspended during the shutdown, regardless of whether or not there is funds for the weapons. The Pentagon would also not be able to dip into the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a program that allows the US to purchase weapons for Ukraine.

(antiwar.com)

This could explain the urgency for Zelensky’s visit to the UN and later to the White House and Congress with demands and looking for more hand-outs.

Speaking of Ukraine funding….

Surely you have heard of the Freedom Caucus….you know that bloc of sleazy, lying bigots on the GOP fringe….as I type this portion of my post I feel dirty and in desperate need of a shower….but on this one issue , I repeat this ONE ISSUE, I agree with the Freedom Caucus.

These 50 House members have said there should be no blank check policy toward Ukraine…..

The House Freedom Caucus, the roughly 50-member bloc of Republicans, has voiced strong opposition to a stopgap measure. In August, the group released a list of demands that would be necessary for them to approve the spending bills on the table. Included in the group’s statement from last month — which required the support of 80 percent of its members — is a rejection of “any blank check for Ukraine in any supplemental appropriations bill.”

Punchbowl News reported that McCarthy was considering attaching the disaster relief to a continuing resolution while omitting aid to Ukraine from the short-term spending bill, setting up a potential showdown with the White House and Senate.

McCarthy has sent mixed signals about his position on Ukraine aid since saying that there would be no “blank check” for Kyiv prior to ascending to the speakership. By deciding to separate Ukraine aid from the stopgap funding bill and reportedly instead tying it to controversial immigration policies, McCarthy has leaned closer to the right flank of his party on this question.

This maneuver may open the door for more debate over funding for Ukraine, though the group is not necessarily in agreement over what precisely “no blank check” means.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/republicans-ukraine-aid/

As I have stated I am NO supporter of the Freedom Caucus under normal conditions but on this issue I am for I am weary of watching tax dollars flying in all directions except to this country.

But not to worry….the Pentragon has stated that if a shutdown occurs it will not effect aid to Ukraine…

The Pentagon will exempt its operations supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia from a government shutdown that will happen if Congress fails to pass a funding bill by September 30.

During government shutdowns, the US military typically suspends activities that are deemed not vital to US national security. But Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood told POLITICO on Thursday that US support for Ukraine would not be suspended.

“Operation Atlantic Resolve is an excepted activity under a government lapse in appropriations,” Sherwood said, using the name for US military activities in Europe that have come in response to events in Ukraine since 2014, the year a US-backed coup in Kyiv led to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the civil war in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

US support for Ukraine includes training of Ukrainian forces in the US and in Europe, arms shipments, and providing targeting intelligence. Just two days earlier, Sherwood told POLITICO that US support for Ukraine might be hindered by a shutdown.

The POLITICO report on the Pentagon’s decision to exempt the Ukraine operations came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington. The Pentagon said Austin met with Zelensky “to reaffirm the steadfast US support for Ukraine.”

(antiwar.com)

Will military pay be exempt?

I will not apologize for siding with those losers on the Right….but something needs to be done to rein in the waste of American cash.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

DOJ: Don’t Do It!

Closing Thought–15Feb19

New CR is a deal and if Trump signs it he stated that he will also issue an emergency declaration….but DoJ does not think that is such a good Idea…..

President Trump says he will sign an emergency declaration to secure funding for a border wall—but he has been warned that the move is likely to encounter a wall of lawsuits from Democrats, immigration advocates, and environmentalists, among others. Sources tell ABC News that the Justice Department has told Trump that the declaration of a national emergency is extremely likely to be blocked by the courts before it can come into effect. Analysts say legal challenges could delay the project for years, though White House officials say they expect to eventually win on appeal. Trump is expected to declare the emergency Friday morning after signing a budget deal that would avert another government shutdown. More:

  • “There is no national emergency.” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is expected to challenge the move in court, said Thursday that any border crisis is of “Trump’s own making,” the Washington Post reports. “There is no national emergency. If Trump oversteps his authority and abandons negotiations with Congress by declaring a fabricated national emergency, we won’t only call his bluff, we will do what we must to hold him accountable,” he said. “No one is above the law.”

 

  • “No bets are safe.” Analysts say it would be very unusual for courts to block a president’s declaration of an emergency—but Trump is a very unusual president. “Normally, any other time, you’d say it’s a no-brainer that the president wins,” University of Texas law professor Bobby Chesney tells Politico. “But with this particular president, no bets are safe in assuming the courts will completely defer to him.” Some 58 emergencies have been declared since the National Emergencies Act, 31 of which are still in effect.
  • The price tag. Sources tell the AP that Trump will announce he will spend $8 billion on border barriers after sidestepping Congress—including the $1.4 billion the latest spending bill provides. Most of the rest is expected to come from military funds earmarked for construction and antidrug efforts.
  • Stopping the move in Congress. It is possible, but highly unlikely, for the move to be blocked by Congress, the BBC reports. It would require both houses of Congress to pass a resolution against it, which Trump could veto unless opponents can build a supermajority
  • Republicans speak out. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done a U-turn and announced that he will support an emergency declaration, but several other Republican senators have spoken out against the move, the Hill reports. Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday that she believes the decision is of “dubious constitutionality.” “I don’t believe that the National Emergencies Act contemplated a president repurposing billions of dollars outside of the normal appropriations process,” she said.
  • “A Democratic president can declare emergencies as well.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the move a “lawless act” and warned Trump that he was creating a precedent that could lead to a Democratic president declaring a national emergency on guns, CNBC reports. “If the president can declare an emergency on something he has created as an emergency, an illusion that he wants to convey, just think about what a president with different values can present to the American people,” she said.
  • The Cruz solution. Sen. Ted Cruz says he has a way to build the wall without taxpayers paying a dime. The Republican writes in the Washington Post that he has reintroduced the “Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act” to use funds seized from Joaquin Guzman and other drug lords to build a border wall.

Is he so ignorant that he will not read the Constitution?  The emergency is not real only in his tiny mind from NYC….a made up crisis not an actually crisis like a hurricane……

Did you hear his speech in the Rose Garden today?

OMG!  He relived the 2016 election and talked about the situation on the border that was NOTHING accurate and choked full of LIES…..and the bobble-heads rejoiced!

Please someone take him aside for about a half hour and read the and explain the Constitution to this drooling toad….please!

The Wall: Will He Or Won’t He?

Sound the horns!  All praise him!  We all can breath a bit better now….or can we?

The bill keeping the government open will soon head for the desk of our Dear Leader….but before that let’ talk about his physical…..

The good news for President Trump is that the doctor who performed last week’s medical exam pronounced the 72-year-old to be in “very good health overall.” The bad news is that Trump gained 4 pounds from last year, enough to qualify him as technically obese, reports NPR. Trump is 6-3 and weighs 243 pounds, giving him a body mass index of 30.4. The cutoff for obesity is 30. Last year, Dr. Ronny Jackson urged Trump to lose 10 pounds, given that he had fallen just below the obesity mark. Instead, the president, whose main form of exercise is golf, gained a little weight. Still, Trump “is in very good health and I anticipate he will remain so for the duration of his presidency, and beyond,” wrote this year’s doctor, Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, per USA Today.

How much does this doctor want an another job with Trump?

And now the rest of this post…..

Of course we all have heard about the wall and the part it played in the last shutdown…..well there seems to be a deal and it should head to Trump’s desk today….but there is more…..

President Trump will sign Congress’ border security compromise. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed that Thursday, followed quickly by confirmation from the White House. The announcements removed the last ounce of suspense over the fate of a bill that would provide just a sliver of the money Trump wants to build a wall with Mexico but also would avoid a new government shutdown. But both McConnell and the White House also said Trump would quickly declare a national emergency. The president has said that move would give him power to divert money from other budget projects into wall building. McConnell also said he would support Trump’s emergency declaration, the AP reports. That was a turnabout for the Kentucky Republican, who like Democrats and many Republicans has until now opposed such a declaration.

McConnell said Thursday that the Republican-controlled Senate will soon vote on the bill that’s needed to avoid a partial federal shutdown Friday; the Democrat-controlled House is also expected to vote on the bill later Thursday and passage by both chambers seemed certain. Bargainers formally completed the accord moments before midnight Wednesday night. Trump had previously signaled he would sign the bill but it was unclear until McConnell’s announcement if he would do so, prompting some lawmakers to voice concern. Per CNN, Trump’s only prior public message on the matter Thursday was a tweet: “Reviewing the funding bill with my team at the @WhiteHouse!” But White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders later issued a statement declaring Trump would sign the bill and “also take other executive action—including a national emergency—to ensure we stop the

national security and humanitarian crisis at the border.”

(McConnell has proved that he is a coward and a brown nose douche)

Trump will declare a national emergency…….Damn good idea!

Good idea because when a Dem is in control he/she can do the same for climate change or guns or health care….

But all bets are off if his political advisers on FOX like Hannity tell him to not sign he may do just that…..so “this thing ain’t over ’til it’s over” to quote Yogi.

A side thought……all this declaration stuff sounds more like a dictatorial move than a democratic one….but that is me.