The US government is in a shutdown showdown
Congress returned to Washington yesterday to resume negotiations over a package of bills aimed at avoiding a government shutdown. Which, if no agreement is reached, would go into effect this weekend.
đď¸ Some quick background: In May, the Biden administration and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) agreed to limit the US governmentâs discretionary spending to $1.59 trillion in 2024, as part of a wider deal to end a standoff over the federal debt ceiling.
But in recent months, some House Republicans have rejected this figure and proposed a separate budget thatâs $120 billion lower, with the cuts spread across agencies outside of defense, veterans affairs, and disaster relief.
Leaders from each chamber of Congress are currently working on separate proposals that would delay the budget-approval process and temporarily avoid a government shutdown.
- In the House: Speaker Kevin McCarthy is hoping to pass a package containing 4 of the federal governmentâs 12 annual spending bills, followed by a stopgap measure granting more time to pass the other spending bills.
- In the Senate: Democrat and Republican leaders are moving forward with a stopgap proposal to fund the government for the next 45 days, though any such bill would require unanimous agreement in the chamber to move fast enough to avoid a shutdown.
đĽ The potential impact: If Congress fails to reach an agreement by midnight on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of federal employees would be furloughed without pay. Workers deemed âessentialâ â including all 2 million US military personnel â would be required to remain on the job, but without pay.
The US government would also have to suspend a wide range of services, including economic data releases, nutrition benefits, school aid, scientific grants, small-business loans, and most civil prosecutions.
đ Flash poll (fill in the blank): In my opinion, the impending US government shutdown represents a ___ problem for our country.
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying â
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that any government shutdown should be entirely blamed on Republican infighting in the House, and that the GOP needs to get its act together to prevent an extremely avoidable â but still harmful â shutdown.
- Others contend that by increasing the odds of a government shutdown, House Republicans are also increasing the odds that the US economy will enter a recession in the coming months.
- âAnother Government Shutdown Would Accomplish Nothingâ âBloomberg Editorial Board
- âWith shutdown threat, House GOP raises odds of recessionâ âCatherine Rampell, WaPo
- âItâs Kevin McCarthyâs government shutdownâ âBoston Globe Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that, while itâs healthy for fiscal conservatives to play the bad cop in budget talks, GOP lawmakers ultimately need to come around to a âYesâ vote before the government shuts down due to political bickering.
- Others contend that Congressâ current status quo in regards to budgets â i.e., consistently running large annual deficits â needs to be fundamentally changed in order to stop the federal government from spending funds it doesnât already have.
- âHouse Republicans Need to Get to âYesââ âNational Review Editorial Board
- âFederal government shutdown: Here we go againâ âDavid N. Bossie, Washington Times
- âWhoâs Afraid of a Government Shutdown?â âSpencer Jakab, WSJ
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