Government Shut Down Saturation
Republicans continuing to leverage funding for the federal government in order to politically grandstand continues, so here is a breakdown of where things are headed and what it means for the public.
Despite the looming threat of a government shut down, House Republicans have failed for the second week in a row to move forward on any legislation to fund the government. The negotiations for both a short-term and long-term funding solution declined so rapidly on Thursday that lawmakers began to return to their home states that day, with no hope of a vote for the rest of the week.
The idea of another stop-gap funding provision that would stave off a shut down after the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 is out the window for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), thanks to the Republican members of the far-right who are intent on holding the federal government hostage.
The failed vote on Thursday followed a marathon three-hour meeting that took place on Wednesday, where Republicans focused on long-term spending bills and avoiding the Sept. 30 government shutdown deadline. A majority of the House Republican conference found consensus around more than $1.5 trillion in discretionary spending for the upcoming fiscal year, which was essential to satisfy hard-liners in the party who were holding up the vote on the Defense Department funding bill.
Despite the appearance of progress on a bill that would temporarily keep the federal government fully open for a short time, the plan was ultimately stymied thanks to a handful of fervent right-wingers, who unrealistically insisted that the passage of any temporary funding also include 11 appropriations bills that still remain unfunded. Ultimately, five Republicans are responsible for the collapse in progress: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA); Dan Bishop (R-NC); Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Elijah Crane (R-AZ) and Matthew Rosendale (R-MT) for refusing to advance this stop-gap measure to a final vote.
It also appears as if the shutdown is their actual intent. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) claims the five people who refuse to budge are a group of renegades who won’t explain their opposition to legislation, and appear to coordinate on who will vote “no” to block McCarthy. “There’s varying explanations [and] none of them make a lot of sense,” Crenshaw told reporters, adding that some opposition might have been meant as a slight to Zelensky as he visited the Capitol and some could have been just to hurt McCarthy. “It switches in both directions, so, just like, who knows…there’s probably some personal animosity there,” he said.
What makes this scuffle among House Republicans even more frustrating is the fact that any kind of short-term funding solution that the GOP might be able to sell within their own caucus would never get through the Senate. The primary reason for this is that Senate leaders of both parties support a clean extension of current fiscal levels that includes President Biden’s requests for aid to Ukraine and natural disaster relief, which is a non-starter for right-wing holdouts who are refusing to pass federal funding.
While there are still a few more possible long-shot pathways to avert a shutdown, most of the options are not very realistic or appealing to the Republican Party. A deal could be made between the Republican Governance Group and the New Democrat Coalition, but this would be a hard pill for many within the House GOP to swallow. On Wednesday, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus put forth its proposal, which would fund the government until January so that the House can pass appropriation bills, but the stubborn members who are intent on holding up a vote do not seem likely to blink anytime soon.
What Happens in a Shutdown?
During a shutdown, the Federal Treasury stops releasing any money and the federal government will cease all non-essential functions, with each agency determining what work is essential and what is not. There are limited exceptions to the freeze, defined by the Antideficiency Act, which essentially provides that the government can fund operations to protect human life and property, and keep officials involved in the constitutional process on the job. (Example: the president, his staff and members of Congress).
All active-duty military members, many federal law enforcement officers, and employees at federally funded hospitals are considered essential and will receive funding, along with air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers. Essential employees, even though they continue to work during the shutdown, are not paid while the government is shut down, but they will receive back pay once funding is restored to their agency.
A shutdown will impact every aspect of federal government that has not already had its funding approved to operate as usual, and some programs that rely on fees for their funding will also continue. Because none of the 12 annual appropriations bills that would fund these areas have been passed, a shutdown now would impact every corner of the federal government.
Entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid would not be halted during a shutdown, because they are funded through permanent appropriations that don't require renewal. But staffing levels at the agencies could be affected and cause delays in enrollment, or create other service interruptions.
The last government shutdown stretched from December 2018 until January 2019, when congressional funding for nine executive branch departments with roughly 800,000 employees lapsed. The five-week partial shutdown cost the economy $11 billion temporarily, with a permanent loss of about $3 billion. Maybe the American people should consider sending the tab to the five Congresspeople who are refusing to negotiate, or at the very least withhold their paychecks until a resolution is reached.
For more detail on why we are in this current stalemate, read this article that further explores the reasons behind the current standoff:
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
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To me, it seems obvious that the shutdown is the goal. They haven't really denied that fact. The only hope I have is that the public tends to blame the Republicans when these things happen, and that is appropriate. It IS their fault.
I really wish able-bodied people would delete the phrase "entitlement programmes" from their vocabulary regarding Medicare/aid. "Earned funding" or "health-based income" or a dozen other monikers would be a lot less nerve-grating. I worked myself to six deaths for that money (less than $500 a month I might add) - it is not only an insulting amount, but it is certainly not an "entitlement".