Today, just hours before the end of the fiscal year, Congress was able to approve a stopgap (makeshift or temporary) spending bill. This bill, while by no means perfect, was able avert a government shutdown, that is until December eleventh. The bill was passed 277-151 thanks to Democratic support of House Republican leaders and a vote earlier that day in the Senate which approved it 78-20.
That disproportionate vote clearly illustrates the growing disagreement within the Republican party, namely the growing sect of conservatives and their discontent over their inability to force policy changes on the Obama administration. A hot topic for the conservatives in the House at the moment is Planned Parenthood. The resolution adopted on Tuesday to cut off all federal funding of the organization is certain to be blocked by Democrats in the Senate, only helping to further their frustration. These internal issues have led to John Boehner’s resignation from Speaker of the House and left many wondering what the future holds for not only the Republican party but also the House.
The stopgap bill will keep the federal government functioning at about last year’s level ($1.017 trillion a year, although with some increases for emergency situations, such as $700 million for wildfires in the West). It will give Congress ten weeks to work together to provide a more detailed and thought out budget to carry the U.S. throughout the next year. Although many feel that their success during this time is not guaranteed and that these pressing issues will still be present and just as divisive in December, possibly leading to a shutdown then.
Besides these recent issues, there are plenty more that must be addressed before a complete budget can be passed. For starters Democrats are pushing to lift spending caps that they feel are limiting our economies growth, which would mean an increase in spending -- a policy many Republicans are against. Other issues that must be confronted include the “potential need to raise the federal debt ceiling,the expiration of many highway programs at the end of October, the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank and the need for a longer-term spending agreement” (The New York Times). Overall there will be numerous challenging discussions that will have to take place between now and December in order to resolve the budget issue and once again avoid government shutdown.
While approval of similar stopgap measures used to be routine, the divided House places a dark cloud above the whole process and leaves many wondering if such a measure will be enough and if anything can be done to move it away from its temporary state. People’s concern and discontent with Congress and their inability to work together to develop a broader and more sustainable budget, is clearly expressed by spokesman Josh Earnest, saying, “The American people deserve far better than last-minute, short-term legislating” (WRAL). With Congress’ decision and the House’s divisions, is it any wonder that many candidates are playing off of American’s anger towards Washington?
What do you think about Congress’ decision to pass a stopgap bill? Was there any way that they could have avoided making such a decision?
What do you think will happen in December? Will there be a shutdown? How do you think the Republican party, namely the conservative portion, is going to influence the end result in December?
What effect is this going to have on the Presidential Candidates and their message to the American people?
2 comments:
The issuing of a stopgap bill by Congress is concerning to say the least. As Amanda cited, stopgaps bills have been used in the past tow help in times of disagreement, this time around is another story due to the numerous issues that Congress has been unable to agree on. Instead of their being a singular issue that is causing the stopgap bill it is the combination of Planned Parenthood, debt ceiling arguments, and spending caps is causing the divide within Congress. Honestly, with the mountain of problems and inability to compromise it seems as though the stopgap bill was inevitable. The representatives from the states, democrats and conservatives alike, are so set on their opinions that they are unable to cross the divide that has opened up. Prevention of the stopgap bill would have required serious movement from both parties to move towards a more productive legislature and to give up some of their values for the good of the greater people. Similarly, unless the changes in attitude and opinion occur between now and December a government shut down is not far from unlikely. In the previous GOP debate, candidates such as Ted Cruz agreed that Planned Parenthood would be cause for a government shut down. The upset over Planned Parenthood is likely to cause a shutdown if the conservative representatives continue with their current upset and strong opinions against it. The only source of comfort is that some Republican representatives were able to agree with Democrats on some economic issues; contrastingly, this creates an even deeper divide within the Republican party itself. The conservatives will probably cause upset in Congress during the December discussions because they have created a faction within the party that agrees with no one else but themselves.
In terms of the presidential candidates, they will certainly have to address what is going on inside of Congress. The candidates that are members of Congress especially will be called out on the efficiency of the system and plans they have to change or deal with it during their presidency. The people of America are tired of the ineffective workings of Congress and want to see more action being taken. As a result. the candidates will need to address the issues at hand and speak to how they can best be dealt with.
I believe that there will not be a shutdown in December because the more moderate factions of the Republican Party understand that keeping the government running takes precedence over the interests of a conservative minority. Although this is a very pragmatic approach, moderate republicans like Mitch McConnell acknowledge that if another government shutdown occurs because of Republicans, the chances of a GOP Candidate being elected president will likely diminish. However, this will not stop Republican presidential candidates from capitalizing on the sentiments of the American people, particularly the portions of the population with conservative ideals. Candidates like Trump,Carson, and Fiorina will continue to criticize the inefficiencies of Congress and its disloyalty to its constituents (likely citing this budget bill incident has an example of Congressional Republicans'excessive pragmatism). As this anti-establishment rhetoric continues to flow, conservative fervor will continue to increase. As a result, even though Congressional Republicans are angering many conservatives with their budget bill compromise, it may actually prove to be a very effective tactic for taking the presidency. Not only will Republicans avoid living up to their reputation of causing government shutdowns, but the level of discontent that they will create among conservatives will increase the chances of a conservative being elected into office. As a result, the controversial actions of Republicans in Congress may actually end up helping their own party.
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