Meanwhile, Here Comes Another Government Shutdown

From Esquire

In case you've missed it while we've all been immersed in the discussion about The Cyber, the Democrats in Congress are daring the Republican majority to take another big bite out of the GOP's bread-and-butter. We are now less than a week away from another possible government shutdown. The New York Times has what we oldsters call the tick-tock.

Congress has until midnight on Friday to pass legislation funding the government as the fiscal year draws to a close. The process could get a little messy. Many Senate Democrats-and some Republicans-have said they intend to oppose a short-term funding bill proposed by Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, setting the stage for a legislative scramble to avoid a government shutdown. Among other things, Democrats are objecting that the legislation provides no money to deal with water contamination in Flint, Mich., located in a state with two Democratic senators, while it includes funds that could go for flood relief in Louisiana, which is represented by two Republicans. A test vote is set for Tuesday, and a rejection of the McConnell plan could make it difficult to find a new compromise in time to avert a shutdown.

That "Many Senate Democrats-and some Republicans-" is literally correct, but it implies a similar motivation that simply is not there. The "some Republicans" are the usual gang of House conservatives who are dissatisfied with whatever it is that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is doing, as the house organ of the Heritage Society tells us.

"There have been broad requests for a clean continuing resolution," McConnell said, referring to the fact that the measure has no policy riders tacked on to draw votes. "So that's what I've just offered. It's the result of many, many hours of bipartisan work across the aisle." McConnell's unwillingness to fight in the Senate puts conservatives at an early disadvantage in the House, Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal on Friday: "Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is caving in to this irresponsible behavior by surrendering important conservative policies while allowing liberal interest riders to be attached to government funding." The view of Flores, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the House's largest GOP caucus, carries weight. Some of his fellow House Republicans complain that they didn't have a say in negotiations.

So, the federal budget is now once again hostage to a Republican family spat over who can be most popular with Hugh Hewitt's audience. It is also being used by the Democrats to try and wedge some money into the budget to help the people of Flint with their poisoned water. The Fail Safe mechanism seems to be that neither party wants to get hung with the blame for a shutdown a month before the election, so the smart money is on some sort of continuing resolution to get everyone past the beginning of November.

The basic question of how anyone can pit flood victims in Louisiana against the poisoning of the people of Flint is left unanswered. There's an election, after all.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

You Might Also Like