Mornin’ Politocadoes!
The House GOP are privately expecting a government shutdown as the March 1st deadline for the passage of a budget or a stopgap spending measure approaches. Failing this deadline, a full shutdown will begin a week later on March 8th. If no budget is passed by April 30, an automatic 1% spending cut across the board will be applied. Democrats won’t support a stopgap bill beyond this. House Republicans had previously been cautiously optimistic about averting a shutdown, but now, they’re not so sure. They’re either “close to reaching a deal or it’s about to blow up,” as one Republican commented.
And what’s the problem, exactly? Well, it’s the same problem. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) continues to find difficulty pleasing a recalcitrant voting bloc of ultra conservatives while not having a strong enough majority to do so. Like Kevin McCarthy before him, he doesn’t have enough seats in Congress and would be punished by members of his caucus for working with Democrats to get anything done.
Republicans are pissed right now because of the lack of riders on abortion, gender-affirming care, and medical research which they’d use as poison pills in future legislation. So any negotiation is probably about adding more of these. There’s also the thorny issue of congresspeople who are fine, apparently, with 1% cuts across the board. There is little to no room for Johnson to try peel off some Democratic votes with this current crop of Republicans. So he finds himself in his predecessor’s shoes, where the simple (and best) solution for the country is to work with Democrats and ignore the wackjobs.
But that would also imperil his leadership.
The Republicans don’t have any more of a plan if a member calls for a motion to vacate than they did before. So if Johnson goes, the embarrassing cycle of early 2023 repeats anew. People aren’t laughing anymore about that very real possibility. Pass a budget. It’s literally your job.
At least for now.
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. Something to keep in mind! Police are using digital data to prosecute abortion seekers, and Facebook and Google are helping them! Even if they are not legally required to do so, the tech giants will aid them in this since it’s technically *against the law*. Please be careful when looking for abortion providers or helping someone who is looking for that assistance.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues even if the emergencies end, continue to vaccinate using the latest version of the FDA approved vaccines by Phizer and Moderna. Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to your own vaccination status.
Also, according to recent polls approximately 50% of adults are not planning on getting their Covid-19 boosters. So please get them and older adults should also look to be vaccinated for RSV! It’s been difficult to get adults onboard with getting the RSV shots as it is. Remember that getting these shots could potentially keep thousands of Americans who do not have to be there out of the ICU this winter.