Mornin’ Politocadoes!
The House has failed yet again to pass a spending bill to fund the government. SAVE, the stopgap spending bill, would have funded the government through to the end of March 2025 and also would have required proof of citizenship for voters in federal elections. The measure was defeated 202-220 with 14 Republicans defecting, 3 Democrats voting for it. There is currently no plan on the table for funding the government as we come into the endrun of a very tense and fraught Presidential election cycle.
This puts House Speaker Mike Johnson once again in that little box we in the loop call “The Punishment Hole”. When a Republican House Speaker tries to get the government funded, that’s a trip to the Punishment Hole. Try to placate the Freedom Caucus? Punishment Hole. Work with Democrats? Well, that requires a trip to the Punishment Hole and maybe a stick in the eye. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy knows it all too well.
It shouldn’t be shocking that hardliners ended up being opposed to the SAVE act, but it is. Stipulations about requiring IDs at the polls was specifically put in to win over the usual suspects in the House Freedom Caucus, but they balked at it’s addition likening it to little more than political theater. Not that a bill with this language would have passed muster in the Senate, of course, but Johnson’s at least trying to get something through without losing his job.
Again, much of the difficulty with the Punishment Hole is that Bipartisanship is the simplest answer. Given the razor-thin margin of control Republicans have in the House, it’s insane to continue playing partisan politics over funding the federal government. Propose a clean no-strings attached government funding bill and he would likely get a lot of Democratic support, but it’d come at the cost of Republican support. Ever since losing the Speakership became the price for trying to fund the government, Speaker Johnson has had to walk a much tighter rope.
Not helped by this is the spectre of the Republican nominee for President, Ex-President Donald Trump. Trump had emphasized in conversations with Johnson, that Republicans should not vote for the bill unless they have “absolute assurances” about election security put into the language of the bill. But it’s also clear that Trump wants a shutdown no matter what. The bill won’t pass, so he must really want the federal government shutdown during an election that he’s not doing well in. I can’t imagine why.
All of this has happened before and will happen again. Republicans Speakers will go to the Punishment Hole for doing their job so long as the House has majority it has and Republicans are beholden to anti-government zealots and fascists. Johnson will likely move toward a clean 3-month stopgap spending measure without the voting provision next, hopefully it passes. Seeing him fail on an essential aspect of keeping our government operating isn’t fun.
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!