Washington: Only a few hours left, Congress passed laws that would avoid a partial federal shutdown and keep the government funded until December 3, and sent the bill President Joe Biden.
back-to-back vote by managing committee And then the House will help avert one crisis, but simply delay another as political parties dig into the controversy over how to raise the government’s borrowing limit before the United States risks a potentially catastrophic default.
The House approved the short-term funding measure by a vote of 254-175, shortly after the Senate passed it in a 65-35 vote. A large number of Republicans in both houses voted against it. The law was required to keep the government running after the current budget year ended on Thursday midnight. The passage would give lawmakers more time to devise spending measures that would fund federal agencies and the programs they run.
The task of keeping the government open and running serves as a backdrop for Democrats during a chaotic day as they struggle to get Biden’s top domestic priorities to the finish line, with the House at risk of being stalled. Also included was a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill.
With their energies focused on Biden’s agenda, Democrats withdrew from a showdown over debt limits in the government funding bill, deciding to set aside borrowing limits at the urging of Republicans. If that limit is not raised by October 18, the US will likely face a financial crisis and an economic downturn, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
Republicans say Democrats have votes to raise the debt limit on their own, and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is insisting they do so.
The short-term spending law would provide about $28.6 billion in disaster relief for those recovering from Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, and help pull Afghanistan out of a 20-year war between the US and the Taliban.
“It’s a good result, I’m glad we’re working,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “With so many things to keep in mind” WashingtonThe last thing the American people need is for the government to stop”.
Temporarily, once the government is funded, Democrats will turn their full attention to the need to raise the federal borrowing limit, which now stands at $28.4 trillion.
The US has never defaulted on its debts in the modern era and historically, both sides have voted to raise the limit. Democrats joined the Republican Senate majority in doing so three times during Donald Trump’s presidency. This time Democrats wanted to address both priorities in one bill, but Senate Republicans blocked that effort on Monday.
Raising or suspending debt limits allows the federal government to pay off obligations that have already been incurred. It does not authorize new spending. McConnell has argued that Democrats should pass a debt ceiling expansion with the same budgetary means they are using to expand social safety net programs and pass a $3.5 trillion effort to tackle climate change. . He reiterated that warning as the Senate opened on Thursday, even as Democrats labeled that option a “nonstarter.”
“We are able to fund the government today because the majority has accepted the reality. The same thing will need to be done on debt limits next week,” McConnell said.
House Democrats late Wednesday pushed through a stand-alone bill that would suspend the debt limit until December 2022. Schumer said he would bring the measure to the Senate floor, but the bill is almost certain to be blocked by a Republican filibuster.
The arguments made in both the Houses about the debt ceiling follow similar themes.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told Republicans, “You’re more interested in punishing Democrats than in preserving our credit, and that’s something I’m having a hard time getting my head around.” Used to be.” “The idea of not paying the bills just because we don’t like (Biden’s) policies is the wrong way to go.”
Fearless, Republicans argued that the Democrats chose to Ram through their political preferences on their own and are thus responsible for raising the debt limit on their own.
“As long as the Democratic majority continues to insist on spending money on fists, Republicans will refuse to help them lift the debt limit,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla.
The Treasury has taken steps to preserve cash, but once it runs out, it will be forced to rely on incoming revenue to pay off its obligations. This will likely mean delayed payments to Social Security recipients, veterans and government employees, including military personnel. The Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, projects that the federal government will be unable to meet about 40% of payments in the coming weeks.
back-to-back vote by managing committee And then the House will help avert one crisis, but simply delay another as political parties dig into the controversy over how to raise the government’s borrowing limit before the United States risks a potentially catastrophic default.
The House approved the short-term funding measure by a vote of 254-175, shortly after the Senate passed it in a 65-35 vote. A large number of Republicans in both houses voted against it. The law was required to keep the government running after the current budget year ended on Thursday midnight. The passage would give lawmakers more time to devise spending measures that would fund federal agencies and the programs they run.
The task of keeping the government open and running serves as a backdrop for Democrats during a chaotic day as they struggle to get Biden’s top domestic priorities to the finish line, with the House at risk of being stalled. Also included was a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill.
With their energies focused on Biden’s agenda, Democrats withdrew from a showdown over debt limits in the government funding bill, deciding to set aside borrowing limits at the urging of Republicans. If that limit is not raised by October 18, the US will likely face a financial crisis and an economic downturn, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
Republicans say Democrats have votes to raise the debt limit on their own, and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is insisting they do so.
The short-term spending law would provide about $28.6 billion in disaster relief for those recovering from Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, and help pull Afghanistan out of a 20-year war between the US and the Taliban.
“It’s a good result, I’m glad we’re working,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “With so many things to keep in mind” WashingtonThe last thing the American people need is for the government to stop”.
Temporarily, once the government is funded, Democrats will turn their full attention to the need to raise the federal borrowing limit, which now stands at $28.4 trillion.
The US has never defaulted on its debts in the modern era and historically, both sides have voted to raise the limit. Democrats joined the Republican Senate majority in doing so three times during Donald Trump’s presidency. This time Democrats wanted to address both priorities in one bill, but Senate Republicans blocked that effort on Monday.
Raising or suspending debt limits allows the federal government to pay off obligations that have already been incurred. It does not authorize new spending. McConnell has argued that Democrats should pass a debt ceiling expansion with the same budgetary means they are using to expand social safety net programs and pass a $3.5 trillion effort to tackle climate change. . He reiterated that warning as the Senate opened on Thursday, even as Democrats labeled that option a “nonstarter.”
“We are able to fund the government today because the majority has accepted the reality. The same thing will need to be done on debt limits next week,” McConnell said.
House Democrats late Wednesday pushed through a stand-alone bill that would suspend the debt limit until December 2022. Schumer said he would bring the measure to the Senate floor, but the bill is almost certain to be blocked by a Republican filibuster.
The arguments made in both the Houses about the debt ceiling follow similar themes.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., told Republicans, “You’re more interested in punishing Democrats than in preserving our credit, and that’s something I’m having a hard time getting my head around.” Used to be.” “The idea of not paying the bills just because we don’t like (Biden’s) policies is the wrong way to go.”
Fearless, Republicans argued that the Democrats chose to Ram through their political preferences on their own and are thus responsible for raising the debt limit on their own.
“As long as the Democratic majority continues to insist on spending money on fists, Republicans will refuse to help them lift the debt limit,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla.
The Treasury has taken steps to preserve cash, but once it runs out, it will be forced to rely on incoming revenue to pay off its obligations. This will likely mean delayed payments to Social Security recipients, veterans and government employees, including military personnel. The Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, projects that the federal government will be unable to meet about 40% of payments in the coming weeks.
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