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Post by aj2hall on Sept 25, 2023 20:21:26 GMT
The Republicans are in complete chaos. The clowns are running the show and McCarthy is a weak Speaker. Somehow, funding for Ukraine is now in the middle of the debate. Regrettably, a shutdown seems inevitable. www.nytimes.com/2023/09/25/us/politics/senate-shutdown-ukraine.htmlMoney for Ukraine at Center of Senate Bid to Avert Shutdown
Senators of both parties are debating whether to include new military assistance for the fight against Russia in any stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded past the end of the month.
With the House in chaos over its spending plans, senators of both parties were deep in negotiations on Monday over efforts to head off a government shutdown this weekend through a stopgap measure and whether to include additional aid to Ukraine in the legislation.
Senators and senior staff members engaged in intense discussions over the past few days on how to proceed given the House impasse, officials said, with the Senate taking steps toward an emergency spending bill that would keep dollars flowing to federal agencies after the current fiscal year ends at midnight Saturday.
People familiar with the talks said a major sticking point was whether to add up to $25 billion in new assistance to Ukraine to what is formally known as a continuing resolution or to keep the legislation free of contentious provisions in what would be a “clean” measure that might enjoy broader support among Republicans in the House, which would also have to pass it to keep the government open.
Despite broad bipartisan support in the Senate for money for Ukraine, officials said, some Republicans were arguing that it would present an added complication in trying to provide Speaker Kevin McCarthy with a way out of the spending logjam. A significant bloc of House Republicans opposes any more Ukraine funding and would most likely insist that it be stripped out of the bill and returned to the Senate, slowing any resolution when there is little time to spare.
On Monday, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia and a close adviser to Mr. McCarthy on the political appetites of the party’s base, warned her colleagues against taking up a separate Pentagon spending bill. She said that even a procedural vote to advance that legislation was tantamount to “a vote for BILLIONS in new blood money for the proxy war in Ukraine.” |
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Post by Merge on Sept 25, 2023 21:11:53 GMT
This is your daily reminder that the reason the GOP has a slim majority in the House is due to extreme gerrymandering in a few red states. We take power from Russia-loving looneys like MTG by passing voting rights legislation that ends partisan gerrymandering and requires all states to use an independent commission for redistricting. Another thing we can do is add more seats to the House, as it hasn't kept up with population increases enough to give every citizen an equal vote in congress.
And if you're concerned that fixing these problems would turn us into a one-party state where Republicans never held power again, consider the more likely outcome: not being able to fix elections through gerrymandering and targeted use of the electoral college would require both sides to maintain a more moderate platform to entice voters in each election. Better for the country no matter how you vote.
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Post by yivit on Sept 26, 2023 11:35:17 GMT
As of last Friday, my PM was telling us that there was a 50/50 chance of a shutdown. That's not very good odds. Yesterday in our division office hours meeting, they spent a lot of time going over what will happen should there be one (i work as a contractor to a large federal agency). My PM did say our contract has funding through October, but that they may have to make decisions on some of the work and whether it continues during a shutdown. My position is considered essential/mission critical so I will be working regardless. The bad thing is we're usually busier during a shutdown because the bad guys see the news too and think nobody is minding the store.
Ugh, I just want Congress to do what they're supposed to.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Sept 26, 2023 13:09:00 GMT
It's disgusting that they don't want to help Ukraine anymore, and that they won't do their jobs. Republicans do not have American citizens in mind. Just themselves and their donors.
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Post by epeanymous on Sept 26, 2023 13:45:01 GMT
This is your daily reminder that the reason the GOP has a slim majority in the House is due to extreme gerrymandering in a few red states. We take power from Russia-loving looneys like MTG by passing voting rights legislation that ends partisan gerrymandering and requires all states to use an independent commission for redistricting. Another thing we can do is add more seats to the House, as it hasn't kept up with population increases enough to give every citizen an equal vote in congress. And if you're concerned that fixing these problems would turn us into a one-party state where Republicans never held power again, consider the more likely outcome: not being able to fix elections through gerrymandering and targeted use of the electoral college would require both sides to maintain a more moderate platform to entice voters in each election. Better for the country no matter how you vote. I would go so far as to say that if the Republican party had to win elections by getting votes generally rather than by gerrymandering and vote-suppressing, they'd get better leaders and have a more appealing platform. |
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,872
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Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Sept 26, 2023 14:21:37 GMT
This is your daily reminder that the reason the GOP has a slim majority in the House is due to extreme gerrymandering in a few red states. We take power from Russia-loving looneys like MTG by passing voting rights legislation that ends partisan gerrymandering and requires all states to use an independent commission for redistricting. Another thing we can do is add more seats to the House, as it hasn't kept up with population increases enough to give every citizen an equal vote in congress. And if you're concerned that fixing these problems would turn us into a one-party state where Republicans never held power again, consider the more likely outcome: not being able to fix elections through gerrymandering and targeted use of the electoral college would require both sides to maintain a more moderate platform to entice voters in each election. Better for the country no matter how you vote. I would go so far as to say that if the Republican party had to win elections by getting votes generally rather than by gerrymandering and vote-suppressing, they'd get better leaders and have a more appealing platform. Yes 100%. This country would be a better place if we had better leaders on both sides of the aisle. What we are getting from the Republican party now is destroying this country. |
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casii
Drama Llama
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Post by casii on Sept 26, 2023 15:08:56 GMT
This would never fly but a MN congress member introduced an act to block pay for congress in the event of a shutdown. They still get paid even though they refuse to work for their constituents. The McCarthy Act, pun intendedUnder current law, Members receive regular paychecks while thousands of federal employees are furloughed without pay WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig introduced the My Constituents Cannot Afford Rebellious Tantrums, Handle Your (MCCARTHY) Shutdown Act to withhold pay for Members of Congress in the case of a federal government shutdown. "Under current law, Members receive regular paychecks during government shutdowns while thousands of federal employees are furloughed without pay. During the 2018-19 government shutdown, more than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed without pay, including 6,000 in Minnesota. “Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans are ready to shut down the federal government and put the livelihoods of working families at risk – while still collecting a paycheck. Today, I’m introducing legislation to block Member pay during a McCarthy shutdown, because it’s ridiculous that we still get paid while folks like TSA workers are asked to work without a paycheck,” said Rep. Craig. Rep. Craig continues to encourage Republican leadership to stop placating its most extreme in the Freedom Caucus and bring forward a proposal that can get support from Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate and avoid a shutdown altogether." |
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Post by stampnscrap1128 on Sept 26, 2023 19:46:26 GMT
If I could.... I would lock them all up in one room, one porta potty (with only 2 rolls of tp), no a/c or heat, feed them bologna sandwiches and water, and they would not get paid. Then when everyone can agree to a fair budget, they can be released. Bet it would not take them long to come up with something decent. Then again, maybe not. Sigh...
I do wonder if those who are on Social Security/SSDI will get their checks.
Edit to add: feed them beans instead of sandwiches. Yeah, I am mean. LOL
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Post by Scrapper100 on Sept 26, 2023 20:41:28 GMT
If I could.... I would lock them all up in one room, one porta potty (with only 2 rolls of tp), no a/c or heat, feed them bologna sandwiches and water, and they would not get paid. Then when everyone can agree to a fair budget, they can be released. Bet it would not take them long to come up with something decent. Then again, maybe not. Sigh... I do wonder if those who are on Social Security/SSDI will get their checks. Edit to add: feed them beans instead of sandwiches. Yeah, I am mean. LOL I think that social security will still get their checks. Pretty sure they fixed that a few years ago. I wonder if pensions federal and military still go out? Assuming so as I haven’t seen it mentioned. They seriously need to get it together and fix this. |
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Post by marysue63 on Sept 26, 2023 20:56:05 GMT
I'm a 34 year federal employee and I'm retiring on Friday! SO glad I don't have to deal with a shut down but feel bad for my employees, most who live paycheck to paycheck. The uncertainty is so difficult to deal with. The last shut down was for 35 days and 2 missed paychecks. It's really an awful feeling.
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Post by hop2 on Sept 26, 2023 21:12:53 GMT
I'm a 34 year federal employee and I'm retiring on Friday! SO glad I don't have to deal with a shut down but feel bad for my employees, most who live paycheck to paycheck. The uncertainty is so difficult to deal with. The last shut down was for 35 days and 2 missed paychecks. It's really an awful feeling. congratulations! I’m sure your do very glad to be done right in time, although I’m sure the shut down might disrupt your retirement somewhat, hopefully not too badly. |
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Post by aj2hall on Sept 26, 2023 21:39:04 GMT
Regrettably, the Republican Party is so far gone, I'm not sure locking them in a room would work. For the extremists, the chaos and disruption is their goal. They're trying to distract from Trump's legal problems, create problems for Biden and discredit the federal government, every department. And far right authoritarians/anarchists are all from deep red districts, partly because of gerrymandering, they will never face consequences at the polls. McCarthy only cares about keeping his job so he refuses to work with Democrats for fear of losing his role as speaker.
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Post by aj2hall on Sept 26, 2023 21:55:27 GMT
This is the latest Republican demand - cut funding for Title 1 programs. I'm not sure which school specifically would lose funding. The elementary school where I work is not designated as a low income school but we have Title 1 teachers who work with kids who are struggling in reading and math. The is one of the worst Republican ideas. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/26/inside-spending-cuts-house-republicans-are-fighting/One quarter of all the savings House Republicans’ bills would achieve comes from cutting a single program that provides funding for low-income schools, known as Title I education grants.
House Republicans want to cut Title I by nearly 80 percent, saving $14.7 billion.
The cuts are even steeper than education funding reductions proposed by the Center for Renewing America, a think tank led by Russ Vought, former president Donald Trump’s White House budget director.
The think tank put out a budget proposal in December that called for cutting $8.2 billion from the Department of Education’s elementary and secondary education programs, which include Title I grants. (House Republicans would cut $14.7 billion from Title I in the 2024 fiscal year compared with the previous year, while the Center for Renewing America proposed cutting $8.2 billion from almost 30 elementary and secondary education programs in the 2023 fiscal year compared with the 2021 fiscal year.)
The Title I cuts are included in one of two appropriations bills that haven’t made it out of committee yet. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to meet today to discuss how to move forward, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Democrats have warned that Republicans’ proposed cuts could cost up to 224,000 teachers their jobs, and teachers unions have mobilized to lobby against them.
“Title I funding helps fill in the gaps that have existed in all our systems for generations, especially in our public schools,” Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said in a statement to The Early. “It is unconscionable that House Republicans would try to strip away desperately needed funds from our most vulnerable, most marginalized students.”
The Republican view
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), chairman of the appropriations subcommittee behind the proposed Title I cuts, said Republicans want to cut the program so deeply for two reasons.
First, that’s where the money is. It’s a relatively big program, and Republicans could achieve a lot of savings by cutting it deeply.
Second, Washington sent more than $100 billion in relief funds to public schools during the pandemic, and some of the money remains unspent.
“There was $27 billion that was provided from pandemic legislation that is still in the pipeline, so to speak,” Aderholt said in an interview this month. “Therefore, you would expect that that money be spent before you would be going and asking for more money.”
Democrats say any unspent relief funds are needed to help schools and students recover from the pandemic. The legislation was designed so that schools don’t need to spend the money until next year.
“We need the money to fight learning loss,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee and the subcommittee that Aderholt leads.
What’s more, House Republicans’ cuts don’t take into account how much schools have left in pandemic relief funds.
“Title I is a formula grant based on how poor the school district is,” Kogan, who previously worked in the Biden White House as an OMB adviser, wrote in an email to The Early. “House Republicans didn’t modify it to be based on how much money is left over. So, if your school district is very poor and so is most likely to have used up all its [American Rescue Project] money, this 80 percent cut will simply leave you without money for this coming year.”
Aderholt, who represents a poor district himself, said he understood DeLauro’s argument. But as Republicans looked to make deep spending cuts, he said, he tried to prioritize what he believed schools truly needed as opposed to “what would really be nice to have.”
“When you’re forced to make cuts and you’re given a budget and you see [pandemic relief] money that’s already in there, it’s just hard to give more money into an area where you see there’s money that’s already available,” he said.
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Post by aj2hall on Sept 26, 2023 21:55:52 GMT
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Post by needmysanity on Sept 26, 2023 22:06:10 GMT
I'm the CEO of a non profit so we will be affected if they shut down. We did a 10 day pre draw on our Federal grants that we are allowed to do but that obviously won't get us far into October.
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Post by lucyg on Sept 27, 2023 5:46:13 GMT
I'm the CEO of a non profit so we will be affected if they shut down. We did a 10 day pre draw on our Federal grants that we are allowed to do but that obviously won't get us far into October. I’m so sorry. Hope these dumdums will get their business straightened out by Friday. |
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used2scrap
Drama Llama
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Post by used2scrap on Sept 27, 2023 6:00:30 GMT
If I could.... I would lock them all up in one room, one porta potty (with only 2 rolls of tp), no a/c or heat, feed them bologna sandwiches and water, and they would not get paid. Then when everyone can agree to a fair budget, they can be released. Bet it would not take them long to come up with something decent. Then again, maybe not. Sigh... I do wonder if those who are on Social Security/SSDI will get their checks. Edit to add: feed them beans instead of sandwiches. Yeah, I am mean. LOL I think that social security will still get their checks. Pretty sure they fixed that a few years ago. I wonder if pensions federal and military still go out? Assuming so as I haven’t seen it mentioned. They seriously need to get it together and fix this. Pensions yes active military NO unless they pass a seperate bill. But even at this point if they do the stress leading up to this week is immense on personnel already stressed to the max. |
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used2scrap
Drama Llama
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Post by used2scrap on Sept 27, 2023 6:21:27 GMT
If I could.... I would lock them all up in one room, one porta potty (with only 2 rolls of tp), no a/c or heat, feed them bologna sandwiches and water, and they would not get paid. Then when everyone can agree to a fair budget, they can be released. Bet it would not take them long to come up with something decent. Then again, maybe not. Sigh... I do wonder if those who are on Social Security/SSDI will get their checks. Edit to add: feed them beans instead of sandwiches. Yeah, I am mean. LOL I think that social security will still get their checks. Pretty sure they fixed that a few years ago. I wonder if pensions federal and military still go out? Assuming so as I haven’t seen it mentioned. They seriously need to get it together and fix this. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Sept 27, 2023 8:50:26 GMT
I'm irritated every single time they do this. My salary will be impacted by a shutdown too.
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Post by aj2hall on Sept 27, 2023 8:56:09 GMT
I’m so sorry for everyone affected by this. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-26-2023Even as Biden was standing on the picket line, House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) released a new budget plan that moves even farther to the right. Yesterday, former president Trump backed the far-right extremists threatening to shut down the government, insisting that holding the government hostage is the best way to get everything they want, including, he wrote, an end to the criminal cases against him. “The Republicans lost big on Debt Ceiling, got NOTHING, and now are worried that they will be BLAMED for the Budget Shutdown. Wrong!!! Whoever is President will be blamed,” Trump wrote on social media. “UNLESS YOU GET EVERYTHING, SHUT IT DOWN! Close the Border, stop the Weaponization of ‘Justice,’ and End Election Interference.” McCarthy is reneging on the agreement he made with Biden in the spring as conditions for raising the debt ceiling, and instead is calling for dramatic cuts to the nation’s social safety net, as well as restarting construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, as starting points for funding the government. Cuts of more than $150 billion in his new proposal would mean cutting housing subsidies for the poor by 33%, fuel subsidies for low-income families by more than 70%, and funding for low-income schools by nearly 80% and would force more than 1 million women and children off of nutritional assistance. The “bottom line is we’re singularly focused right now on achieving our conservative objectives,” Representative Garret Graves (R-LA) told Jeff Stein, Marianna Sotomayor, and Moriah Balingit of the Washington Post. The Republicans plan to preserve the tax cuts of the Trump years, which primarily benefited the wealthy and corporations. At any point, McCarthy could return to the deal he cut with Biden, pass the appropriations bills with Democratic support, and fund the government. But if he does that, he is almost certain to face a challenge to his speakership from the extremists who currently are holding the country hostage. This evening, the Senate reached a bipartisan deal to fund the government through November 17 and to provide additional funding for Ukraine (although less than the White House wants), passing it by a vote of 77–19. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) urged the House Republicans to agree to the measure, warning them that shutdowns “don’t work as bargaining chips.” Nevertheless, McCarthy would not say he would take up the bill, and appears to feel the need to give in to the extremists’ demands. Moreover, he has suddenly said he thinks a meeting with Biden could avert the crisis, suggesting he is desperate for someone else to find a solution. |
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lizacreates
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by lizacreates on Sept 27, 2023 15:46:42 GMT
"Moreover, he has suddenly said he thinks a meeting with Biden could avert the crisis, suggesting he is desperate for someone else to find a solution."
A solution in the form of McCarthy dragging Biden into the House GOP’s self-created mess in the hopes he can save his own ass by diverting responsibility for an impending shutdown. There. I was compelled to clarify it.
Let me summarize so we’re all on the same page:
(1) Back in January, McCarthy, in his naked ambition to be speaker, sharpened a knife, gave it to the fire-breathers in the House GOP, and told them they could stab him with it if he doesn’t deliver their desires;
(2) McCarthy made a spending deal with Biden back in the summer that would fund the gov’t for fiscal 2024, the same deal he is now reneging on because of pressure from the Freedom Caucus;
(3) He refuses to consider a bipartisan stopgap bill to avert a shutdown because OMG!! that would be working with Democrats and I could lose the gavel!;
(4) He is now attempting to push four appropriations bills with massive cuts (which will never survive the Senate) in the hopes of passing a continuing resolution afterwards (which, btw, is ass-backwards, but I’ll leave that be);
(5) He now thinks the way for him to survive is to change the narrative and point to the president’s border policy as the reason for a shutdown.
He wants a meeting with Biden after he’d invoked an impeachment inquiry against him? WTF. Let McCarthy and his band of miscreants sink in the muck they themselves created.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Sept 27, 2023 16:37:33 GMT
"Moreover, he has suddenly said he thinks a meeting with Biden could avert the crisis, suggesting he is desperate for someone else to find a solution."A solution in the form of McCarthy dragging Biden into the House GOP’s self-created mess in the hopes he can save his own ass by diverting responsibility for an impending shutdown. There. I was compelled to clarify it. Let me summarize so we’re all on the same page: (1) Back in January, McCarthy, in his naked ambition to be speaker, sharpened a knife, gave it to the fire-breathers in the House GOP, and told them they could stab him with it if he doesn’t deliver their desires; (2) McCarthy made a spending deal with Biden back in the summer that would fund the gov’t for fiscal 2024, the same deal he is now reneging on because of pressure from the Freedom Caucus; (3) He refuses to consider a bipartisan stopgap bill to avert a shutdown because OMG!! that would be working with Democrats and I could lose the gavel!; (4) He is now attempting to push four appropriations bills with massive cuts (which will never survive the Senate) in the hopes of passing a continuing resolution afterwards (which, btw, is ass-backwards, but I’ll leave that be); (5) He now thinks the way for him to survive is to change the narrative and point to the president’s border policy as the reason for a shutdown. He wants a meeting with Biden after he’d invoked an impeachment inquiry against him? WTF. Let McCarthy and his band of miscreants sink in the muck they themselves created. Not to mention that he and Biden had an agreement when they decided on increasing the debt limit, but McCarthy is now reneging on that. |
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Post by Gem Girl on Sept 27, 2023 18:58:44 GMT
Between Loony Toons Tuberville and Butt-Kiss Kevin's mess here, our enemies must consider us a tempting target right now. But, I guess I shouldn't worry if THEY don't care.  |
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Post by Scrapper100 on Sept 28, 2023 0:06:10 GMT
Between Loony Toons Tuberville and Butt-Kiss Kevin's mess here, our enemies must consider us a tempting target right now. But, I guess I shouldn't worry if THEY don't care. Oh I am sure they are watching very closely. I am sure they are laughing at the mess too. I don’t understand why the agreement wasn’t more binding. It just goes to show that he was just pulling a Lucy (Charlie Brown her pulling the football at the last minute). |
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Post by Gem Girl on Sept 28, 2023 18:11:04 GMT
Between Loony Toons Tuberville and Butt-Kiss Kevin's mess here, our enemies must consider us a tempting target right now. But, I guess I shouldn't worry if THEY don't care. Oh I am sure they are watching very closely. I am sure they are laughing at the mess too. I don’t understand why the agreement wasn’t more binding. It just goes to show that he was just pulling a Lucy (Charlie Brown her pulling the football at the last minute). Butt-Kiss Kevin has only succeeded in proving that he's not an honest broker. He can never again be a negotiating spokesperson for the house, so he's given up the remaining half of his power. He gave away the first half when he told the Magat 5 they could take his gavel is he ticked them off, which he stupidly seems to have said in order to get the job. I've always said that he's not smart enough for the position. |
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Post by mollycoddle on Sept 28, 2023 18:23:09 GMT
All I have to say is…Look at House extremists like Gaetz who are preventing a deal. They will be the one causing the shutdown. Look at the House Republicans investigating Joe Biden. What have they found? Could this be a pattern? 🤔🤔🤔🤔 Here is a list of the House Freedom Caucus members, or, as I like to call them, morons. axiomalpha.com/list-of-house-freedom-caucus-members-in-2023/This made me lol. Jonathan Turley, who has carried water for Republicans a lot lately, was called as a witness. He does not find that the evidence supports impeachment. I’m no attorney, but if you plan on calling a witness, shouldn’t you have some idea of what that witness is going to say? 👀 x.com/housejudiciary/status/1707410295298138183?s=61&t=M1OfLFf7y0WKg7wrxjM59g |
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Sept 28, 2023 18:50:17 GMT
All I have to say is…Look at House extremists like Gaetz who are preventing a deal. They will be the one causing the shutdown. Look at the House Republicans investigating Joe Biden. What have they found? Could this be a pattern? 🤔🤔🤔🤔 Here is a list of the House Freedom Caucus members, or, as I like to call them, morons. axiomalpha.com/list-of-house-freedom-caucus-members-in-2023/This made me lol. Jonathan Turley, who has carried water for Republicans a lot lately, was called as a witness. He does not find that the evidence supports impeachment. I’m no attorney, but if you plan on calling a witness, shouldn’t you have some idea of what that witness is going to say? 👀 x.com/housejudiciary/status/1707410295298138183?s=61&t=M1OfLFf7y0WKg7wrxjM59gYou know it’s a shit show when even Jonathan Turdley doesn’t support the Republican agenda. |
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Post by mollycoddle on Sept 28, 2023 18:52:27 GMT
All I have to say is…Look at House extremists like Gaetz who are preventing a deal. They will be the one causing the shutdown. Look at the House Republicans investigating Joe Biden. What have they found? Could this be a pattern? 🤔🤔🤔🤔 Here is a list of the House Freedom Caucus members, or, as I like to call them, morons. axiomalpha.com/list-of-house-freedom-caucus-members-in-2023/This made me lol. Jonathan Turley, who has carried water for Republicans a lot lately, was called as a witness. He does not find that the evidence supports impeachment. I’m no attorney, but if you plan on calling a witness, shouldn’t you have some idea of what that witness is going to say? 👀 x.com/housejudiciary/status/1707410295298138183?s=61&t=M1OfLFf7y0WKg7wrxjM59gYou know it’s a shit show when even Jonathan Turdley doesn’t support the Republican agenda. Right? But why didn’t those idiots know what he was going to say? They beclown themselves every time that they meet. |
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Post by aj2hall on Sept 30, 2023 1:18:00 GMT
Not looking good - a shutdown seems inevitable with the far right wing in control of the House www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/us/politics/shutdown-mccarthy.htmlThe size of the group of defectors was striking, reflecting both Mr. McCarthy’s weak hold on his conference and the influence of the far right in the House. The bill failed by a vote of 232-198, with 21 Republicans joining all Democrats to oppose it.
The measure put to a vote on Friday would keep the government open for 30 days and during that period impose drastic cuts — in many cases as much as 29 percent — to government programs, except for funding for veterans, homeland security and disaster response. It did not include any military or humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and it directed the homeland security secretary to resume “all activities related to the construction of the border wall” at the southern border that were in place under former President Donald J. Trump.
Democrats said the cuts to social programs included in the stopgap were so severe that they would amount to a “government shutdown in and of itself,” said Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the senior Democrat on the Rules Committee. “It guts the heart and soul of our safety net.”
Mr. McCarthy’s allies defended the strategy of putting the doomed bill to a vote as a way to show the public that he tried to keep the government open but was foiled by a handful of his far-right members. |
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Post by aj2hall on Sept 30, 2023 1:21:39 GMT
A sign of just how ridiculous the Republican Party has become and how McCarthy has lost all control www.nytimes.com/2023/09/27/us/politics/house-republicans-lloyd-austin-salary.htmlHouse Votes to Strip Defense Secretary of Salary as Right Wing Flexes Muscles
Little more than three days before a government shutdown, the Republican-led House spent the day adding hard-right proposals to a series of doomed spending bills.
The Republican-led House voted on Wednesday to reduce the salary of Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to $1, as right-wing lawmakers tried to transform a Pentagon spending bill and a series of other funding measures into weapons to take aim at President Biden, his agenda and his top officials.
There is little chance that Mr. Austin, the first Black defense secretary, will actually see his pay cut. The military spending bill is all but certain to die in the Senate, where it is expected to meet with bipartisan opposition.
But the move to strip him of all but $1 of his $235,600 salary, proposed by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, reflected the intensity of the right-wing drive to make the military into a political issue.
Three days before a government shutdown, House Republican leaders spent Wednesday adding the salary cut — and a slew of other far-right proposals to handcuff the Biden administration — to spending bills that have little chance of enactment. It was akin to a legislative tantrum driven by the hard right, whose members are helping push Congress toward a spending crisis. |
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