This Is The Clown Show That Could Lead To A Government Shutdown This Month

[corbe]

This Is The Clown Show That Could Lead To A Government Shutdown This Month


Stan Collender  , 
  Contributor
Apr 2, 2017 @ 07:00 AM


Try to read this without groaning, cursing or weeping...or seeing clowns.

Funding for the federal government will run out at midnight on April 28. If some type of new appropriation isn't enacted by then, there will be a government shutdown the next day.

You would think the Republican-controlled Congress would want to deal with this immediately, especially in the aftermath of the Affordable Care Act repeal/replace debacle.

But the Senate will be in recess from next Friday until April 24 (the House comes back on April 25) and isn't planning to consider a new funding deal until then. Once it comes back to Washington, Congress will be in session for less than a week before the shutdown will begin.

President Trump has proposed $18 billion in cuts to domestic programs for the rest of fiscal 2017 that the White House will want included in the new funding bill. He's also proposed initial spending for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Congressional Democrats are against the president's proposals. While they're very likely to vote against the funding bill no matter what, House and Senate Democrats are almost guaranteed to vote against it if any of these hot button items are included.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said last week that the 2017 funding bill isn't the best way or time to deal with Planned Parenthood. That aligns him with Democrats and puts him on a collision course with the White House on this issue.

Senate Republicans have indicated that they probably won't include the Trump FY17 spending decreases and increases in the funding bill they will consider. They apparently are also planning a "clean" bill for the whole government that rejects the president's spending cuts and has no non-budget policy riders. That puts them on a collision course with both the White House and House Freedom Caucus.

The House Freedom Caucus, whose intransigence on ACA repeal and replace is widely credited with its failure, is likely to be as intransigent in support of the Trump spending proposals, especially Planned Parenthood. That puts them in direct opposition to both Ryan and the Senate GOP and supporting the White House.

But even though it supports more of the the president's proposals than any other group on Capital Hill, Trump late last week went after the HFC and several of its most prominent members in a tweet storm for causing the repeal and replace effort to fail. Some HFC members then responded in kind to the Trump tweets with some serious and anything-but-deferential snark . In other words, by then end of last week, the White House and HFC were in each other's crosshairs.

<..snip..>

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stancollender/2017/04/02/this-is-the-clown-show-that-could-lead-to-a-government-shutdown-this-month/#6efc0692478e

[geronl]

But even though it supports more of the the president's proposals than any other group on Capital Hill, Trump late last week went after the HFC and several of its most prominent members in a tweet storm for causing the repeal and replace effort to fail

Remember, supporting Trump 90-95% is not enough. You would be hated on and probably banned from TOS for not supporting Trump on one or two issues not long ago.

Like the story says, the HFC supports more of the Presidents proposals than any other group but it is the one targeted with the Trump hate. I am wondering if Trump is only pretending to support these things.

[txradioguy]

Remember, supporting Trump 90-95% is not enough. You would be hated on and probably banned from TOS for not supporting Trump on one or two issues not long ago.

Like the story says, the HFC supports more of the Presidents proposals than any other group but it is the one targeted with the Trump hate. I am wondering if Trump is only pretending to support these things.

IMHO he'll support them until their first defeat...or only superficially like with the PP funding...and then lurch to the left on the issues claiming that either the Conservatives won't work with him or that going left was "the best deal he could get".

[geronl]

IMHO he'll support them until their first defeat...or only superficially like with the PP funding...and then lurch to the left on the issues claiming that either the Conservatives won't work with him or that going left was "the best deal he could get".

I think so too

[Idaho_Cowboy]

There guys needs to get back to doing real budgets and stop this nonsense.

[txradioguy]

There guys needs to get back to doing real budgets and stop this nonsense.

I agree...this omnibus crap that they do now...combined with baseline budgeting would get the CFO of most private companies tossed in jail IMO.

I do remember the days when each part of a budget was hashed out by the appropriate committee and/or sub committee before it was submitted as part of the whole budget.

Pre Obama the trend seemed to be just offer up one giant pice of pork for signature and be done with it.

[geronl]

I agree...this omnibus crap that they do now...combined with baseline budgeting would get the CFO of most private companies tossed in jail IMO.

and this year they have a chance to make some cuts but seem to want to pass last years budget with a % increase again. I think most of them are scared to cut anything and even more scared to write an actual budget.

[txradioguy]

and this year they have a chance to make some cuts but seem to want to pass last years budget with a % increase again. I think most of them are scared to cut anything and even more scared to write an actual budget.

The dirty secret is that since the implementation of baseline budgeting...there is never a cut even when the Libs holler there is. 

Kinda hard to make a true cut when your starting point is how much you spent the previous year.

[Victoria33]

The dirty secret is that since the implementation of baseline budgeting...there is never a cut even when the Libs holler there is. 
Kinda hard to make a true cut when your starting point is how much you spent the previous year.

@txradioguy

So, the House comes back on April 25th and the government shuts down at midnight on the 28th due to no budget.  Soo, they pass a "keep the budget like it is" bill to keep the government operating.  We haven't had a real budget done in years and we still won't after the 28th.  Absurd, insanity.

[txradioguy]

@txradioguy

So, the House comes back on April 25th and the government shuts down at midnight on the 28th due to no budget.  Soo, they pass a "keep the budget like it is" bill to keep the government operating.  We haven't had a real budget done in years and we still won't after the 28th.  Absurd, insanity.

Very insane.  This is a result of 8 years of Obama refusing to submit a realistic budget and Congress being more than happy to go along with CR after CR.

The last budget that was passed and signed into law was W's last one for FY 2009.

Any budget passed now wouldn't take effect until October so there would have to be a CR to cover the checks until then.

I have no problem with the government "shutting down". Things tend to actually get done when that happens. 

[bolobaby]

"Congressional Democrats are against the president's proposals. "


AND???? Who frickin' cares? Last I checked, they have no frickin' majority and we can pass any budget we want on reconciliation.

Or have we forgotten all the dirty tricks the Democrats pulled on us?

Guys - seriously - if Trump doesn't get "the best budget EVAH" with "yuge cuts" then it will be about time all the Trumpettes admit that they've been had. You bought into the uniparty by electing a con man.