By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
McALLEN, Texas | Well, that was thisclose. Wild, needless infighting by rebellious Republicans in the House of Reps. brought the federal government to within hours of a shutdown. Midnight Saturday was to be the Golden Hour, or, more correctly, the Witching Hour, as a final vote approving the spending bill came late.
The Senate fell in once it had something to work with, and then President Joe Biden signed the required paperwork to avert the disaster.
This from politico.com: [ The legislation effectively punts the deadline for Congress' various spending fights to Nov. 17. It passed the upper chamber by a wide margin, 88-9.
"It's been a day full of twists and turns, but the American people can breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no government shutdown," Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said shortly after passage.
The package is a departure from Senate leaders' original ambitions to include Ukraine aid in the short-term funding bill. The final version of the bill - which overwhelmingly passed the House with bipartisan support Saturday afternoon - only includes disaster relief alongside regular government funding. Senate Democrats now say they’ll be seeking a supplemental bill to continue assisting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
"Most Senate Republicans remain committed to helping our friends on the front lines," said Republican and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. ]
It never had to be this way, but that's our troubled Washington, D.C. these days.
With any luck, Congress will complete the work in November...
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Crazy Republicans still at it. When will it end?
ReplyDeleteEcho that.
ReplyDeleteRepublican Matt Gaetz is not done! he wants the Speaker gone. Gonna be a wild week. Again!
ReplyDelete