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Federal Government Shuts Down

On September 30 this week, at the stroke of midnight, the federal government shut down.

This circumstance is not new to American history. The United States has gone through many partial and full government shutdowns, the most recent occasion taking place in 1995-1996 when Newt Gingrich was speaker of the House and President Clinton was in office. This latest incident, however, involved not only a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on how to best fund the government, but revealed a growing rift within the GOP as well.

Courtesy of cnn.com
Courtesy of cnn.com

In short, Congress was supposed to approve a budget by 11:59 p.m. on September 30, but failed to do so. This was because Congress could not agree on appropriations bills required. In fact, congressional leaders had seen this trouble coming for a few weeks. As time was beginning to run out, House Republicans proposed a temporary budget plan (what is called a “stopgap measure”) that would give them more time to create a full one. However this plan was created to appeal directly to the hardliners of the party and their conservative base by calling for the defunding of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also called Obamacare), the new healthcare plan that was due to take place on October 1, both in exchange for keeping the government running for a few more months. Democrats were overwhelmingly opposed to defunding ACA, as this is President Obama’s keystone legislation, and refused to pass the stopgap measure unless this was stripped from it. In the end, the debate continued and both the House and the Senate voted several more times, but nothing was passed and no agreement was ever reached. The government thus shut down after the due date on October 1.

So what does a government shutdown actually mean? It means that although not all government functions will cease to operate, there will be significant cuts and furloughs across all federal agencies. In sum, according to the Washington Post, an estimated 800,000 federal workers will be furloughed without pay and almost every agency from the Education Department to the FDA will be reduced in some way. National parks, Smithsonian museums, and national monuments will also be closed. Meanwhile, various other government programs, such as the WIC program, will be running on reserve funding, until the government can resolve the budget issue.

The longest that the US has experienced a government shutdown has been three weeks. In normal circumstances, the party that is undergoing the most fallout and political pressure as a result of the shutdown will begin to offer concessions. Many speculate, however, that the high level of partisanship and congressional gridlock experienced in D.C. these past few years (and recent weeks) will protract negotiations. Neither side seems willing to budge and, meanwhile, Republicans seem to be caught in a moment of disunity between the more conservative members of the party and the more moderate members which should add an extra complexity to the negotiations.

Of course, not all federal functions have disappeared. Functions that relate to the well-being of citizens and the security of the country are still being allowed to continue. For example, air traffic controllers will continue working, Social Security checks will continue to be delivered to the elderly, veterans’ hospitals will remain open, and operations like border patrol will remain in place.

Americans on the whole do not approve of the shutdown, with most placing the majority of the blame at the Republicans’ feet. Whether this will be enough to galvanize political leaders to come to a compromise, however, is anyone’s guess.

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Government Faces Imminent Shutdown

Stop the presses – Congress is, yet again, at an impasse about the national budget and it appears as if this time it will consequently shut down the federal government unless lawmakers can come to an agreement by September 30.

Courtesy of www.cnn.com
Courtesy of www.cnn.com

There are two main issues at hand. Funding for the government for the 2014 fiscal year (beginning on October 1, 2013) must be decided by Congress by September 30. However, lawmakers have had a difficult time passing the appropriations bills required. Adding to this complication is the fact that the government is about to hit the debt ceiling (the debt ceiling is the legal limit on how much total debt that the government can assume) and the decision to raise or lower it, and thus let the Treasury borrow more or less, is highly contested between Republicans and Democrats. The debt ceiling debacle, though, is far more consequential because it has the potential to affect world markets negatively.

Agreements between Republicans and Democrats seem unlikely at the moment. House Republicans in particular have taken the hard line in the past few days and it looks like their demands will not find an easy compromise among Democrats. According to the Washington Post, House Republicans are taking on a “risky, double-barreled attack on President Obama’s healthcare law” and making it the center of the budget debate. In effect, Republican leaders–particularly Speaker John Boehner–told the media that they would put forward a stopgap government funding bill that would block funding to Obamacare. This is in response to many conservatives who are still demanding that Obamacare be halted. This stopgap bill will be put to a vote on Friday, but it is likely to be met unfavorably with Democrats.

Another initiative by Republicans, this time regarding the debt ceiling, will also target Obamacare directly. In order to lift the debt ceiling, Republicans are demanding that the healthcare law be delayed, as well demanding as other measures such as an overhaul of the tax code and an approval of an energy pipeline.

Needless to say, Democrats are aghast at what Republicans are demanding and the issues seem to point to a battle of wills that will force a government shutdown. In addition to Republican demands making compromise between the two parties highly unlikely, it seems doubtful that Democrats will extend an arm to help as they know that public opinion is strongly against Republicans in this matter. According to a poll taken by CNN, most Americans (51%) would blame the GOP should a government shutdown occur, thus strengthening Democrat popularity and electoral prospects. According to the poll, only a third would blame Democrats.

At the moment, the best possibility to avoid government shutdown by the deadline is if Senator Reid sends back the stopgap bill to the House, stripped of its demands to defund Obamacare. Then the hot potato would be placed again in Speaker Boehner’s hands to either approve the measure with Democratic votes or else to shutdown the government. This, however, does not seem likely.

Recently, congressional budget decisions have taken a pattern most familiar to college students: wait until the last minute before the due date and then patch together a final document. In this instance, it looks like Congress’ current debacle is no different.

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Next Up in Congress: Immigration Reform?

During the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, President Obama spoke on the topic of immigration reform, saying, “Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.”

Courtesy of bigthink.com
Courtesy of bigthink.com

During his speech, Obama mentioned three things that he wishes in an immigration reform package. One, he desires to continue to increase border security; two, he would establish “a responsible pathway to citizenship” for illegal immigrants already here; and three, he would reform the process of legal immigration so that there would be fewer waiting periods and would attract those that would help create jobs and help to grow the economy.

This was not merely talk. In recent weeks, comprehensive immigration reform has been steadily approaching legislative reality. A bipartisan group of senators, four Democrats and four Republicans, was formed only a few weeks ago with the task of developing a framework for reform that could possibly develop into a bill. This group has spearheaded the effort to come up with solutions to the many problems of immigration in this country – namely, illegal immigration, undocumented workers, insecure borders, and problems with the process of legal immigration, along with other issues.

For once, this seems to be a movement that will receive much, if not total, support in Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans agree that immigration reform makes economic sense as immigrants are a key part of economic growth and development. Given the current economic uncertainty, immigration is a vital issue to address. The GOP also seeks to broaden its base, especially after the last presidential election where most of the Hispanic vote went to President Obama. Offering solutions to the immigration problem and presenting themselves as open to discussion will help develop support for the GOP platforms.

The public has also demonstrated consistent support for immigration reform. According to a Gallup poll, more than seven in ten Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and more than eight in ten Americans support legislation that would require that all employers verify that their employees are living in the United States legally.

Efforts to reach across the aisle and compromise about immigration also seem to be gaining ground, particularly from Senator Marco Rubio (R.-FL) who is quickly becoming a GOP superstar. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has been consistently leading the effort on behalf of the GOP to get discussion going. However, a hurdle that must cleared for legislation regarding immigration is a pivotal controversy within the Republican Party itself.
There are a significant number of GOP members who do not wish a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, saying that it amounts to amnesty. There are others within the party that disagree. Rubio dodged this issue in his speech in the GOP response to the State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, but in recent weeks he has shown his support for a process of citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

The United States may well be on its way to immigration reform within the coming weeks. As talks and discussions among Congress become more serious and legislation begins to develop, the United States may even be implementing new immigration reform by the next State of the Union Address in 2014.