Congress could be headed towards a government shutdown and debt crisis if they don’t act soon. There has been a growing divide between Democrats and Republicans on a number of issues, including a House-passed bill that would keep the government funded through early December and raising the $28 trillion debt ceiling. All but four Republicans have promised to vote against it and without a short-term spending bill, the government would be set to shut down.
The GOP has also threatened a filibuster against Democrats for wanting to tax, borrow, and spend historic sums of money without their input, as well as raising the debt limit without any help. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the federal government that they will run out of cash to pay bills sometime in October if the debt ceiling is not raised or suspended. But Democrats have continued to push their leftist pet projects into the bills and have gotten so out of hand with their spending proposals that even some of the more moderate Democrats aren’t on board.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has announced that the federal government is prepared for a shutdown, adding the “damning impacts” it would have during COVID-19 and to America’s work that is still recovering from economic setbacks. Democrats control the House of Representatives, Senate, and White House, but will probably still find a way to pin the blame of the shutdown on the GOP.
But some Democrats have pledged to do “whatever it takes” to keep the government open and that a shutdown is not an option. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell argued that it is a “Democratic government” and that they have an obligation to raise the debt ceiling as part of their $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Democrats have continued to push back that they joined the GOP three times under the Trump administration to suspend the limit and that raising it would carry risks for the broader economy.
Democrats have continued to feud within their own party over a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion family and climate change bill. President Joe Biden even tried to intervene between the moderate and progressive members of his party but the day concluded with no compromise. He said he hopes to continue advancing the process in passing these critical plans. While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that they agreed on a framework to pay for the economic plans, they did not provide additional details.
At this point, there really is no “debt limit.” Whenever the federal government needs more money, they just raise it again. The problem happening here is that the Democrats are spending trillions more on left-leaning pet projects that have nothing to do with the economy. Democrats are willing to risk a government shutdown, bypassing Republicans, and making a bigger mess in the economy just to get their way. A house divided cannot stand.
