Avast ye scallywags! Congress be sailin' eastbound, but the road to avoidin' a shutdown be runnin' low!
2024-01-10
Arrrr! Can them Congressional scallywags be stoppin' the government from shuttin' down? "Nay! Slim chance," says that FOX News' senior scallywag correspondent, Chad Pergram. May the wind be at our backs, mateys!
There is talk of a potential government shutdown on January 20th, but it seems unlikely that bipartisan congressional leaders have truly averted it. The agreement reached is just a framework, not a bill, and it may not be enough to prevent a shutdown before the deadline on January 19th to fund the government. Four appropriations bills are set to expire on January 19th, covering Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, Energy & Water, and Transportation/Housing & Urban Development. The other eight spending bills expire on February 2nd, including Defense and Homeland Security. The main issue is that there is simply not enough time to resolve all of these bills. House Speaker Mike Johnson intends to process the four bills individually, but even if they are successfully advanced, it will take up precious time and hinder the Senate's ability to align with the House. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is endorsing a short-term CR to give appropriators more time, but the chances of a shutdown remain high. Some conservatives actually want a shutdown to push for a border deal, despite the fact that the January 19th deadline is unrelated to the border. Johnson may gain political points from skeptical conservatives if a shutdown occurs, but others are growing impatient with him. Ultimately, a shutdown would not be beneficial for either side politically, and the topline agreement still fails to address how the government will be funded by February 2nd. The situation is chaotic and may give Democrats an advantage in the upcoming elections.