Senate passes last-minute deal to avert government shutdown

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: ABC News

The Senate on Thursday afternoon passed a deal party leaders reached late Wednesday to avert a government shutdown that would have affected hundreds of thousands of federal workers and slammed an economy still struggling to recover from the pandemic, all with just hours left to stave off a crisis.

Under the deal, announced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, senators dispensed with a handful of Republican amendments and then approved, 65-35, a temporary funding bill that not only averts a shutdown until Dec. 3, but also includes $28.6 billion in disaster aid for states ravaged by extreme weather and $6.3 billion to further assist Afghan refugees.

"The last thing the apparent American people need is for the government to grind to a halt," Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday morning.

The stopgap measure does not include any provision to raise the nation's debt ceiling, though, after Republicans steadfastly rejected any attempt to include it.



Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senate-reaches-last-minute-deal-to-avert-government-shutdown/ar-AAP0mXN

[underpants]

1. It's about _______ time

[brush]

2. So we have to go thru this again on Dec. 3 because the debt ceiling wasn't raised?

Do you know how many times this can be done, and differentiate between this and the debt ceiling raise? I mean why did the republicans agree to this and not the ceiling raise? It all gets a little confusing. Thanks.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. "So we have to go thru this again on Dec. 3 because the debt ceiling wasn't raised?"

The debt ceiling falls off the cliff October 18th, long before December, so the country would "default" before then!

Because past spending bills obligated funding for various things, then the ability to pay vendors, leases, etc., when their rolling bills come in, needs to happen, but can't unless "permission" is given to do so via raising the debt ceiling (for outlays).

Whatever is associated with this Continuing Resolution that goes to December is actually "new spending" for FY2022, where FY2022 starts October 1st. The whole 3.5 trillion "reconciliation" bill is basically to be the FY2022 (and beyond) "budget" to authorize that (but it would be moot unless the debt ceiling is raised).

As a note, reconciliation CAN BE USED to do that too and Turtle is daring Democrats to use that tool to do it on our own. So that option is there but Democrats apparently don't want to burn one of the reconciliation types that early in the FY apparently (each reconciliation type can only be used "once" each FY).

[brush]

4. Thanks. This explains a lot, and McTurtle's evil scheming as well.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. He's a jackass

but I know you know that.

[Rebl2]

9. I don't

understand how this is good news 😐

[BumRushDaShow]

10. It gives federal employees (and the millions of federal contractors) another 2 weeks of pay

before Congress has to decide on what to do with the debt ceiling. As long as the Democrats vote lockstep in the Senate, they can actually do the debt ceiling increase by using reconciliation. The reconciliation tool has 3 different types and each can be used as standalones or in a combo of 2 or all 3 together. However each type can only be used once in a fiscal year because they impact the budget process for that FY.

Democrats are aware of this and Turtle has been taunting the Dem leadership about it. However Dem leadership are probably trying to wait to use that as a means of last resort (perhaps prefering to combine it with something else like a revenue reconciliation package that reverses the tax cuts for the rich fiasco from 2017, but not do that right away).

[DallasNE]

6. The Government Faces Another Shutdown In October Over The Debt Ceiling

This is just a continuing resolution authorizing spending at current levels for another 3 months, plus a supplemental for disaster relief, when they will face another government shutdown if the fiscal 2022 authorizations has not passed. Tonight ends the fiscal 2021 year. Here 35 Senators, presumedly all Republican's, voted like nihilists to shut down the government toninght.

But this just shows the folly of the debt ceiling. The government can't spend money unless the Congress authorizes it. McConnell then wants to turn around and say you can't write the checks to pay for what you just authorized. If you don;t authorize it you shut down the government and if you do authorize is but won't increase the debt ceiling to pay for it you shut down the government. The debt ceiling, thus, serves no useful purpose.

[nitpicker]

8. +1

[Rebl2]

11. Exactly

[Bengus81]

7. Happened three times when Trump was President

It's just something to do quickly to keep the Gov running