Congress Reaches Tentative Deal to Avoid Shutdown
The Facts
Congressional leaders, along with Pres. Joe Biden, announced Tuesday that they have reached a deal on the final set of spending bills through the fiscal year. It comes at the last minute, as funding for several key federal agencies expires later this week.
The legislation's text is yet to be made public. However, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said that a partial government shutdown would likely be avoided, and that the bill could be released by Wednesday morning.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
The threat of a government shutdown again looms over America, and this all-too-usual fiscal drama isn't without consequences. Rating firms have downgraded US government debt, costing taxpayers higher interest rates and affecting faith in governance. These self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives — who allowed the debt to grow by $8T under Trump — have made budget brinkmanship a routine whenever a Democrat is in the White House.
Republican narrative
A government shutdown is on the way to being averted for now, but this deal isn't a win, it's merely a temporary fix that doesn't address the core issue — the US is sitting on an unsustainable amount of debt. Before this accomplishment is celebrated, it should be noted that it will do little more than push the deadline back and postpone across-the-aisle clashes and GOP infighting until, at best, the 2025 fiscal year.
Narrative C
America has been facing the threat of government shutdowns every year in a bipartisan brinkmanship theater that only favors those seeking to increase public expenditure in last-minute budget-busting omnibus bills. Unfortunately, most lawmakers would vote yes on anything to avoid a shutdown, which is why the fiscally irresponsible paths win. Legislation must be changed to automatically maintain current spending levels during deadlocks until the enactment of new appropriations bills.
