Congress Democrats Speed Toward Major Deadline – They Could Quickly Trigger Government Shutdown Over Budget

What’s Happening:

Democrats started the year with a flurry of losses. First, they failed to pass Biden’s radical “BBB” spending bill. Quickly, they pivoted to trying to pass a set of bills that would have hijacked our elections.

That failed, thanks to moderate Democrats unwilling to kill the Senate filibuster. Now, Democrats are facing another potential loss, one that might have very big ramifications.

Some Democrats want to force through another version of the “BBB.” But Manchin and others are far from willing to negotiate. Meanwhile, Congress has to pass a yearly budget, one that will fund all branches of the federal government. It seems they might miss the upcoming deadline. And it will damage Joe even more.

From The Hill:

Congressional negotiators are in danger of missing the Feb. 18 deadline for passing an omnibus package of the annual appropriations for fiscal 2022… [M]embers of the Senate Appropriations Committee from both parties warn that if negotiators blow through the mid-February deadline, it increases the likelihood that Biden will have to settle for a yearlong stopgap funding measure to keep the government open…

“You have a limited window on a budget, and you never know what’s going to happen in 2022. If we don’t get a budget now, there’s a chance President Biden will never do a budget with the Democratic Congress,” Murphy warned.

Democrats are scrambling to put together a budget for the fiscal year of 2022. If they can’t work with Republicans on a deal by February 18, then they will be forced to pass a “CR,” or “continuing resolution.” This will put Biden in a difficult situation.

A CR is just continued funding for the current federal government’s budget. That means Biden will not be able to put his “stamp” on budgets for his own agencies and departments. It will further deprive this powerless presidency of power, denying him a chance to have a say in the process.

Not that anyone thinks Biden is really having “his” say. By now, many Americans believe people other than Joe are making the decisions. His handlers decide every aspect of the man’s life, even preventing him from speaking to the press. Why do we expect Biden is going to be the one to put his “stamp” on these budget decisions?

If things get really bad, Congress might not be able to pass a CR at all. If lawmakers can’t agree on terms, the government will go belly up. That has happened under Trump and Obama. Americans tend to do okay during those times, however, because the government isn’t around to get in their way.

But it will be another black mark on a presidency already tarnished.

Key Takeaways:

• Congress might miss the Feb 18 deadline for the 2022 budget.
• This means Biden won’t have a say in federal funding.
• If things go South, Congress might trigger a government shutdown.

Source: The Hill