Didn't House Republicans already agree to spending guidelines for the federal budget? So why are they still haggling?
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, announced on Sunday that leaders had failed to reach a deal over the weekend because “House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out.” Speaker Mike Johnson accused Senate Democrats of “attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon.”
Huh. So what are these far-left priorities? Politico fills us in:
Negotiators are still haggling over three main policy disagreements, including whether to preserve gun rights for military veterans who need fiduciary help with their VA benefits.
....Democrats are also demanding more funding for a federal nutrition program that supports low-income moms and babies.... Republicans want a concession in exchange for agreeing to that and have proposed adding a five-state pilot program that would restrict the types of food people can buy with SNAP benefits.
Republicans are also fighting to nix three earmarks that would direct a total of more than $3 million to three programs that serve LGBTQ people in Democrat-led districts, including two community centers and a program that provides housing assistance to seniors.
The gun thing is a weird change to VA policy that has nothing to do with Democrats. So what Johnson is griping about is (a) more funding for food going to mothers and babies, and (b) killing $3 million—yes, that's million with an M—in funding for gay community centers.
Are we really close to shutting down the government over this trivia? Preventing SNAP recipients from buying soda plus a random and unprecedented attack on a tiny earmark for gay people? jfc.
five-state pilot program that would restrict the types of food people can buy with SNAP benefits.
Seems stupid, but they are Republicans.
Okay, in exchange for closing the Senate and House Dinning Rooms.
What do these things have to do with each other?
If we the people are providing charity to people we can put whatever conditions we want on it.
The Senate and House Dining Rooms are necessary - Congresspeople need to eat - and they pay out of their own pockets.
since even republican congresscritters need to eat we can just restrict congressional dining rooms to SNAP approved foods
Lots of folks work in places with no dining rooms. I'm sure Congresspeople can figure it out.
Your username sure checks out, you piece of shit motherfucker.
"If we the people are providing charity to people we can put whatever conditions we want on it."
I guess, but then some of us we the people don't want to put stupid and punitive conditions on it, and recognize that even if some people do want to put stupid and punitive conditions on it, it's a hell of a foolish thing to hold up the entire government's budget over.
I think they're feeling the heat from all of the onshoring of jobs, including billions in new manufacturing investment, all thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. So, they must have a shutdown and roil the economy as best they can, then point the finger at Biden.
The underlying assumption here is that these are really policy disputes. None of it is. This is the Republican's finding any reason to inflict pain and suffering while simultaneously threatening to shut down the government. Again. The MSM attributes legitimacy to Republican talking points and actions when there is nothing legitimate about the new Confederate Party.
👍👍👍👍👍
The cruelty is the point.
They are looking for any reason not to talk about Ukraine.
Agree. and I hope the "party of the strong defense" is reminded of that. But not so sure it will shame them. Poured a $trillion into Iraq for WMDs, then sold out the Kurds for a Trump Hotel, and Ukraine for a budget squabble. The party of the strong defense, just not for you.
If I was Taiwan I'd be double checking the scuttling charges on their chip formulas and manufacturing equipment
It's Kabuki. Repubblicans are Standing Tall against Commanist Soshulism for Inner-City Types and Illegal Immigrants and something something SPENDING something Librul Dumb-o-crats!!
Their base will eat it up, 'cuz they don't know or care about what's actually happening as long as they feel righteous. And then they'll settle at the last minute, maybe with or without the $3 million, which they can parade around as a Victory For Jesus or something. And if the market teeters in the process, well, they can blame that on Biden.
The stupidity of Republicans -- the base and their politicians -- is almost incomprehensible.
Incomprehensible, except it's not. Republicans these days look more like the missing link than thinking feeling humans.
“…a five-state pilot program that would restrict the types of food people can buy with SNAP benefits.”
I realize The Cruelty Is The Point and embarrassing the mom who has one item excluded from SNAP that she has to pay cash for but doesn’t have it in the checkout line is what they love to see. But it’s really fcking annoying to everyone else in line waiting to checkout and the cashier - who is making minimum wage and didn’t sign up to be on the frontline of America’s War Against The Poor - comes off as an asshole haranguing the customer for $2 or whatever for the item. And then a manager has to come over to remove the item from the bill, and it turns out that the item actually is eligible but is miscoded in the system as ineligible. Ugh. Like, just give the poor money or don’t, but this micromanaging of what they use money on is really cruel.
Pattern matching made easy:
"If you disagree with me, then I am right, you are wrong, and this conversation is over." - former President Donald, Speaker Mike, Minority Leader Mitch, Citizen Murdoch, President Vladimir of Russia, and etcetera.
"If you disagree with me, then our conflicting conclusions are based on an erroneous assumption and we need to discover the error. Let's have an adult conversation." - President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, President Biden's cabinet, and etcetera.
If it isn't these "three tiny points", it'll be another three. Or two. If the Senate Democrats bend over backwards and give in, there will be a new bar to jump over. And over and over and over. The point is, it's pointless. The House Yahoo Caucus doesn't want the federal government to function. They think they're "drowning it in the bathtub." And in their heavily-gerrymandered districts, they're big heroes.
“We demand border security in return for Ukraine aid.”
“Ok.”
“Wait! We don’t want either!”
“Huh?”
But Kevin, don't forget - he was annointed by GOD! Surely you don't want to deny the Almighty's plan for his people!
What, did he run out of locusts? - Groucho Marx
Speaker Mike said, "If you want to understand me, read the Bible." So, I took him at his word and read the Bible, and I found the spot where Jesus was talking directly to Speaker Mike:
"Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ... The one who hears my words and does not put them to practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed, and its destruction was complete.” Ref: Luke 6:46 & 49.
That means Jesus could see 20 centuries into the future. Wow, it's a miracle!
no comment about Biden on Seth Meyers show?
Thanks for reminding me. A lot of Seth Meyer's show can be found on YouTube, including the Biden interview. And Seth's "A Closer Look" segments are consistently brilliant - smart and funny.
The devil with some limits of SNAP qualifying foods is in the details. I wouldn't mind disqualifying sugared soda, but then where do you draw the line? Some amount of sugar is used in baking many things. You have to buy pure sugar for making these home made things, and isn't a bag of the stuff as bad as sugar water in a bottle? You could serve a meal of bowls of sugar to the kids or just make a pitcher of Kool Aid using a cup of the stuff. Or lemonade containing a little lemon and a lot of sugar, pretty much the same thing and the same as sugared soda. Where's the line between candy and a protein bar? Honey, maple syrup and other such things are about the same as sugar no matter how much people want to imagine they aren't. What about them? And on and on and on.
When Bloomberg in NYC tried to outlaw selling 32 ounce soft drinks (or whatever it was) a lot of people (and soda manufacturers and sellers) went nuts and it went nowhere.
Even with a simple eliminating sugared soda from SNAP would probably upset Republican donor overlords like PepsiCo, wouldn't it?
There is a precedent with the very strict and narrow WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) food buying limits. It requires those labels you see on shelves and I'm sure ends up with a lot of what was described in a comment above at the checkout. A few years back some right winger wanted to apply the same or similar limits to SNAP. I couldn't find anything really specific on what Republicans want, including on Rep. Andy Harris's site (it's his issue) or in the op-ed he wrote about it.
That $3 million for gay community centers bears all the hallmarks of a bargaining chip. It will get the attention of the RWNJ culture warriors, and a vicious verbal battle can be fought over it before the Democrats "reluctantly" give it up in exchange for some real concession from the Rs.
That's probably right. There won't be a shutdown over small potatoes.
I would go so far as to say that Pastor Speaker Mike Anointed-by-God Johnson is in on it, knowing full well it will have exactly the effect you describe. Why else would they make a point of mentioning it? $3 million is rounding error in those types of negotiations.
Without bad faith….
Republicans would have no arguments at all…
Why is it Democrats can never make political hay out of this? EVERY time there is a government shutdown looming it is thanks to Republicans. Every time. Why can’t Dems shout that from the rooftops? Why won’t they portray Republicans as completely dysfunctional and incapable of running the government? If they did so regularly every time a shutdown was in the news, every time government didn’t work viewers would instinctively blame Republicans the way they instinctively blame Democrats every time they hear a crime story. Unlike crime blaming Republicans for dysfunctional government has the advantage of actually being true.