Government shutdown again?

[Jimmy Higgins]

It's a problem. I'm not sure what its resolution is. Eventually, every shutdown must end, and that will mean giving the Republicans what they want whether it is in November or February. There's no point waiting at an empty negotiation table. But giving in is also not resolving anything. You can be sure that the Republicans plan to do this exact same thing again next year, only with an even more outrageous set of demands.

Well next year as in January 30, 2026. What is odd is this combines a bunch of military funding things and a touch of SNAP and Federal worker funds to cover the shutdown. So it is like the Democrats compromised on their compromise of another of their compromises. But this only gets to 1/30/26.

Schumer isn't happy with the compromise which I'm stunned by. What in the heck is going on in the Democrat caucus?

 

[Politesse]

Is there a Democratic Caucus? I mean, I know there is literally, but I'm not seeing a clear sense of shared purpose, here.

 

[robnisch]

Does this happen in other counties?
I heard a guy on NPR that most Democratic countries just keep the spending the same level until an agreement is reached.

 

[bilby]

Does this happen in other counties?
I heard a guy on NPR that most Democratic countries just keep the spending the same level until an agreement is reached.

Yeah, the US is pretty much unique in passing annual budgets, rather than passing an ongoing budget each year.

Most developed nations have budgets that effectively say "We will spend $X per annum on Y", and that's how much gets spent each year, until either a new budget is passed, or the heat death of the universe.

The US model of saying "We will spend $X on Y in FY2020-21", with the implication that X reverts to zero for FY2021-22, unless and until Congress votes a FY2021-22 budget, is widely seen as batshit insane.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Does this happen in other counties?
I heard a guy on NPR that most Democratic countries just keep the spending the same level until an agreement is reached.

Yeah, the US is pretty much unique in passing annual budgets, rather than passing an ongoing budget each year.

Most developed nations have budgets that effectively say "We will spend $X per annum on Y", and that's how much gets spent each year, until either a new budget is passed, or the heat death of the universe.

The US model of saying "We will spend $X on Y in FY2020-21", with the implication that X reverts to zero for FY2021-22, unless and until Congress votes a FY2021-22 budget, is widely seen as batshit insane.

Technically it seemed to work just fine until Gingrich became Speaker. And the GOP has been fucking our country over ever since... but you know, they so gud with echonomicks so people keep on reelecting them.

 

[bilby]

Technically it seemed to work just fine until Gingrich became Speaker.

Technically, driving at 200mph on the Interstate seems to work just fine, until you lose control and spin out into a tree.

 

[southernhybrid]

Let's just say that a lot of things happened in the last several decades that we weren't expecting. The last decent Republican president was Ike, not that he or any politician is perfect, but at least he warned us of the Military Industrial Complex. I also don't recall the two parties having so much animosity toward each other until around the Clinton era. The two parties used to make a lot of compromises, especially during the LBJ era. These days, we have one totally insane cruel party and one that is a mess of cats who rarely agree on much of anything. The cats need to find a way to at least compromise with each other and fight the sheep who bow to their MAGA master,

 

[GenesisNemesis]

I also feel like it would make more sense (or an equal amount of sense) to be generally pissed off these people get to take off whenever they like, while the average person still has to work, some even without pay.

 

[southernhybrid]

I also feel like it would make more sense (or an equal amount of sense) to be generally pissed off these people get to take off whenever they like, while the average person still has to work, some even without pay.

My son is a federal employee but luckily his department has some extra funds, so he's been paid so far, which is a good thing since his wife refuses to work and they have two kids. We and his mother in law would likely be supporting them if it weren't for that.

 

[unapologetic]

It is not like I like the government shutdown. But it is what I would do.
Since the Repugs refuse to compromise on everythinjg... BOYCOTT EM. Take the quorum away and leave town, like they did in Texas.

 

[ZiprHead]

And by the way, the government shutting down is effectively part of Project 2025.

Very explicitly. One of the driving forces behind this shutdown is a guy named Russell Vought, who was one of Project 2025's authors.

Last year, he outlined to the press exactly how the administration wanted to use any means that presented, to attack and traumatize federal employees unilaterally. Quoth he: "We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work ... We want to put them in trauma."

It's working. I don't even work directly for the feds, but their oversight of and overreach into the state system that I do work for grows more onerous by the week. I have never hated my job more.

"I Do Solemnly Swear" A limited TV series on Free Speech TV on federal workers during the second Trump administration.

I Do Solemnly Swear

freespeech.org

I highly recommend it.

 

[Patooka]

Am I the only one who thinks most Americans just want the shutdown to end and don't care for any super duper strategic 4d chess moves during the shutdown, because they're just living paycheck to paycheck? This goes for the democrats trying to keep the shutdown going too. I also don't think it's necessarily that good to have a shutdown while we have this fascism thing going on.

US Democrats are people who think Lucy won't yank the football this time.

This isn't "US Democrats", this is a few US Senator Democrats. This "deal" is absolute bullshit. The Democrats weren't making much headway, but they have the moral high ground. Giving in here gains nothing for the nation or the party. Unless there is something else not being reported, this sucks. Of course, one needs to remember this is about a continuing resolution. Not the actual budget... which still needs to pass.

You're not wrong, but you are smart enough to know fuckwits are going to now call this a "Democrat Shutdown". And you are equally aware lying dishonest cunts in the media will label it as such. As a foereigner I am confused as to what the fucking goals the Democratic leadership have.

 

[crazyfingers]

I hope that the backlash against the Republicans is hard and swift.

Since I retired and before I am 65 years old, my wife and I have been buying ACA for about $26K a year for insurance for just the two of us. That will go $54K a year. I'm fortunate that I can get on Medicare in May and my wife June next year.

But how many people can afford $54K a year just on insurance? Many people don't make that much in total!!!

And it's such a scam. I would be fine paying full for Dr visits and most meds. It's cheep compared to $26K a year! What I would want is insurance that would cover catastrophic issues like car crashes and serious illnesses requiring hospitalizations and meds over some ridiculousness threshold. I don't need insurance to pay for a $20 prescription. I swear that if we didn't have insurance we'd have saved $20,000. It's the catastrophic events we care about.

Even at $26K a year it's a scam. All I need is catastrophic insurance. Not regular dr visits and most meds.

 

[Tigers!]

I hope that the backlash against the Republicans is hard and swift.

Since I retired and before I am 65 years old, my wife and I have been buying ACA for about $26K a year for insurance for just the two of us. That will go $54K a year. I'm fortunate that I can get on Medicare in May and my wife June next year.

I am paying about $27k AUD for health insurance for the missus and I.
We do not (?) have to worry about such a large increase just creeping rises > inflation.

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

I hope that the backlash against the Republicans is hard and swift.

Since I retired and before I am 65 years old, my wife and I have been buying ACA for about $26K a year for insurance for just the two of us. That will go $54K a year. I'm fortunate that I can get on Medicare in May and my wife June next year.

I am paying about $27k AUD for health insurance for the missus and I.
We do not (?) have to worry about such a large increase just creeping rises > inflation.

What? $27K? Australian private health insurance generally doesn't cost that much, nowhere near it.

 

[Politesse]

Well, the Senate managed to move quickly:

Senate approves bill to end the shutdown, sending it to the House​

The Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, bringing the longest shutdown in history closer to an end as a small group of Democrats ratified a deal with Republicans despite searing criticism from within their party.

The 41-day shutdown could last a few more days as members of the House, which has been on recess since mid-September, return to Washington to vote on the legislation. President Donald Trump has signaled support for the bill, saying Monday that "we're going to be opening up our country very quickly."

The final Senate vote, 60-40, broke a grueling stalemate that lasted more than six weeks as Democrats demanded that Republicans negotiate with them to extend health care tax credits that expire Jan. 1. The Republicans never did, and five moderate Democrats eventually switched their votes as federal food aid was delayed, airport delays worsened and hundreds of thousands of federal workers continued to go unpaid.

House Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington "right now," given shutdown-related travel delays. "We have to do this as quickly as possible," said Johnson, who has kept the House out of session since mid-September, when the House passed a bill to continue government funding.

 

[Tigers!]

I hope that the backlash against the Republicans is hard and swift.

Since I retired and before I am 65 years old, my wife and I have been buying ACA for about $26K a year for insurance for just the two of us. That will go $54K a year. I'm fortunate that I can get on Medicare in May and my wife June next year.

I am paying about $27k AUD for health insurance for the missus and I.
We do not (?) have to worry about such a large increase just creeping rises > inflation.

What? $27K? Australian private health insurance generally doesn't cost that much, nowhere near it.

Ooops.
Stuffed up that calculation big time. $5,500AUD pa.

 

[Patooka]

I hope that the backlash against the Republicans is hard and swift.

Since I retired and before I am 65 years old, my wife and I have been buying ACA for about $26K a year for insurance for just the two of us. That will go $54K a year. I'm fortunate that I can get on Medicare in May and my wife June next year.

I am paying about $27k AUD for health insurance for the missus and I.
We do not (?) have to worry about such a large increase just creeping rises > inflation.

What? $27K? Australian private health insurance generally doesn't cost that much, nowhere near it.

Ooops.
Stuffed up that calculation big time. $5,500AUD pa.

Yeah, I was confused also about your numbers. 27K a Year? Fucking ACA and whatever replaced Alan Jones would have been screaming at the rooftops about that shit.

*FYI* "ACA" in the context of this post means A Current Affair - a FOX adjacent outrage show claiming to be journalism.

 

[Patooka]

Democrats did nothing wrong. All they had to do was nothing, and they did it wrong.

 

[Elixir]

But how many people can afford $54K a year just on insurance? Many people don't make that much in total!!!

Medicare is awesome.
I qualified for Medicare in 2017. Prior to that I was paying almost $12k/yr for coverage that did absolutely nothing until after a $10k deductible, and then covered only 80% iirc up to $1m... after which it was (would have been) all on me.
Medicare was a real blessing, and since 2017 has covered over150k (don't have exact accounting, that's just what I can recall and not including doctor visits) in billed costs, while costing us around 28k total for almost seven years, including the ticky tacky add-ons, drug costs and everything.
Trump's brilliant idea would be to remove medicare, send us $7-8k/yr and let us "buy our own healthcare" for around $20-25k/yr, barring catastrophic diagnoses like cancer, that can cost hundreds of thousands.
FUCK THAT MORON.