There may be a way to make lemonade out of these lemons. While there are 3 appropriations bills bundled into this package, most of the rest of the appropriations would be on a continuing resolution until the end of the year, which isn’t really a very long time. So, absent some sort of breakthrough with the House, we will be in this same position in January.
If Republicans renege on the December vote, then Democrats can go back to them and say “No, we mean it this time, put back the ACA subsidies or we dont agree to kick the can further. We trusted you once and you lied.”
Meanwhile, in this bill there are explicit guarantees for SNAP funding and protections for federal workers during the shutdown. Yes, those things were already law, but it reinforces things if Trump signs a bill in November and then ignores it in January. Those are the things that made this shutdown especially painful, and the current bill’s passage will limit the pain Trump can inflict.
Basically, I don’t buy into the narrative that Democrats got nothing in exchange. It seems like they got a lot of incremental things, that will help give them leverage when Republicans decide to screw them. In the meantime, Federal workers get back pay to prepare for the next one.
This is a very optimistic view of things. If this is indeed the plan, it still hurt a lot of people for very little, and to bank the strategy on “we’ll be able to blame them if they betray us” is ignoring all the other times this has happened with no consequences to the Republicans. And most of that was before the era of Trump opening up the gates. The line used to be “they’re saying it out loud” in response to them not being subtle about their goals. Now they’re shouting it loudly, and nothing is being done. We’re far past “working across the aisle” mentality.
If anyone, politician or private citizen, hasn’t figured out that Republicans lie by now then that person is too stupid to function without a caretaker
There may be a way to make lemonade out of these lemons. While there are 3 appropriations bills bundled into this package, most of the rest of the appropriations would be on a continuing resolution until the end of the year, which isn’t really a very long time. So, absent some sort of breakthrough with the House, we will be in this same position in January.
If Republicans renege on the December vote, then Democrats can go back to them and say “No, we mean it this time, put back the ACA subsidies or we dont agree to kick the can further. We trusted you once and you lied.”
Meanwhile, in this bill there are explicit guarantees for SNAP funding and protections for federal workers during the shutdown. Yes, those things were already law, but it reinforces things if Trump signs a bill in November and then ignores it in January. Those are the things that made this shutdown especially painful, and the current bill’s passage will limit the pain Trump can inflict.
Basically, I don’t buy into the narrative that Democrats got nothing in exchange. It seems like they got a lot of incremental things, that will help give them leverage when Republicans decide to screw them. In the meantime, Federal workers get back pay to prepare for the next one.
“See, now I’m in a better position, because the next time he wants my lunch money I’ll be able to say I already gave him some the other day.”
This is a very optimistic view of things. If this is indeed the plan, it still hurt a lot of people for very little, and to bank the strategy on “we’ll be able to blame them if they betray us” is ignoring all the other times this has happened with no consequences to the Republicans. And most of that was before the era of Trump opening up the gates. The line used to be “they’re saying it out loud” in response to them not being subtle about their goals. Now they’re shouting it loudly, and nothing is being done. We’re far past “working across the aisle” mentality.
If anyone, politician or private citizen, hasn’t figured out that Republicans lie by now then that person is too stupid to function without a caretaker