Just a week away from a possible government shutdown, US lawmakers boxed themselves into a new budget impasse on Friday.
With the US Congress’ approval ratings already at an all-time low, a tit-for-tat over disaster aid left Republicans and Democrats — and the US House and Senate — in a -faceoff that is all too familiar to millions of Americans. Deep partisan disputes pushed the government to the edge of a partial shutdown in April, and to the brink of a debt ceiling crisis in late July.
On Friday, the Democrat--controlled Senate blocked a Republican House bill that would provide stopgap federal spending, plus aid for people battered by hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. The legislation also calls for US$1.6 billion in spending cuts to help defray the disaster costs.
Democrats say it is unprecedented and unfair to require spending cuts to accompany badly needed emergency aid. They are especially unhappy that the Republican measure would tap clean-energy programs credited with creating jobs.
Republicans say that with a US$14 trillion-plus national debt, business-as-usual spending is no longer acceptable.
With elections coming, congressional Republicans suggest voters will find it outrageous that Democrats would not accept a mere US$1.6 billion in spending cuts. Democrats are betting voters will find it petty and manipulative to let tornado and hurricane victims wonder if federal aid will be denied because lawmakers want to cut aid to Detroit’s automakers.
The parties’ feuding earlier this year prompted Standard & Poor’s to downgrade the US government’s credit-worthiness, which sent shock waves through financial markets. Legislation finally did pass to raise the debt limit and stave off potential default.
This time, it is possible that Congress will find a last-minute way to avoid a shutdown of many federal agencies when the fiscal year ends on Friday. The Senate plans to vote tomorrow on a Democratic bill that would not require spending offsets to release new money for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA, drained by several severe storms, could run out by next week, officials said.
In the Senate, however, Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell is confident Republicans will block the Democrats’ counter-move with a filibuster. It takes 41 votes to sustain a filibuster in the 100-member Senate, and the Republicans hold 47 seats.
If the Republicans succeed, the Senate could accept the House Republican bill it rejected on Friday. Or legislative leaders could try to negotiate their way past the logjam.
The governors of four hurricane-damaged east coast states — including the Republican governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania — said in a statement that “federal assistance for the victims of storms and floods should be beyond politics.”
If the disaster relief agency runs out of money, the most immediate hardships could be felt by storm victims who need assistance checks to continue stays in motels and other temporary housing. Disaster victims could also face delayed aid for crucial repairs of house and structural damage, FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said.
She said the disaster relief fund contained no more than US$175 million, which is already committed to aiding victims of Hurricanes Irene and Lee and the heavy flooding across the US eastern seaboard.
Lawmakers are quarreling over deeply held principles, but a minuscule amount of money in an annual discretionary budget of more than US$1.3 trillion.
Early on Friday, the House voted 219-203, mostly along party lines, for a spending bill to keep the government operating through Nov. 18. It provided US$3.7 billion in new disaster assistance, partly offset with cuts in two loan programs that finance technological development.
House Democrats balked because the cuts included US$1.5 billion for an Energy Department program that subsidizes low-interest loans to help car companies and parts manufacturers retool factories to meet new fuel economy standards. Democrats said it would cost up to 10,000 jobs.
The Senate rejected the House bill, 59-36.
The Democrat-crafted bill scheduled for a Senate vote tomorrow is nearly identical to the House bill, with the major exception that it does not require spending cuts to offset the FEMA aid.
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