Staff Reports
In the center stage of Washington’s grand political theater, familiar faces assemble for what feels like a relentless rerun of a drama nobody asked for – yet here we are, again discussing a government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is playing the stern babysitter, keeping senators glued to their seats in D.C., hoping against hope they might resolve this stalemate. The Senate is eyeing a test vote to bring about a temporary end to this shutdown affair, stretching funding until the end of January for some departments, like the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sixty “yea” votes are required, and the challenge is akin to getting cats to form an orderly line.
There’s no shortage of finger-pointing, with Democrats and Republicans unyieldingly entrenched in their positions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tossed in a funding bill with a rather flashy add-on – a year’s extension for Obamacare. Naturally, Republicans were less than enchanted, probably viewing Schumer’s tactic as akin to sneaking anchovies onto a pizza when the crowd clearly asked for extra cheese. Unsurprisingly, Republicans swiftly rejected the proposal, agreeing it was filled with what some would call good old-fashioned baloney.
On the Democratic side, there’s another layer of intrigue. They’ve turned down a bill intended to pay government workers for the third time. They claim the bill is far too generous in granting power to the president on who gets their paycheck, fearing it omits the regular checks Congress loves to put in place to monitor spending like hawks. Accusations fly that the current administration is more interested in thumb wrestling with Congress than proper governance.
As the Senate edges closer to another attempt at civil discourse, Republicans are eyeing a test vote over the weekend for the new spending plan. Promises of a reopened government hang in the air like dollar bills – just out of reach. But the math remains bleak without Democratic support to hit the necessary 60 votes, unless a sudden bout of goodwill magically appears; the Republicans are, after all, not relying on wishful thinking.
Meanwhile, lurking beneath the surface is the tantalizing proposition to break the filibuster. Such a move is enough to get the political geeks excited. It would be a game-changer, allowing a simple majority to set a new precedent without ferrying through the typical Byzantine process requiring supermajority approval. However, both parties tread cautiously. Democrats remember the golden rule of politics: what goes around famously comes around. If the filibuster gets the boot in some grand budgetary gesture, who knows what whirlpool might pull them under should Republicans find themselves in the opposition seats again. The possibility remains a talking point as the weekend looms, swirling in the speculations that define our beloved Capitol Hill.
