Congress races to keep U.S. open for business

"The fact that the Republicans are being so irresponsible is no surprise but, nonetheless, disappointing -- as always,"

It should be no surprise to anyone that the Republicans are being so irresponsible, it should be expected when the Republicans, especially the QGOP sect continue to follow Trump, one of the most irresponsible politicians, business,males and individuals in modern US history, and have Republican politicians like MTG, directly representing QAnon, along with Ron (screw the kids and their families) De Santis, and his fellow Florida-male Matt Gaetz, in addition to the Texas herd of far right politicians like Ted Cosplay Cruz, Lous Gohmert, Dan Crenshaw along with Coach Tommy Tuberville from Alabama and others in McCarthy's QGOP big tent, and these far right wack politicians are backed by the Boogalloo Boys, Proud Boys and other far right white nationalist groups in the US and abroad, and are supported by social media keyboard army warriors from Russia Iran, Turkey and China.

Both bills will pass, or neither will. There's no way around that.

Notice who is in full meltdown mode? I'll give you a hint: it's NOT the Progressives.

So, there will be no shutdown. The infrastructure bill can pass easily. The commie wish list won't. Where is the problem?

If only the House would actually propose a...budget...for everyone to see and debate. But they won't.

I am still amazed at former President Trump's business acumen though. Here it is, more than a half year after he left office, and he STILL can get rent-free space in the heads of people like PTownsend. Remarkable.

""government shutdown"" AGAIN?!!

This system must change.

Zichi, yes he did. And it was a stupid thing to do. So why does Biden want to emulate him? Their lefty wish-list spending bill is dead. The patriotic thing to do would be to immediately pass the infrastructure bill, which has broad support both in and outside of Washington. Then, go to work on the bloated so-called 'human infrastructure' proposal.

a very large percentage of Congress are millionaires, do you really think they care what happens?

China will take over the economic power of the world.

Without the US consumer that wouldn’t last long.

It was Trump who closed down the government for the longest time in history.

The partial shutdown was the longest in U.S. history. The impasse between Trump and Congress left thousands of federal workers without a paycheck and crucial services halted. 35 days.

Well, I’m glad that the GOP are staying out of this, they’re on a winning streak to getting the House, they don’t need to screw that up and help the Democrats fall off the cliff. Thank God for Manchin and Sinema.

The bill, which includes $6.3 billion to help Afghan refugees...

Based on the number of Afghan refugees potentially headed to the USA, it works out to be about $273,000 per person. smh Absolute nonsense!

The red state of West Virginia supports the $3.5 trillion bill

Not entirely true.

https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/west-virginias-manchin-favors-trimming-biden-budget-plan-by-more-than-half/article_d6edf089-e9a1-5dd0-a8cf-ccb5b46c2391.html

Just look at what the "fiscally responsible" Repubs have become....everyone knows the debt ceiling is to pay for debt ALREADY INCURRED, as in the last four years.....not future debt....

They won't raise the debt ceiling on DEBT THEY CREATED....in 2018 they gave a $1.9 TRILLION tax cut to the Top 1% - all UNFUNDED, i.e. DEBT....

Now these clowns don't want to pay their own bills...

They take more after Trump every day...

This system must change.

The measure dates from 1917 and was aimed at limited bond issuance to fund US involvement in World War 1. At the time, the dollar had to be convertible into gold, so the measure kinda made sense for that defined and limited role. Today, the measure makes no sense whatsoever. Indeed, it's insane.

as many times as the liberal media claims this is good for West Virginia, Joe Manchin refusing to vote for it tells us the opposite.

The Dems can just raise the debt ceiling by themselves. And anyway raising the ceiling is not obviously the right thing to do. Maybe stop printing and spending?

to clarify, Dems can do this all by themselves without a single Republican.

The fact that they claim they cant, then claim they wont, should be telling.

If the faux cries of a "rigged election", that the vaccine has microchips, that the Jan 6th insurrection was just a normal tourist visit, doesn't convince you the current Repub Party has gone completely insane and no longer is rational. just look at this example...

For the past four years Repubs ran up with debt - most shockingly giving a free massive $1.9 trillion tax reduction to the richest Top 1% - UNFUNDED - all on the nation's credit card....

And now this bill is due to be paid - and they refuse to pay it - threatening a default of the US Govt, throwing workers out of jobs and causing a financial meltdown...

There's your so-called "fiscally responsible" Repubs....deadbeats just like their former President...

Just look at what the "fiscally responsible" Repubs have become....everyone knows the debt ceiling is to pay for debt ALREADY INCURRED, as in the last four years.....not future debt....

What about now under this President, the amount is racking up.

They won't raise the debt ceiling on DEBT THEY CREATED....in 2018 they gave a $1.9 TRILLION tax cut to the Top 1% - all UNFUNDED, i.e. DEBT....

Now these clowns don't want to pay their own bills...

The country can't even pay its own bills, thanks Democrats.

Lincoln

current admin is way more friendly towards "the top 1%" than Orange ever was

our so-called "fiscally responsible" Repubs.

The "so-called fiscally responsible Republicans" have long been derided by the Trump QGOP sect who dismiss those who had believed in conservative principles like 'fiscal responsibility' calling them 'establishment Republicans', or Republicans in name only, because the Trump sect aligns more closely with the global alt right like 'alternative for Germany Party', and others following the Putin brand of far rightwing-ism.

The "so-called fiscally responsible Republicans" have long been derided by the Trump QGOP sect who dismiss those who had believed in conservative principles like 'fiscal responsibility' calling them 'establishment Republicans', or Republicans in name only, because the Trump sect aligns more closely with the global alt right like 'alternative for Germany Party', and others following the Putin brand of far rightwing-ism.

Ok, but how will this go well for the Dems when the government closes down. Blaming Trump won't help Biden or Schumer.

Lincolnman, you may wish to remember that, after the 2016 election, many Democrats and their supporters did not accept the results. The losing Democratic candidate was STILL calling Trump an "illegitimate President" 3 years AFTER the election.

The debt was 'run up' in 2020 in response to the global pandemic, with the consent of both parties. Prior to that, the economy was humming along. Remember record low unemployment, particularly for BIPOC Americans? I am sure many Americans wish for the halcyon days of 2019.

But Republicans say they won't help, despite having pressed for hikes under Donald Trump, because they want no part in Democrats' historically-large package of social reforms.

The Dems don’t need the Republicans help and have not been willing to cooperate or compromise with them to get any. The fight is within the Democrat party. All biden needs is to get Manchin and Sinema to agree to raising the debt ceiling to $41 trillion and to fundamentally transforming America further down the road into a social-welfare state. That’s it. They have a pretty good chance of succeeding because Dems hate the idea of America and will walk in lockstep to end individual rights. They are only posturing for their gullible constituents.

The "so-called fiscally responsible Republicans"

There are too few fiscally responsible Republicans to have any real effect on the party, or the nations, policies. They lie about the ills of spending their children’s and grandchildren's money on fleeting benefits for today then promptly either sit by and do nothing or actually join the Dems debt bomb party. Dems are far worse of course. After all, they were the first to believe that deficits and debt didn’t matter. In 10 years when the interest on the debt is as much as is spent on Medicare it will be interesting how they spin that as a public good. But by then the level of dependence on government deficit spending will make reform impossible. Only a collapse in the system can force politicians to finally make hard choices in the interests of the country. Sadly, Japan is in the same boat.

There are too few fiscally responsible Republicans to have any real effect on the party, or the nations, policies. 

I always respected your consistency on this point. While other conservatives forgot or shelved their claims to be fiscal conservatives during the Trump years, you were one of the few to attack his out of control spending.

Thumbs up.