The countdown is on the other side of the Atlantic.
At midnight on the night of Sunday to Monday, the United States will be plunged into uncertainty with the end of government activities.
It is at this hour in fact that the
shutdown
will be officially declared
, if the outgoing President Donald Trump does his utmost to refuse to sign a bill at 2,300 billion dollars.
Of this total, 1400 billion must be used for the functioning of federal agencies until next September.
The remaining 900 billion should make it possible to finance aid to businesses and households in this period of health crisis.
Why Donald Trump refuses to sign?
The outgoing president remains on his line since the elections of November 3, even if it means cutting off a good part of his majority.
It is already projected towards 2024. "Send me a suitable law, or the next Administration will have to produce a legislative package to alleviate the effects of the Covid.
And maybe this Administration will be mine, ”he said in a video published Tuesday evening.
Donald Trump plays the populist card against the elites.
It doesn't matter if these so-called Republican allies instead played the sanity card in Congress to get the funds released on time.
Calls for more money for the precarious.
He is calling for an increase in the budget for checks that are supposed to be sent next week to millions of Americans, from $ 600 billion to $ 2,000 billion.
A positioning that, in reality, hurts millions of Americans in difficulty.
What should these 900 billion be used for?
Because for 14 million Americans, the choices of the outgoing president have already deprived them of unemployment benefits.
They are not the only ones in danger.
Companies will run out of cash and hospitals could even find it difficult to carry out their vaccination campaigns.
Tenants could also quickly be evicted from their homes, while the bill provided for an extension of the moratorium on evictions which is due to end on December 31.
Regarding Covid-19, some 400 million doses of vaccine have already been purchased from Pfizer and Moderna laboratories.
To acquire more doses, he will need additional funds.
If private companies are going to distribute doses, staff from the Department of Defense and Department of Health are expected to assist in operations.
A task that could be made complicated if the budgets allocated to the operation of federal agencies are not released.
Vaccines have also represented a very significant cost for American states.
Their deficit is estimated at $ 8 billion, while they have only received $ 340 million to cover these expenses.
The shutdown could suspend congressional plans to further close these deficits.
Finally, the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the front line in the management of the health crisis, could be heavily impacted if the shutdown involved the implementation of general leave for workers, as has already happened. produced in the past.
How did Joe Biden react?
In a statement, the president-elect appealed to his rival for responsibility.
“This abdication of responsibilities has devastating consequences, we can read.
This bill is essential, it must be signed to enter into force now, "he adds, recalling the" economic devastation caused by Covid-19 ".
Response from the shepherd to the shepherdess, on Twitter: "I just want to give very good people $ 2000, rather than the shabby $ 600 that is currently in the bill."
I simply want to get our great people $ 2000, rather than the measly $ 600 that is now in the bill.
Also, stop the billions of dollars in “pork”.
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2020
What outcome?
The elected Democrats have well understood the strategy employed by Donald Trump and the potential tensions within the Republican ranks.
Donald Trump calls for more funds for the most precarious?
Never mind, they too agree.
A prospect that has little chance of leading to an agreement in Congress.
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For the moment, Donald Trump has not formally vetoed the bill.
He has not yet linked intentions to actions.
If he did so, two perspectives present themselves: either the Republican parliamentarians accept under pressure to increase their direct aid, or the same text will have to be adopted once again by a two-thirds majority.