Another day of chaos and drama at the United States Capitol.
Technically, the Government has run out of funding for part of the Administration at midnight from Friday to Saturday (5:00 on Saturday in mainland Spain).
In practice, the Senate is preparing to vote in the next few minutes, so the partial closure of the Administration would be more theoretical than anything else, probably the shortest of the 23 that have occurred in the last half century and without consequences. .
After the House of Representatives approved the pending budget bills in a climate of rebellion among radical Republicans, the Senate has not been able to vote on them in time.
Even the theoretical closure is more partial than usual.
Essential public services, pension payments, debt interest and other non-discretionary spending are always guaranteed, but in addition, on this occasion six spending laws have already been approved for approximately 30% of the Administration.
A package of 1.2 trillion dollars is pending approval that affects, among others, the Department of State, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, on which the control of illegal migration depends, among many other powers.
If the two packages are combined, discretionary spending for the budget year will amount to about $1.66 trillion.
This figure does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, nor financing the country's growing debt.
The Senate had only 13 hours to debate and approve a law of more than 1,000 pages with 1.2 trillion in expenses.
Furthermore, he was practically prohibited from presenting amendments.
The Constitution requires that for a law to be sent for signature to the president, it must be approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
If the Senate introduced any amendment, the text would have to return to the Lower House, which was dismissed this Friday with a two-week recess.
Any amendment, therefore, no matter how small, implied a prolonged closure of the Administration.
Of course, senators don't like being stripped of their ability to modify a rule.
They have presented dozens of amendments, knowing that they were not going to succeed.
That has lengthened the debate.
There has not been enough majority to close it and move on to the vote, so the time has expired, but an agreement has been reached and it is only a matter of actually voting.
If there are no more surprises, there will be no consequences either.
The United States does not have one budget law, but a dozen, but is systemically unable to approve them in time for the start of the fiscal year, on October 1.
The last time it did so on time was in 1997. The usual thing is to approve a budget extension, called a continuing resolution, while the laws that enable the expenses for the year are processed.
On this occasion, several extensions have been approved, but when Congress was considering approving the laws, it did not arrive on time.
The gaps between the approval of budgets and the beginning of the fiscal year began to cause closures of the Administration since Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti argued that government agencies cannot legally operate without having approved financing in a series of opinions issued in 1980. and 1981. Since then, only spending for functions essential to public safety and constitutional obligations is allowed.
Since 1976, there had been 22 interruptions in financing until tonight, 10 of which resulted in the dismissal of workers.
The majority have been very short closures, from one to three days.
Most of the significant shutdowns took place during Bill Clinton's presidency, when then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his conservative majority demanded budget cuts.
The longest, however, occurred between 2018 and 2019, when then-President Trump and congressional Democrats entered a stalemate over their demand for funding for a wall on the border with Mexico.
It lasted 35 days, in the middle of Christmas, but it was only a partial closure, because Congress had approved items for some areas, as on this occasion.
The shortest so far, just a few hours, also took place in 2018, but in February, when a senator intentionally lengthened the debate.
Drama in the lower house
The drama had already been intense in the Lower House in the morning.
There, the vote on the pending financing laws has gone ahead by a comfortable majority of 286 votes in favor and 134 against.
This result, however, hides that in the majority Republican group there have been only 101 votes in favor and 112 against.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump's faithful supporter, has monopolized the spotlight by announcing a motion of censure against the president of the House of Representatives, her co-religionist Mike Johnson, but the interventions of other Republican parliamentarians inside and outside the chamber have been equally hard
“The swamp is back in full force.
“We have a 1,000-page, $1.2 trillion bill full of all kinds of spending priorities that are at odds with the American people,” said Texas Rep. Chip Roy, referring disparagingly to Washington.
Part of the capital is built on a swampy area, which serves as a metaphor to talk about the political goings-on in the capital.
“Bottom line is this is a complete and utter surrender,” said Republican Rep. Eric Burlison.
Representative Andy Ogles, Republican of Tennessee, went so far as to say that “it is clear that Democrats own the president's gavel.”
The law was agreed upon by Republican and Democratic congressional leaders with the White House.
But the Republicans of the radical wing denounce that two of the internal rules with which the parliamentary group was endowed have been breached: that the congressmen have the legal texts at least 72 hours before having to vote on them, to give them time to study them and present them. amendments, and that only laws that have majority support among Republicans themselves are promoted and put to a vote.
“This financing law has been approved without the majority of the majority,” criticized Taylor Greene.
“No Republican in the House of Representatives should vote for the omnibus swamp law with these items,” had warned the Freedom Group, the faction that brings together the twenty most radical congressmen of the Republicans, from which in July they expelled Taylor Greene for calling a colleague, the extremist Lauren Boebert, a “little bitch.”
“A massive spending bill drafted in secret and dropped on us in the middle of the night is rushing to the House for a vote with less than 36 hours to review,” they added.
After the vote, the anger of this faction was enormous: “The majority of Republicans voted against the omnibus swamp law.
Unfortunately, 101 Republicans joined Democrats in approving this $1.2 trillion boondoggle that fully funds Biden's 'open borders' policies and includes earmarks for late-term abortions and transgender organizations.
Crazy,” they concluded.
To win Republican support, Johnson touted some of the spending increases secured for some 8,000 more immigration detention beds awaiting immigration proceedings or removal from the country.
This represents an increase of 24% compared to current levels.
In addition, the Republican leader highlighted more money to hire some 2,000 Border Patrol agents, although they rejected a more ambitious rule that provided up to an additional $20 billion to the fight against illegal immigration.
Republicans have also promoted a provision that prohibits funding until March 2025 for the main UN agency that provides food, water and shelter to Gaza's civilian population.
That provision has caused Democratic congressmen to vote against it in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
For the most radical Republicans, none of that has been enough.
“Treason” and “surrender” are the words that have been repeated over and over again in the Lower House.
They preferred the partial closure of the Administration than reaching a compromise solution between both parties.
The agreed spending levels are in accordance with the agreement reached by the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and the then president of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, to suspend the debt ceiling for two years.
That agreement and the first extension that avoided the partial closure of the Administration cost McCarthy his job.
His successor, Mike Johnson, has agreed on measures similar to that one that have had even less support from Republicans.
Finally, a motion of censure of uncertain outcome has also been presented against him.
There will be no vote on the motion to impeach Johnson until at least after the two-week recess that Congress now undertakes.
Taylor Greene herself has not clarified when she will ask for a vote and she has said that it is a warning.
Republicans are aware of the spectacle of disorder and chaos they presented after McCarthy's dismissal.
Collaterally, the internal crisis unleashed among the Republicans may affect new aid to Ukraine and Israel, which has been stuck in Congress for months.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has expressly warned Johnson that he will ask for a vote on the motion of censure if he unblocks it.
However, it is also possible that the Democrats agree to rescue the president of the House of Representatives and avoid his removal if he agrees to promote an agreement between both parties with that help, which would aggravate the internal crisis of the Republicans.
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