Copy of AFF Sentinel V21 #54-A Little Sanity in Washington?
- Steve Dittmer
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Christmas Break
Steve Dittmer | AFF Sentinel
Colorado Springs, CO
Originally sent to subscribers 12/19/24
Wellllll, evidently we weren’t the only ones surprised by how many Christmas presents of every kind were under the Christmas tree called a stopgap federal funding Continuing Resolution.
Republicans, encouraged by President-elect Trump and Elon Musk who had opposed the bill and others emboldened by the wave, have apparently raised enough cain to put the bill in limbo.
That puts them further in jeopardy of a government shutdown by the weekend. Democrats, happy with all the goodies they wanted stuffed into the sleigh, are crying foul, saying they had a deal and now Republicans are going back on the deal. They will, for the umpteenth time, try to blame any shutdown on mean old Republicans. But that may not fly this time, given that the voters last month indicated they were sick of business as usual and profligate spending. A government shutdown actually affects very few things in the short term but it sounds draconian when trumpeted by the general media.
It doesn’t help that the bill included special protections from prosecution for Jan. 6th committee members, a continuation of the State Department’s censorship apparatus, dispensation for members to get off Obamacare and a raise for members of Congress.
In the 1,547-page bill there are hundreds of pages of things that have no priority in keeping the government open. They are simply dubious spending ideas that have not been debated or examined carefully, just things some members want. Somewhere we have to stop funding things that are not federal government necessities. This may be where it begins.
A “clean” Continuing Resolution, still containing disaster assistance has been mentioned. We notice that leftist commentators have mentioned disaster assistance, the Farm Bill and farmer assistance as things that are being delayed by Republicans. No mention of the Democrats boondoggles, of course, or the Republicans’ acquiesence on those fiascos. But Trump has raised the possibility of a debt ceiling increase, so it occurs on the Democrat’s watch and gives him some room to maneuver while he whacks spending and agencies. That further angers the Democrats and surprised Republicans who didn’t see that coming.
The current Farm Bill expires Dec. 31st, so there is some leeway there but no one knows how this circus is going to turn out.
So, while Congress always acts like drunken elves on a spree this time of year, the script is turning out a bit different this year. It’s going to be hard to predict and follow but change is maybe in the air. The taxpayers need it, whether Congress as a whole likes it or not.
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