US debt ceiling, gov shutdown and Speaker of the House fight

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WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Republicans are due to unveil a stopgap measure on Saturday aimed at averting a government shutdown, the latest in a series of standoffs that contributed to Moody's lowering its outlook on the nation's credit.

The move to change its outlook to "negative" from "stable" by the last major credit ratings agency to maintain a top "AAA" rating on the U.S. government came six months after Congress brought the nation to the brink of default on $31.4 trillion in debt, and just a week before federal agencies will run out of money without congressional action.

House Republicans eye plan to avert government shutdown

U.S. House of Representatives Republicans are due to unveil a stopgap measure on Saturday aimed at averting a government shutdown, the latest in a series of standoffs that contributed to Moody's lowering its outlook on the nation's credit.
www.reuters.com
 
They are working on a Saturday? Whoa.
 
WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to avoid a partial government shutdown secured tentative support from top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer on Monday, even as some of Johnson's hardline Republican colleagues pushed back against it.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer, whose support would be critical to pass the measure to head off a government shutdown beginning on Saturday, said he was "pleased" that Johnson's proposal did not include sharp spending cuts.

US House speaker's plan to avoid shutdown gains some Democratic support

Some hardline Republicans pushed back against it.
www.reuters.com
 
Voting today. Will it pass? Only 3 days and 10 hours to go. Johnson will need the dems to get it through.
 
WASHINGTON — The House approved a bill Tuesday that would avert a government shutdown, sending the measure next to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

The “laddered” continuing resolution, or CR, will fund parts of the government until Jan. 19 and others until Feb. 2. Once it is approved by the Senate, the bill goes to President Joe Biden, who has signaled he is open to signing it.

House passes bill to avoid government shutdown, Senate to vote next

Republicans' two-step continuing resolution to fund the government in phases passed with the help of Democrats.
www.cnbc.com
 
Ok.........the congress critters managed to avoid a shutdown. The house has split for Thanksgiving recess (god bless them.)

When they return will there be another Night of the Long Knives? Or will they slow bleed his ass?

'Hold up everything': House conservative pushes new rebellion against Mike Johnson​

Although hardliners in the House Republican conference aren't yet making a move to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), they are nonetheless furious that he passed a bipartisan stopgap bill to keep the government open and are plotting other ways to rebel.

Politico reports that House Freedom Caucus members such as Rep. Ralph Norman (R-NC) are pitching mass obstruction to any future House procedural votes until Johnson agrees to meet their demands.

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Lawmakers attempting to finish fiscal 2024 appropriations early next year face a new reality laid bare by nonpartisan budget scorekeepers in recent months: automatic cuts in last spring’s debt limit law intended to force final agreement that would disproportionately hit nondefense programs.

It’s the opposite of what most observers expected at the time the deal was inked, when defense was thought to be the bigger victim of a failure to complete this year’s work. The new Congressional Budget Office numbers flip the law’s incentive structure on its head, potentially giving House GOP hard-liners some leverage in the upcoming “topline” negotiations over final appropriations.

Freedom Caucus and aligned members haven’t had any luck unifying their conference around deep cuts to the regular spending caps that President Joe Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., negotiated as part of the debt limit law.

Backstop in debt limit law flips script on spending endgame - Roll Call

Budget scorekeepers flip the previous debt limit plan. Spending cuts now would disproportionately hit nondefense programs.
rollcall.com
 

What to watch as Congress negotiates final defense policy bill​

WASHINGTON ― Congress will begin formal negotiations on a compromise defense policy bill this week, with final votes likely to occur before the holidays.

The annual bill is usually a bipartisan product, but conference committee talks over the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act may be trickier than usual this year. House Republicans added numerous partisan provisions from the right-wing Freedom Caucus to their version of the bill. The Senate version contains several of its own amendments that enjoy bipartisan – though not always unanimous – support.

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What to watch as Congress negotiates final defense policy bill

The path to an annual defense policy bill may be unusually tricky this year amid several different provisions in the House and Senate versions.
www.defensenews.com
 

Speaker Johnson to Senate: No More Temporary Government Funding Patches​

House Speaker Mike Johnson told Senate Republicans that he will not be able to maneuver another temporary government funding extension through his chamber next year if lawmakers can't reach agreement on regular funding bills in the coming months.

Two weeks ago, still fresh on the job as speaker, Johnson led passage of a bill to extend current government funding levels and policy into next year. Under bifurcated deadlines set in the bill Congress now has until Jan. 19 to pass four of its annual appropriations bills and Feb. 2 to finish the remaining eight.

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Ukraine aid in peril as Senate Republicans walk out of heated briefing​

WASHINGTON ― Republican Sens. Deb Fischer and Mitt Romney walked side by side Tuesday as they hastily left the Biden administration’s classified briefing on a massive defense spending package that includes Ukraine and Israel aid, both visibly agitated.

Fischer of Nebraska and Romney of Utah were among numerous Republicans to exit the briefing early. By their account, administration officials did not provide answers to their questions on Ukraine beyond what’s publicly available in unclassified public reports, compounding their frustration with Democrats for refusing to meet their demands for immigration policy changes in the legislation.

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Ukraine aid in peril as Senate Republicans walk out of heated briefing

A procedural vote on Ukraine aid is expected to fail after Republicans walked out of a briefing amid an unrelated immigration policy spat.
www.defensenews.com
 
WASHINGTON (AP) — Going around Congress, the Biden administration said Saturday it has approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million as Israel intensifies its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip.

The move comes as President Joe Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security is languishing in Congress, caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Some Democratic lawmakers have spoken of making the proposed $14.3 billion in American assistance to its Mideast ally contingent on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.

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The State Department approves the sale of tank ammunition to Israel in a deal that bypasses Congress

Going around Congress, the Biden administration says it's approved the emergency sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million as Israel intensifies its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip.
apnews.com
 

House passes NDAA as members leave town, angering conservatives in the process​

The House passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, before its members leave for the year, angering many conservatives who feel as though Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) caved in negotiations.

However, much like when then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) passed bipartisan legislation that hard-line conservatives did not agree with, there will likely be a revolt.

“The Members of the House Freedom Caucus are prepared to use all available leverage to change the status quo,” the House Freedom Caucus said in a statement. “We will not simply vote ‘no’ on bad legislation and go home for Christmas.”

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^^^^^^^

Lawmakers stuffed a provision into the Pentagon funding bill that makes it all but impossible for Trump to leave NATO​

  • Congress has passed a sweeping law that could spell trouble for Trump if he wins in 2024.
  • Lawmakers included a provision in the $886 billion Pentagon funding bill that makes it all but impossible to leave NATO.
  • Trump has not said he would withdraw the US from NATO, but there are fears he could do so.
A brief provision in the massive $886 billion bill funding the Pentagon will likely kill former President Donald Trump or any potential future president's ambitions to withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Sens. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, teamed up to muscle their bill — which would require an act of Congress or Senate approval to leave NATO — into what is often deemed a must-pass bill that funds servicemembers and outlines national security priorities. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law. The Senate passed the overall legislation 87 to 13. The House passed it on Friday on a 310-118 vote.

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Where's the raise for social security peeps?

Biden’s historic pay raise for federal workers set to take effect​

Federal employees will receive pay raises averaging 5.2 percent — more in some high-salary areas — under an order President Biden signed Thursday that delivers the biggest increase to U.S. government workers since the Carter administration.

The salary hike for the federal civilian workforce of close to 2.2 million people is the heftiest since a 9.1 percent average raise in 1980. It’s 0.6 percentage points higher than last year’s increase, which itself was the highest in two decades, and will take effect in the first full pay period of 2024, starting Jan. 14 for most federal employees.

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The critters go back to DC in 7 days.

- Will we get some sort of a budget?
- Will Israel & Ukraine get $$$$$?
- Will Biden be impeached?
- Will Johnson last out the month as speaker?

This next episode should be a good one
 
CBS News

Congressional leaders reach agreement on government funding​

Washington — Congressional leaders announced Sunday they have reached an agreement on the overall spending level for the remainder of 2024 as they seek to avoid a government shutdown later this month.

The $1.66 trillion deal includes $886 billion for defense and $772.7 billion for non-defense spending, Democratic leaders said.

The topline is slightly above the $1.59 trillion that was reached in a bipartisan deal reached last year and includes changes to discretionary spending that was part of a side agreement between President Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. It cuts $6.1 billion in COVID-19 spending and accelerates cuts to IRS funding.

"The bipartisan topline appropriations agreement clears the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks in order to maintain important funding priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both New York Democrats, said in a statement Sunday.

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Reading through my news feed it looks like the GOP'ers aren't too happy with Rev Mike. Could we see another night / day of the long knives?
 
The critters have until Friday to get together and get something done. Some want to go along with Johnson's new plan. But the usual suspects say nay.

- Will Johnson walk on water and feed the masses?
- Will those who worship the orange calf have an orgy of revolt?

A nail biter for sure.
 

Senate passes bill to extend government shutdown deadlines to March​

The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to keep the federal government open into March, kicking the measure to the House as Congress continues its struggle to approve long-term spending laws.

The bill, which passed 77-18, would extend federal funding deadlines to March 1 and March 8. Otherwise, money for roughly 20 percent of the government — including the Transportation Department, some veterans’ assistance and food and drug safety programs — is set to expire just after midnight Saturday morning. The remainder — which funds the Defense and State departments, among others critical functions — would expire on Feb. 2 without the new extension.

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US Congress passes bill to avert government shutdown, sends it to Biden​

January 18, 20245:03 PM EST Updated an hour ago

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a stopgap bill to fund the federal government through early March and avert a partial government shutdown, sending it to President Joe Biden for final approval.

The measure passed 314-108, with 106 Republicans and two Democrats in opposition.

Earlier on Thursday, the Senate had easily passed the bill, with a 77-18 vote ahead of the weekend deadline.

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Now we see if Speaker Johnson gets deposed.
 
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