In the days leading up to the expected federal government shutdown, media attention has focused on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and his raucous caucus.
This would violate the agreement signed with President Biden in June of last year. raise the debt ceiling Mr. McCarthy has bowed to far-right Republicans who have called for a government shutdown showdown to establish spending levels for next year.
Former President Donald Trump, the de facto leader of the far right, told House Republicans that he would “refuse to close the border and threaten any threat to Joe Biden’s weaponized government, which is twisted and treats half the country as the nation’s enemy.” “funds must be stopped.” President Trump revealed his true motives, claiming the government shutdown was “his last chance to defund political prosecutions against me and other patriots.”
At the center of this battle is Representative Brendan Boyle (D-Pennsylvania), ranking member of the House Budget Committee. Boyle is a sensible politician. In 2008 he elected He became the first Democrat to represent a formerly Republican district in the Pennsylvania state legislature. 6 years later he upset Former Democratic Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies. In 2019, Mr. Boyle early approval I believe in Joe Biden’snational emergencyThe idea was that only Biden could oust Donald Trump.
Boyle understands policy as well as politics. During this decade of his life, he became respected by his colleagues for his work on fiscal issues. Earlier this year, Mr. Boyle was deeply immersed in the fight over the debt ceiling. Despite the last-minute deal between Biden and McCarthy, the battle came at a cost.Fitch demoted us credit rating Quote “Standards of governance are steadily declining.”
Introduced by Boyle Debt Ceiling Reform Act Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to pay the public’s bills unless Congress disapproves.
In a recent interview I had with Mr. Boyle, he said several of his Republican colleagues expressed “great relief at the prospect of never having to tinker with the debt ceiling again.” Although the bill is unlikely to pass this Congress, Mr. Boyle has pledged to make it a top priority by January 2025.
Government shutdowns come at a high cost.boil Estimate Closing the government’s doors would reduce gross domestic product by one-tenth of 1% for each month the government is closed.Last 3 shutdowns American taxpayers lost 56,500 years of federal employee productivity. As Boyle pointed out in my interview, TSA employees, air traffic controllers, furloughed employees at Social Security and Medicare offices, and Veterans Affairs benefits are all affected. As a result, we are in a “truly dysfunctional situation in terms of the management of Congress,” Boyle said.
For a politician like Boyle, much of this is unrealistic. As he said, extreme Republicans “don’t know why they would want a government shutdown other than to cause the most chaos possible.”
In his book about Joe Biden, The Last Politician, Franklin Foer writes: define politics as “a means by which societies mediate differences of opinion and enable peaceful coexistence.” Compromise, mediation, and results are synonymous with successful politicians.
Rep. Mike Lawler (New York, N.Y.), who won in a Biden-leaning district and understands how politics works, is frustrated. To tell: “I didn’t come here to shut down the government or play some stupid games, so by insisting we’re doing something and sticking with the administration, we’ll give you $5. of donations. In reality, all they’re doing is screwing over the American people.”
During the battle over Obamacare in 2010, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Said: “I didn’t come here to keep a job. I’m here to do a job.”
Political experts know that doing your job can be unpopular with your base. Ronald Reagan understood this early in his political career. During his 1966 gubernatorial campaign, Reagan promised never to introduce California income tax withholding and said his feet were “terrible.”specifically” However, when faced with a certain problem, $200 million deficitReagan gave way, saying“The sound you hear is concrete cracking under your feet,” said George Deukmejian, a Republican state lawmaker who later became governor. Said: “A lot of people, myself included, thought he would be an ideological person. I quickly learned that he was very practical.”
Inside Mr. McCarthy’s office hang a large portrait of his hero, Ronald Reagan. But unlike Reagan, who took risks with his former supporters, McCarthy refuses to confront his far-right base.
As Boyle explained, “McCarthy bent over backwards to give the Freedom Caucus everything they wanted. And they still say no to their faces. Don’t be so afraid to stand up to them and sway them to clear their seats on the floor.” Nancy Pelosi I will explain Mr. McCarthy’s tenure was an “incredibly curtailed speakership.”
The flaws in Congress represent a political failure. Instead of practicing political process, the extreme wing of the McCarthy caucus practices performance. Far-right Republicans wield power by stirring up the emotions of their supporters and coercing them into making small donations. For example, in the first half of 2023 alone, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) $1.7 million for her re-election campaign.No wonder McCarthy became like this. promised“I will never leave that woman. I will always take care of her.”
For parliament to function, it needs politicians like Brendan Boyle to help it function. Despite the public’s disdain for politicians, their governing spirit of bipartisan compromise and achieving results consistently pays off in the polls. November 2024 is no exception.
As with other Republican-instigated government shutdowns, voters will remember and impose their own punishment. If this political adage catches on, Boyle could be the chairman of the House Budget Committee in 2025.
John Kenneth White is a professor of political science at The Catholic University of America. His upcoming book is titled “Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism.” He can be reached at his johnkennethwhite.com.
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