MAGAs try to pass a budget

[MajorRewrite]

In news related to the budget, the US is just 10 days from a possible government shutdown. Will the House of Clowns get its act together?

Republicans, meanwhile, are putting pressure on the Speaker from multiple sides, with moderates slamming the idea of yet another stopgap, defense hawks raising concerns about the impact a continuing resolution would have at the Pentagon, and hard-line conservatives pressuring Johnson to incorporate some of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts into the bill.

Herding cats.

 

[MajorRewrite]

Remember when Trump said he’d cut military spending 50%?

House Republicans unveil spending bill boosting defense and trimming all else

House Republicans’ leadership staff outlined the measure Saturday, saying it would allow for about $892.5bn in defense spending and about $708bn in non-defense spending. The defense spending is slightly above the prior year’s level, but the non-defense comes in at about 8% below.

Looks like it will come up for a vote in the House of Clowns on Tuesday, if Johnson can keep his clowns in line.

 

[MajorRewrite]

Today is continuing resolution day for the House of Clowns.

Rep Massie pointed out the obvious, which Trump didn’t like:

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is still a holdout, though. He says he’ll vote no.

“I guess deficits only matter when we’re in the minority,” said Massie, when asked why colleagues weren’t listening to his concerns.

Trump went after Massie on social media, calling him a “GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble.”

“HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him,” Trump posted online.

 

[whiskeytangofoxtrot]

Today is continuing resolution day for the House of Clowns.

Rep Massie pointed out the obvious, which Trump didn’t like:

the knee-bending, bootlicking, sycoophant behaviour is beyond the pale. given the current state of affairs with tariffs, reduced discretionary income, increased hate mongering, educational issues, the rupturing stock market and the over all grifting, looks like we are looking at another R word, recession. But that's for another thread. Such a bang up job. Kakistocracy, kleptocracy...

 

[MajorRewrite]

The House passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open until September.

As Republican Tom Massie observed, they only care about deficits when they are in the minority.

Now it goes to the Senate where it needs support of a few Democrats to pass, unless the Democrats decide not to filibuster.

 

[RobDownSouth]

One non-negotiable rule is that there is no cuts to existing programs as part of the continuing resolutions.

Republicans are testing the limits of Democratic adherence to this rule.

They've cobbled together millions of dollars to raise the base pay of the lowest grades of enlisted military, something like an 8% raise in pay, the biggest increase in decades.

But how to pay for this?

Oh, simply cut federal support for all Alzheimers and Dementia care facilities, a few long-term rehab centers, and putting strict limits on the sickest patients on Medicaid. These patients won't remember their care has been cut (wink, nudge).

It is crass political gamesmanship at its finest, if Democrats reject this new funding, they "don't support the troooooooops", if they do accept this change, it establishes a precedent the next time a CR is up for vote, oh look the Democrats worked with us last year, now this year they wont negotiate, gosh could it be because there's midterm elections coming up?

 

[ll74]

One non-negotiable rule is that there is no cuts to existing programs as part of the continuing resolutions.

Republicans are testing the limits of Democratic adherence to this rule.

They've cobbled together millions of dollars to raise the base pay of the lowest grades of enlisted military, something like an 8% raise in pay, the biggest increase in decades.

But how to pay for this?

Oh, simply cut federal support for all Alzheimers and Dementia care facilities, a few long-term rehab centers, and putting strict limits on the sickest patients on Medicaid. These patients won't remember their care has been cut (wink, nudge).

It is crass political gamesmanship at its finest, if Democrats reject this new funding, they "don't support the troooooooops", if they do accept this change, it establishes a precedent the next time a CR is up for vote, oh look the Democrats worked with us last year, now this year they wont negotiate, gosh could it be because there's midterm elections coming up?

They're burning down the government. Let them own it all. Besides that, they've given nothing to gain Democratic votes.

 

[Lazaran]

Yeah, the House MAGAts COMPLETELY excluded Democrats from the CR process, so if the Senate MAGAts don’t make some concessions to Senate Democrats, and the House MAGAts don’t accept them, then shut it all down.

If the only thing MAGAts respect is “burn it all down” crazy brinksmanship, then the Democrats should give them a double helping.

The congressional Democrats can rightfully / righteously justify their decision to shut down the government by pointing to their being shut out of the governing process by congressional MAGAts, and by pointing to President Musk’s (and DonOld’s) illegal disruption / diversion of previously approved spending .

Also:

What assurances do congressional Democrats have that the spending approved for the new CR will go where it was intended???



Negotiating with MAGAts is like negotiating with Putin…





Side note:

I honestly feel the common MAGAts need to have their hand held down on the red hot burner until they lose the use of it before they finally understand how things work.

Bring the burn. Bring the pain. Shut it down. (Unless the House and Senate MAGAts make some concessions.) Give the common MAGAts what they want. They will eventually realize they didn’t get what they wanted. (See also: The North Carolina MAGAts who are whining about FEMA not doing more for them…Oops.)





Also:

We. Told. Them. So.

 

[LLCox]

I can't wait to see what Musk does to the budget.

 

[whiskeytangofoxtrot]

I can't wait to see what Musk does to the budget.

musk is going to need a bailout for tesla, that will be in the form of a budget or re-directed from other agencies that had their funding cut. Maybe Don-old can sell a few more cars for elon from the 1600 showroom, plenty of inventory. "What countries do I need to tariff and/or cut domestic funding from today to put you into a tesla tonight," DJT

 

[MajorRewrite]

The Senate passed a spending and taxation bill that will add $7 trillion to deficits through tax cuts.

Now the House and Senate have to resolve the differences between their versions of the budget bills.

 

[MajorRewrite]

Republicans left the word “Medicare” out of their budget plan, but the only way to reach their spending cut targets is to slash Medicare. So some moderate Republicans are publicly pushing back:

Twelve House Republicans in competitive districts — more than enough in the House GOP’s razor-thin majority to keep the bill from passing — sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) on Monday articulating that red line.

“We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations,” the members said in the letter led by Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), which was first reported by Punchbowl News and obtained by The Hill.

Mike Johnson’s job just got exponentially harder.