Chaos among Republicans: the US is heading for a shutdown

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Friday’s negotiations in Congress were unsuccessful. The focus is on the fragmented Republicans who cannot agree on a new federal budget. The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy (58), is being driven ahead of him by the radicals in his party – and exposed.

Time is running out

The term of the budget approved by the US Congress at the end of last year expires at the end of this month. To avoid insolvency, a new federal budget should be approved by the end of September. In the short time we have left, this will probably no longer be possible. The political wrangling repeats itself every year: Congress usually does it by passing an interim budget and then fighting again in a few months over funding for government operations. But that probably won’t happen in time either.

McCarthy’s weakness becomes apparent

The Republicans only have a very narrow majority in the House of Representatives and the group is very fragmented. On Friday, McCarthy attempted to advance a bill that would deliver significant savings. This failed because of the radicals in his party: McCarthy was duped. The design did not go far enough for the right-wing extremists in his group. MP Dan Crenshaw, 39, complained about the draft as the most conservative position the party could have taken. And yet the design failed. The dispute exposes McCarthy’s weakness and shows how chaotic the Republicans operate in the House of Representatives.

Fight for political survival

For McCarthy, the budget dispute could once again be about anything. The Republican only came to power at the beginning of this year after fifteen rounds of voting, because parts of his party refused to support him. McCarthy ultimately made major concessions to the radicals in his group. But they are once again doubting him and more or less openly threatening to try to drive him out of office.

The now failed draft had no chance in the Senate, where US President Joe Biden’s Democrats have a majority. For McCarthy, Friday’s events were still a serious defeat. McCarthy suggested Friday evening that they would work on a compromise on interim funding and made clear that that would not include aid to Ukraine.

Serious consequences

A shutdown means that millions of government employees will no longer receive salaries. Many ministries and authorities have contingency plans for this possibility. Most soldiers will therefore continue to work – but without pay for the time being. How seriously a shutdown affects daily life and the economy in the US depends on its duration.

It may well be that Congress, under pressure, will quickly find a solution after the deadline passes. The longest shutdown in the country’s history took place around New Year’s Eve 2018/2019. Due to the dispute over the wall with Mexico that then-President Donald Trump (77) requested, parts of the US government stood still for more than five weeks.

The Biden administration has been warning of the consequences for days

The White House blames Republicans for the chaos and urgently warns of the consequences. “I’m telling you, the guy who picks up the trash in my office doesn’t get paid. That’s the reality. And that makes me angry,” said Shalanda Young, a US government official.

US President Joe Biden (80) has so far largely stayed out of the negotiations. He is betting that Republicans will be held responsible by the people of the country for a possible shutdown. (SDA)

Source: Blick