Congress faces looming government shutdown
By Casey Harper | The Center Square Lawmakers are scrambling to avoid a partial government shutdown this week. Funding for the federal government runs out at the end of September, Saturday at midnight, and lawmakers are still far from getting agreement on a deal that President Joe Biden can sign into law. In the House, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has been unable to persuade enough conservative Republicans to back his push for a Continuing Resolution, a temporary funding measure to buy time. McCarthy may have to work with Democrats to get enough votes on a C.R., but that could jeopardize his position as Speaker. McCarthy won the speakership after a grueling series of votes, and House Republicans have been adamant that they can vote to remove McCarthy at any time. Senate Democrats have already begun shifting blame onto House Republicans and McCarthy, pointing out House Republicans had time to pass individual spending bills but did not get them done in time. “I’ve never seen a group that is as hellbent on a shutdown as these crazy MAGA Republicans, that small group,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told CNN, referring to holdout House Republicans. Schumer is working on passing a temporary funding measure that can be sent to the House and give Republicans a tough choice: let the government shut down or pass the Senate’s hard-to-stomach version of the spending measure. Ukraine funding in particular has become a divisive issue that could kill any funding bill. Democrats and many Republicans support it, but a growing contingent of Republicans say taxpayers should no longer keep sending the large sums overseas. McCarthy has blasted some of the holdouts, for whom Ukraine funding has been a sticking point. “This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down,” McCarthy told reporters last week. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are unlikely to favor any measure McCarthy can get passed that appeases conservative Republicans. While many essential government services would continue operating, many others across a range of federal agencies would be paused if the government shuts down. Democrats in the past have blasted Republicans for threatening the paychecks of those employees, though they will get back pay once the government reopens. The shutdown would affect over 2 million civilian employees and military members. “Nearly a hundred thousand of my constituents won’t get paid during a shutdown. It’s a disaster for Northern Virginia,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., wrote on social media. “They have families who depend on them, and they don’t deserve this. Republicans must honor the Speaker’s agreement with the President, and prevent a shutdown.” Former President Donald Trump, who has emboldened some Republican holdouts with his support, argued to Republicans that Biden would be blamed if the government shut down. “The Republicans lost big on Debt Ceiling, got NOTHING, and now are worried that they will be BLAMED for the Budget Shutdown,” Trump wrote on social media Sunday evening. “Wrong!!! Whoever is President will be blamed, in this case, Crooked (as Hell!) Joe Biden!” “WE NEED NEW, & REAL, REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, NOT A CLONE OF MITCH, & WE NEED IT NOW!!!” Trump added. Meanwhile, fiscal experts warn that the federal government’s continued debt spending is unsustainable and will continue to have major consequences for taxpayers. Earlier this month, news broke that the U.S. national debt surpassed $33 trillion, the highest ever. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office released earlier this month its estimate of the federal deficit 11 months into the fiscal year. That deficit hit about $1.5 trillion. At the same time last year, the deficit was under one trillion dollars. As The Center Square previously reported, within a few years the cost of interest payments on the national debt will soon cost taxpayers more than spending on national defense. In fact, interest payments on the national debt are on pace to become the largest expense for the federal government. A key impact of that debt spending is higher inflation, which has soared in recent years and spiked again in August. Debt spending is offset in part by printing more money, increasing the money supply and inflation as a result. Food and gas prices in particular have risen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects food prices will continue to rise through 2024. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Katie Britt cosponsors bipartisan bill to suspend the tariff on baby formula
U.S. Senator Katie Britt recently joined U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), and Congressmen Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska) and Don Beyer (D-Virginia) to introduce the Formula 3.0 Act, legislation that would permanently suspend tariffs on baby formula from certain nations, bolstering continued access and affordability for American families. In 2022, families across the U.S. struggled to find formula to feed their infants after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) temporarily shut down one of the country’s two formula producers. Amid the dire shortages, Congress passed legislation to temporarily suspend tariffs on imported baby formula from allied countries, bringing much-needed supply into the marketplace. The tariff suspensions expired in January 2023. With the potential of another possible shortage looming and rising prices, the Formula 3.0 Act would reinstate these tariff suspensions and make them permanent, helping to ensure that parents always have access to affordable baby formula that meets the FDA’s standards. “As a mom of two, I know firsthand how critical it is to be able to find formula for your baby,” said Sen. Katie Britt. “During the formula shortage last year, too many families were forced to confront the unthinkable, often desperately searching and coming up empty-handed. Permanently waiving these tariffs on allied countries gives parents greater access to formula. I’m proud to join my colleagues in bringing forward this bipartisan legislation that would ensure American families are able to provide their children with critical, life-sustaining nutrition.” “The welfare of our families, especially our infants, is of utmost importance. The formula shortage has highlighted the need for long-term solutions that promote accessibility and affordability,” Sen. Lee said. “With the FORMULA 3.0 Act, we take a significant step towards permanently eliminating trade barriers and ensuring a stable supply of infant formula for families across the nation.” “I’m proud to be co-leading this bipartisan effort to permanently waive tariffs on infant formula, which will lower prices and ensure we can protect infants from risks associated with current or future supply shortages,” said Sen. Menendez. “We have a responsibility to care for our families and children, and this common-sense solution will do just that.” Rep. Smith is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. “The baby formula crisis put an additional spotlight on the serious supply chain challenges we face,” said Rep. Smith. “Congress immediately came together in a bipartisan way to waive tariffs on safe, FDA-approved formula, and it alleviated some of the pressures families faced when searching for formula. Now that those tariffs have returned, the availability of formula has become strained once again. That’s why we are working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to permanently lift barriers to safely import formula and give families more options and access to the formula they need.” “The fragility of the domestic infant formula market was put into stark relief last year when a problem at just one company’s facility led to a drastic supply shortage and massive price increases for parents nationwide,” said Rep. Beyer. “Due to high tariffs and other protectionist obstacles preventing high-quality infant formula imports from the global market, parents with small children were left scrambling to find affordable alternatives. With the expiration of temporary emergency measures designed to ease the shortage, the market remains extremely vulnerable to another supply shock. This bill would permanently eliminate trade barriers to encourage the import of FDA-compliant infant formula, bringing prices down for parents in the near term and staving off a potential future crisis.” The tariffs were designed to encourage domestic manufacture of baby formula, but with only two companies in that space domestically, the tariff effectively drives the price up for imported baby formula. Katie Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
On Super Tuesday eve, Joe Biden gets boost from former rivals
Biden received the support of former rivals, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.
