AFAIK raising the debt ceiling is not one of them. That is the nearest potential catastrophe.
Congressional staff payroll has to be processed on 1/13 or people won’t get paid. That can’t happen until this is settled. I’m pretty sure that would be a major crisis.
The budget is good for a year due to the $1.7B omnibus. I think the net critical financial matter is the debt ceiling sometime in Q1.
A bit prior to that is more mundane (but certainly important to them) things like paying House staff and things that are accomplished through the rules and committee process. Clearances for new members. Intelligence and military briefings.
There is literally no House Armed Services Committee right now, for example, if a military emergency were to arise.
He can declare whatever he likes, but won’t be able to fund them without Appropriations from Congress.
Also, consider DACA, issued as an EO by Obama in 2012. Still on hold.
Yesterday one of the members did mention in a press aside that the designees for the Intel committee can’t even enter the secure briefing room.
Let him do it, let the Republicans challenge it and let the USSC do what they do. For fuck’s sake, Lincoln and FDR did unprecedented shit in times of emergency too. The Republicans blowing up the House of Representatives seems like a national emergency to me.
As far as the debt ceiling goes, the only options I see for POTUS are the “trillion dollar coin” loophole or to ignore the debt ceiling on the grounds that it is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment (the clause declaring that the US government’s debts are valid and that anyone who lent money to the Confederates is SOL).
Those other folks ran on a platform that promised to oppose everything you do, now you should help them do that?
From a Dem. viewpoint a broken congress is better than one functioning as the majority promised it would.
Imagine getting into a boxing ring, your opponent is slightly heavier, has longer arms, but as the bell rings, starts punching his own face. Should you intervene?
The bell for the end of the round rings, your opponents sits in his corner; starts telling everyone who will listen how he’s gonna kick your ass.
Second round: starts punching his own balls.
We are now on round 7, Let’s find out who else of their own they will destroy.
The previous congress approved spending until September?: Let them eat each other. There is no scenario where helping them will do any good.
For those keeping track of such things, since Matt Gaetz nominated him for Speaker, this is yet another election Trump lost!
Perry has tweeted that there is no deal and that “betrayed confidences and directed leaks” are “totally unsatisfactory”.
Sounds like any deal would have to require an immediate vote, letting it stew overnight and having scuttlebutt circulate just gives everyone time to come up with more excuses as to why not.
Clue me in: What would they need to do in a military emergency that the Commander-in-Chief couldn’t? Honest question.
If the military emergency requires the President to be able to sell the idea that he’s going to have funding through the next two years, to support the military efforts of X, it would help to be able to bring the heads of the Congressional committees into the call, to confirm.
Fund the Army? Appropriations for the standing army can only be two years in duration. I don’t know when the current appropriation expires.
Probably nothing. I would imagine emergency authorizations of sending certain weapons systems overseas (like what happened in Ukraine). I would imagine much can be done using the CINC’s executive authority.
There is probably some value in having experienced, well-briefed, legislators read in on critical national security issues. But then again, after seeing their performance this week, maybe it’s better to just let the House make speeches for a few weeks.
Is he one of those “drain the swamp” types who campaigned for open, transparent government and against the behind-closed-doors, business-as-usual way that Congress used to work?
Exactly. It’s like:
“Please help us get out of this shit-show of our own making, so we can begin the process of obstructing everything you want to accomplish for the country, and to start investigations into whatever loopy conspiracy theory a pillow salesman is promoting this week.”
Ya… how about “no.” Does “no” work for you?
Ha! Thanks for that. I needed a giggle today.
I don’t want them to “hurry the process along”, since we need it clearly established beyond even an unreasonable doubt that the GOP has entirely shit the bed with this mess. But at the same time, I want them to have a plan for how to finally end the shit show, because at some point the House is going to have to actually do something, or the entire US government will grind to a halt. You think a few days government shutdown because of budgetary wrangling is bad? Imagine a months-long shut down because the House can’t get its act together long enough to even get sworn in, let alone pass a budget resolution.
Can anybody describe what’s happening in the House? CNN has a split screen, one side showing the Damar Hamlin doctors’ press conference from Cincinnati (with audio); the other side is showing a bunch of House members speaking (without audio). Are these just nominations for the next round of voting?
Presidents have spent money without appropriations from Congress before (Trump with the border wall, Kennedy with the Peace Corps), in less dire situations than this even. He can redirect funds from one department to another as needed, especially if it means keeping the government functional as Republicans in Congress fiddle.
And if it gets challenged in the courts, good. Puts even a brighter spotlight on how Republicans are a detriment to our nation.