September 30 is the last day America’s federal debt limit has to be agreed to by Congress and the White House. Although eight months away, the blame game of whose fault it will be if a ceiling is not agreed to is already under way. That is because if it is not agreed to, a catastrophic government federal debt default will take place this summer, before the government shutdown on September 30th. Hence, the blame game is already underway – fast and furious!
In mid-January, newly elected Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, started to blame the Democrats. “Why create a crisis over this?” he told reporters, suggesting that there did not have to be a debt default or government shutdown, if only the president and congressional Democrats would cooperate “We’ve got a Republican House, Democratic Senate, and you’ve got the president there. I think it is arrogant to say we are not going to negotiate about anything.”
“I think it is reckless and wholly irresponsible to just increase the line of credit without adding guardrails and fiscal reforms of all kinds to begin restraining the spending and bending the debt curb,” said Representative Jodey C. Arrington, Republican of Texas and chairman of the Budget Committee.
Congressman Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona, said on Twitter that the debt limit should not be raised under any circumstances since “Democrats have carelessly spent our taxpayer money and devalued our currency.”
At a breakfast observance of Martin Luther King’s Birthday, President Biden ridiculed the Republicans as “fiscally demented” for their approach. “They don’t quite get it,” he said.
“They are the ones who are taking an active, destructive step, saying, ‘I will force a default unless you accede to my demands,’” said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman. “If the United States defaulted, millions of jobs would vanish in an instant; retirement funds would take a swan dive.”
“This president and the American people will not stand for unprecedented economic vandalism,” Mr. Bates added.
Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, and the chairman of the Finance Committee, said it best: “The debt ceiling is not about adding new spending. It’s about paying debts that the government owes – debts that were incurred under presidents of both parties.”
On January 28, 2018, I posted a blog titled America Shutdown and Broken regarding the shutdown that lasted a few day and lamented that Washington’s career politicians were merely kicking the can down the road. Here we are again on that same old road.
In my January 28 blog I said:
“There is something wrong with this picture.
American taxpayers paying their taxes,
federal employees doing their job,
not getting what they are promised,
while career politicians not doing their job
and getting paid for their failed promise
is the ultimate-definition proof of
how broken America is politically.
….
We ain’t seen nothing yet. The 3-day shutdown is
nothing compared to what is on the horizon.”
The current blame game is testimony to how broken the democracy envisioned by America’s Founding Fathers is.
It is time to move on. Time to stop partisan politicking to settle old grudges and start legislating policies that affect Americans “everyday” lives positively, rather than focusing and wasting more time and money on what is in the best interest of a party and the 2024 elections.
Americans want Congress to focus on substantive issues such as income inequality, immigration, jobs, climate change, the economy, health care, gun control, taxes and education – not partisan party politics.
Career politicians must start listening to the people and keep America balanced like the Founding Fathers intended. Militarily, economically and politically.
America will remain strong and grow economically only if D.C. elected representatives check and balance what they do, to ensure it is in the country’s best interest, not personal or their party’s. Country before party. America First.
Wishful thinking I know. Nothing has changed. Nevertheless, the hardball magnified partisan rift must be softened and shrunk — if America is to stay strong after the looming economic downturn, or recession, and 2024 election.