While many areas of the country held elections Tuesday, Congress continued to shirk its main job: passing a budget for fiscal year 2026, which began on Oct. 1. Tuesday marked the 35th impasse day. Some people have enjoyed a respite in getting the government off their backs. But the shutdown sparked many problems, such as flight delays from a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Currently, a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats in the House backs a “clean” continuing resolution. It would end the shutdown until Nov. 21 by funding the government at the same levels as for fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30 – President Biden’s last budget. That would allow time for compromises to be worked out. Unfortunately, on Roll Call Vote 281, for H.R. 5371, all California Democrats voted Nay, including local Reps. Dave Min, Derek Tran, Robert Garcia and the normally reasonable Lou Correa.
In the Senate, Republicans hold a majority of 53 seats. But 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. Democrats have been filibustering the CR largely over funding the Affordable Care Act, called Obamacare. “We have now learned that the premiums for those on the ACA, 24 million people, that’s a huge number, will go up 114%,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer just before the shutdown began.
The real reason for the impasse is Congress’s refusal to make long-term fiscal reform, Romina Boccia told us; she’s the director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute and co-author of the recent book, “Reimagining Social Security: Global Lessons for Retirement Policy Change.” She said, “Getting out of the budget mess requires shifting away from shutdown theatrics and toward structural reform.”
She said the key is economic growth. Spending caps should be adopted to allow entitlement spending to rise only at sustainable levels. Spending for emergencies would be offset by cuts in other areas.
She also critiqued two proposed Republican solutions. President Trump has called on the Senate to end its filibuster rule, allowing a majority to pass a budget. “Those who want smaller government should take a longer view,” she warned. “The filibuster is an essentially conservative instrument. It slows the rush to spend and helps check majority tyranny.”
A better idea came from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky. He proposed Trump appoint three Democrats and three Republicans to a bipartisan commission that would resolve the Obamacare expiration problem over a month. Until then, a CR would reopen the government. Boccia said the idea has merit, but ought to be aimed at long-term fiscal reform. Otherwise, she said, “A narrowly focused commission risks distracting from those bigger spending issues.”
And the biggest spending issue of all is the federal debt, now a staggering $38.2 trillion, rising at a $1.8 trillion yearly clip.
However this shutdown ends, there must be a commitment to seriously looking at the fiscal state of the federal government and getting real about what needs to be done about keeping things on a fiscally sustainable basis. That should be government 101.
