“A small group of extremist Republicans” threatens to trigger a paralysis of the American administration next week, “and all Americans could have to pay the price”, annoyed American President Joe Biden this Saturday, September 23. For several days, the threat of a new “shutdown” has loomed over the United States. The US Congress must vote on funding for the federal government before midnight on September 30 for it to continue operating. If the paralysis continues, civil servants may not be paid temporarily and many systems – health, pensions or air transport – would be affected.
The budget vote in Congress regularly turns into a standoff between the two parties, each side using the prospect of a “shutdown” to obtain concessions from the other, until a solution is found at the last minute. This time, despite a Senate dominated by Democrats and a House of Representatives under the control of the opposition, the two camps managed to reach an agreement. On Saturday, during a dinner in Congress, Joe Biden claimed to have agreed with the Republican President of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy on the level of public spending for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1. But then who is causing this disagreement?
Disagreement over Ukraine
It is a small group of rebels, at least four Republican representatives from the most conservative wing of the party. They are fiercely opposed to the vote on this budget, and more specifically to military and humanitarian aid of 24 billion dollars intended for Ukraine, which the White House wants to include.
At the head of this group, hyperconservative representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, considered Trump 2.0 and who has seen her media exposure skyrocket in recent months. In a video published Friday on X (formerly Twitter), she said she was opposed to more spending to support kyiv. “All week I said, ‘Take the money away and I’ll vote for it.’ But they did not respect me, they did not respect others, they did not respect the American people,” she insists. Greene endorsed the Department of Defense bill on Tuesday, before changing her vote on Thursday.
Despite a meeting of more than two hours within the Republican party to try to find a consensus and remove the specter of yet another “shutdown”, the chamber was ultimately opposed by 216 votes to 212 at the opening of the meeting. a debate on an $886 billion defense appropriations bill. A partial shutdown of federal agencies will begin in ten days if Congress cannot reach an agreement on a short-term funding text, or on a budget law for an entire year. To try to avoid catastrophe, two short-term bill solutions have already been proposed this week. They were rejected by the group of rebels: they refuse any provisional project.
Kevin McCarthy confident
On Tuesday, September 26, lawmakers are expected to return to begin a process of amending the bills, which could fund at least four of the government departments for all of 2024. House leaders hope that by amending two bills of law, they will be able to appease certain opponents. Kevin McCarthy notably proposed excluding from the general budget legislation any funding intended for Ukraine, and presenting it as a separate vote to avoid a general blockage. A singular political gesture of appeasement to try to win the support of Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The last paralysis of the federal administration dates back to 2018. Around 850,000 civil servants were placed on partial unemployment, according to the Committee. This time, President McCarthy nevertheless seems confident about the outcome of the disagreement. “I believe we have a majority here and we can work together to solve this problem,” he told the American press on Friday. But “it could take us a little more time,” he conceded.