Lawmakers negotiated up to the buzzer to avert a government shutdown Friday night at midnight.
The leader of the House of Representatives, Republican John Boehner blamed the Senate Democrats and President Obama. There is “Only one reason we do not have an agreement yet, and that is spending,” he told reporters before the deal was announced minutes before the deadline. “When will the White House and when will Senate Democrats get serious about cutting spending?”
The leader of the Senate, Democrat Harry Reid, said conservatives held the country hostage as they pushed for political priorities such as an end to funding for Planned Parenthood, a health organization that provides abortions among many other services.
“The Tea Party is trying to sneak through its extreme social agenda — issues that have nothing to do with funding the government. They are willing to throw women under the bus, even if it means they’ll shut down the government,” Reid said on the Senate floor before the deal was announced.
With hours until a shutdown, federal agencies prepared to furlough employees and cut off most services.
But as the clock ticked, conservative Republicans began to give ground on some of the political issues such as abortion and environmental regulation.
In the end, both sides agreed to cut $78.5 billion from the President's 2011 budget proposal.
Government shutdowns in 1995-96 affected everyone
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In 1995-96, during President Bill Clinton's administration, the government was shutdown for a total of 26 days. |
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The last government shut down did not go well for Republicans.
In 1995 and 1996, with Bill Clinton president , the government underwent a five-day, then a 21-day shutdown, in which hundreds of thousands government employees were forced to take a mandatory leave from their jobs. With the absence of these workers, many government services came to an abrupt halt.
The 1995-96 shutdowns had the following effects on the country:
- National parks, museums and monuments closed
- Visa and passport applications went unprocessed
- Delinquent child-support cases were delayed
- New patients were turned away from clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Disease surveillance done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention stopped
- American Veterans were unable to access health, financial and travel services
There were also indirect consequences of the shutdown, including the loss in money and jobs for many companies that work for government agencies.
Many Americans blamed the Republican Congress: President Clinton's approval rating rose and he successfully won reelection in November of 1996.
Sharp political differences remain
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President Obama gives his State of the Union address to Congress on Jan. 25, 2011. |
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But the current drama is far from over. The country has what is called a “divided Congress." Congress' two chambers are currently being led by different majorities: a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a Democratic majority in the Senate. This divide makes it much more difficult for a bill to pass through both chambers without lengthy debate.
In time-sensitive cases like current budget, the sharp divisions between the House and Senate make a stalemate more likely.
The 2010 mid-term elections focused on how much money the United States spends and borrows from other countries.
Republicans in the House remain adamant on upholding their campaign promise to reduce current spending levels to alleviate our country’s mounting debt.
Senate Democrats, on the other hand, are unwilling to accept the Republicans' proposed cuts, arguing that they will harm health and social services for the poor, as well as education.
The battle will continue as Congress prepares next years budget, and for presidential elections in November of 2012.
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Joplin was able to rise from the ashes because of help from everyone. And I am eternally grateful to anyone who made that possible.
