mikegriffith1
Mike Griffith
The House passed the funding bill in September, over a month ago, but Senate Democrats blocked the bill in the Senate with a filibuster and forced the government to shut down. Every Senate Republican voted for the bill, but only three Democrats voted for it. The vote was 55-45, and it takes 60 votes to pass a funding bill that's being filibustered. Another vote was held in the Senate just last week, and once again only three Democrats voted for it.
The Democrats say they won't vote to reopen the government unless the Republicans agree to undo the Medicaid cuts as part of the funding bill. In essence, Democrats are trying to undo the 2024 election when it comes to Medicaid funding. The House and Senate voted to approve the Medicaid cuts as part of the tax-cut bill in July. Democrats lost those votes because they lost the 2024 election. They could not block the Medicaid cuts because the tax-cut bill did not require 60 votes to pass, only 51 votes.
I happen to largely agree with the Democrats about the Medicaid cuts, but using extortion to try to undo the cuts by refusing to fund the government sets a very bad precedent. It amounts to trying to undo the 2024 election for Senate votes on Medicaid. If the Democrats had not lost the Senate in the 2024 election, the tax-cut bill would not have included the Medicaid cuts and may not have passed in any form. (If that had happened, middle-income taxpayers would have seen their taxes rise substantially starting in January, because the 2017 tax cuts expire at the end of this year. If you don't believe this, just check the 2016 tax brackets.)
Senate Republicans could pass the funding bill by invoking reconciliation for the bill, which would mean the bill could not be filibustered, which in turn would mean the bill would just need a simple majority to pass, not 60 votes, but Republicans are reluctant to use this "nuclear option" because they fear it will end the ability of future Senate minorities to block funding bills with a filibuster, leaving future minorities just as powerless as the minority in the House.
It would not kill the Republicans to offer a meaningful compromise on the Medicaid cuts, perhaps an offer to reduce the cuts by 50%. Then, if the Democrats refused the offer and still refused to fund the government, the Democrats would be even more clearly to blame for continuing the shutdown.
The Democrats say they won't vote to reopen the government unless the Republicans agree to undo the Medicaid cuts as part of the funding bill. In essence, Democrats are trying to undo the 2024 election when it comes to Medicaid funding. The House and Senate voted to approve the Medicaid cuts as part of the tax-cut bill in July. Democrats lost those votes because they lost the 2024 election. They could not block the Medicaid cuts because the tax-cut bill did not require 60 votes to pass, only 51 votes.
I happen to largely agree with the Democrats about the Medicaid cuts, but using extortion to try to undo the cuts by refusing to fund the government sets a very bad precedent. It amounts to trying to undo the 2024 election for Senate votes on Medicaid. If the Democrats had not lost the Senate in the 2024 election, the tax-cut bill would not have included the Medicaid cuts and may not have passed in any form. (If that had happened, middle-income taxpayers would have seen their taxes rise substantially starting in January, because the 2017 tax cuts expire at the end of this year. If you don't believe this, just check the 2016 tax brackets.)
Senate Republicans could pass the funding bill by invoking reconciliation for the bill, which would mean the bill could not be filibustered, which in turn would mean the bill would just need a simple majority to pass, not 60 votes, but Republicans are reluctant to use this "nuclear option" because they fear it will end the ability of future Senate minorities to block funding bills with a filibuster, leaving future minorities just as powerless as the minority in the House.
It would not kill the Republicans to offer a meaningful compromise on the Medicaid cuts, perhaps an offer to reduce the cuts by 50%. Then, if the Democrats refused the offer and still refused to fund the government, the Democrats would be even more clearly to blame for continuing the shutdown.
