US Shutdown Risk Remains With Spending Deal Elusive, Schumer Says
BloombergFEB 2024
Biden Urges Congress to Avoid Looming Partial Shutdown
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The Spin
Democratic narrative
As the majority House Republican Conference remains fractured, with far-right MAGA conservatives pushing for cutting federal funding and adding unacceptable partisan policy conditions to spending bills, America is yet again at the brink of an unacceptable shutdown. Similar to the three previous close calls in a year, Democrats will have to avoid it.
Republican narrative
This is the perfect time to add an automatic sequestration mechanism to cut spending in the case of future impasses. If Speaker Johnson can keep out of the way members of his own caucus who believe that threatening government shutdowns in a bipartisan brinkmanship theater is good politics, then House Republicans will be able to achieve their biggest — and easiest — win in years.