Deal or No Deal?

That indeed, is the question of the day. President Biden and Speaker of the House, McCarthy, have each presented their case to their respective parties. If the two parties agree on the Debt Ceiling Bill once written, there will be no default and they will raise the Federal debt ceiling limit for two years, negating the need to do this wrangling all over again in a year.

As reported in the New York Times: “It is an important step forward that reduces spending while protecting critical programs for working people and growing the economy for everyone,” Mr. Biden said. “And the agreement protects my and congressional Democrats’ key priorities and legislative accomplishments. The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want.”

Speaker McCarthy now has to sell the deal to his disgruntled caucus and explain why they will not get everything they wanted, but that the Democrats won’t either. That is the adult concept known as a compromise and is something his hard-liners have said they will not do.

On the other side, Progressive Democrats are not happy that the agreements will hold spending at last year’s levels and may hold back some initiatives they hold dear on the social safety net and the environment.

It seems there will be some minor changes in the SNAP payments age/work requirements, a repurposing of unused COVID funds and a roll-back of some allocations promised to the FBI (which were mis-characterized by the right). Since the written bill is not released as of this writing, I do not have further details.

McCarthy said he plans to bring it to the House for a vote by Wednesday, May 31^st. It will then go to the Senate, and then to the White House, should it pass both Houses of Congress. That remains a big if. So, hold onto your hats, get your scorecards ready, and wait.

Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen said on Friday that the government will run out of money by June 5th, which is a week from tomorrow. I certainly hope that those in Congress will accept these deals. Somehow, we have gotten away from the days where give and take in legislative decisions was a given, the normal flow of a workday. Too often, partisan rhetoric has presented itself as discussion when it is posturing without listening to those on the other side.

Until this increase in the debt ceiling is signed, the country’s finances are in some type of limbo. Seniors will not know if their Social Security checks will arrive on time, government employees will be unsure if they can go to work or if the Federal government will pay them when they do. Government vendors will wonder if this discussion will delay the processing of their invoices.

The Stock Market might have a sell-off as businesses try to avoid a recession and devaluing of their assets. The United States might see a drop in its credit rating as our allies watch in dismay. The country should not be facing this state of affairs. The debt ceiling should have been routinely raised as a matter of ordinary business, just as it was three times under the former president.

But, no, there are some conservatives in Congress who think we elected them to tear down the government instead of to make it function more efficiently. They are standing with the MAGA folks who are supporting the default wing of the party. The Republican Party chair, Ronna Daniels, has also spoken in favor of default, saying that to do so would help her party. Way to support your country, Ronna!

This is being written on Sunday evening, so the waiting will continue. I hope that all of our legislators will put the needs of our country above those of their party and support raising the debt limit.

In other news, reports continue to suggest that Special Counsel, Jack Smith, is close to indicting the former president on issues related to the Mar-a-Lago classified documents. In reporting from the Washington Post this week, Smith has testimony from employees there that DJT directed a type of dress rehearsal about moving these documents aside, even before the subpoena for them was first issued. This could lead to a charge of obstruction of justice. Others have said he shared some of the classified materials with casual visitors, which could lead to an espionage charge. But on the recent CNN Town Hall, the former president did not deny this action, but deflected the question, saying he could share them as he had the right and continued to insist the papers were his to do with as he chose.

In related news, this past week Stuart Rhodes, the leader of the Proud Boys, who has been convicted of sedition and other charges in relation to actions on January 6^th, was sentenced to eighteen years in Federal Prison. His deputy received a sentence of twelve years. Although Rhodes did not enter the Capitol, his communications showed leadership of those who did and intent to overthrow a legal, elected government. He was defiant in court and called for the re-election of DJT. Of course, the former president has now stated he plans to pardon the January 6^th insurrectionists when he is elected.

In other news, this week saw the first anniversary of the school massacre at Uvalde Texas. The legislature there has not banned assault rifles, and a bill to raise the age to purchase such weapons failed despite intense lobbying by Uvalde families and others.

The right wing of the Republican party also struck back at claims about the Allen TX Shopping Mall shooting recently. Despite law enforcement showing the torso of the shooter, smeared with swastikas, and published rantings with on-line postings in white supremacist sites, many claimed he could not be a white supremacist since he had a Hispanic background. (This ignores the reality that white supremacists can be of varied backgrounds and that many Hispanics identify as white.) They also claimed that when a person of South Asian descent rammed into the White House Guard House and fence with a U-Haul truck, while displaying a Nazi flag, and stated he wanted to kill the president. Too close to home, guys?

This has been a kinda messy week, hasn’t it? (DeSantis next week, cause his launch was whacky!)

In news regarding Ukraine, the city of Bakhmut has been reduced to rubble by the Russians Wagner Army whose leader is fighting with Putin and his generals about supplies. Some say that over 100,000 Russian soldiers have died in this war so far; total casualties are unknown. Civilian casualties are not adequately counted because of captures, civilian movements, kidnappings, and mass graves.

The leader of Belarus, Mr. Lukashenko, was hospitalized for treatment of poisoning after a recent meeting with Putin; he remains in critical condition. The population of Belarus does not support Putin’s war and Lukashenko refused to send troops. Is this Putin’s revenge? Shouldn’t average Russians be tired of having their president's enemies being pushed out of windows, shot in the streets, and poisoned? Or is it their leaders do not make them aware of these atrocities? Has Putin finally overstepped? One can hope that this immoral man who cloaks himself in the trappings, but not the morality of religion, is someday brought to justice in a world court.

And, finally, today, in Turkey, in a runoff, strong-man Erdogan was re-elected; another blow against democracy as he prepares for a third term after twenty years in office. His opponent was not allowed to have a presence on state-run media and used social media; not a fair fight. Erdogan also escaped the blame for shoddy apartment construction and lack of oversight, which led to excess deaths in the recent horrific earthquakes in Turkey.

“Til next week-Peace!