The US Chamber of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, will take a vote on Tuesday a resolution of continuity of the budget to avoid the partial closure of the federal government starting on Saturday.
The leadership of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives, headed by Mike Johnson, hopes to take the vote of a “ongoing resolution” bill on Tuesday for the plenary for the Federal Government Financing Until September 30, which would avoid a partial closure from Saturday.
The Republican Plan is to overcome the vote with its own unity in majority of 220 seats against the 215 Democrats in the lower house; The Democratic opposition has expressed its rejection of the plan that Republicans expect to arrive as soon as possible to the Senate, where the obstacles to prosper are greater when needing the support of at least seven Democratic senators.
Republicans also have a simple majority in the 53 Senate compared to 47, but they need more than a simple majority to endorse a budget legislation that then arrives at the office of President Donald Trump.
The plan that will vote on Tuesday contemplates an increase in defense spending of about 6,000 million dollars more than fiscal year 2024, but tries to reduce other federal government expenses by $ 13,000 million.
Criticisms of the plan have not been expected from the Democratic Party in both cameras by questioning the proposal that Republicans consider “clean”, in which Democrats see many gaps.
“Democrats from the House of Representatives will not be accomplices of republican efforts to damage the American people,” said the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, from New York.
The Democratic bench considers that the legislation would give more maneuver margins to President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to readjust the limits of financing, according to their own plans, which keep the entire government apparatus tense before the Threat of mass dismissalsto reduce expenses.
“This is not a clean monitoring resolution. This bill is a blank check, ”said the representative Rosa Delauro de Connecticut, the most rank Democrat in the Assignments Commission of the Representatives Chamber. “It's a blank check for Elon Musk and President Trump,” he said.
The Republican party rejects that insistence of its Democratic colleagues in both legislative cameras.
Jonhson predicted on Monday that the resolution will “pass” on Tuesday because “nobody wants to close the government. We are governing, doing the responsible as Republicans. It will depend on Chuck Schumer (head of the minority in the Upper House) and the Senate Democrats do the right thing, ”he said.
If there was no agreement before Friday at midnight, the closure of the government would affect some 900,000 federal employees that could be suspended without salary and more than 1.4 million could have to continue working, many of them without receiving salary, as Rachel Snyderman, executive director of Economic Policy of the Bipartisan Policy Center in statements in the press has estimated.
Stretch and prize on both sides
President Trump has asked the legislators of his party to “remain united, without dissent” and act accordingly to his plan in the “right time.”
The call of the president has promoted the support in the group of his party such as the House Freedom Caucus that has previously opposed the expense bill; But now he is preparing to support him under the argument that: “Contrary to the abuse that Congress has long done this legislative tool, this resolution is a paradigm shift,” he said in a statement.
However, at least one republican legislator previously worried about spending plans has expressed his opposition to bow to vote without questions; This is the representative Thomas Massie, Republican by Kentucky, who is still an undecided and has said that this time he will vote against.
“I guess the deficits only matter when we are a minority,” Massie told Associated Presswhen asked why his colleagues did not listen to his concerns.
A memorandum published by the Democrats put his finger on the line of the specific directives for the financing of programs such as “key” in the expenses law, and that in the legislation they disappear, which considers that the Trump administration would have more maneuver margins to restructure it according to its priorities.
“President Trump has supported this full year resolution because he understands what awaits him: more power over federal expenditure to choose winners and losers and devastate Democratic states and priorities,” warned the memorandum.
The Democrats also consider that the proposal as it will vote in the lower house leaves loose aspects such as diverting money from the fight against fentanyl to allocate it to the initiatives of massive deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The Senate has not delved into opinions pending the first step of the house of representatives and seeing the content to consider it, the Democrats have offered another proposal that would be a counteroffie in case of not overcoming both hemiciclos the republican plan.
(With information from Associated Press and Reuters)