Black People Politics : Leading U.S. House Democrat sees tough fight over government shutdown

[Clyde C Coger Jr]

In the Spirit of Sankofa,



Leading U.S. House Democrat sees tough fight over government shutdown


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives predicted on Tuesday a tough battle for averting a government shutdown on October 1, saying the atmosphere in Congress is worse than it was in 1995-96 when a similar funding impasse closed federal agencies.
"I think we're going to have a fight," Representative Steny Hoyer told reporters, adding that 18 years ago there were significantly more moderate Republicans willing to seek compromises with Democrats and still there were shutdowns.
Now, Hoyer said, Republicans "terrified of the Tea Party," are hurting prospects for a deal on government spending.

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U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) speaks to the 2013 National Association for the Advancement of Colored …

Hoyer said that a "big, comprehensive" deal is needed to replace those across-the-board cuts that even Republicans like House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers have criticized as "unrealistic and ill-conceived."
A large deal sought by Democrats would have a mix of spending cuts, tax increases and reforms to programs like Social Security and Medicare. But it has been elusive and there has been no sign of one coming together anytime soon.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday estimated that if the growth in long-term government healthcare and retirement costs are not curbed, U.S. budget deficits will nearly double as a percentage of economic output between 2023 and 2038.
Instead of passing a short-term bill to fund the government, one that possibly extends for only several weeks, Hoyer urged settling full-year funding by September 30.