THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 2013

Showdown in the Legislative Branch: Republicans vs. Democrats or Democrats

and Moderate Republicans vs. Conservative and Tea Party Republicans

FEDERAL BUDGET PROCESS

• FY 2013 was reviewed in class yesterday-it’s important to understand for Friday’s Build Strategy and the 10-28 test.

• Anything in this Power point today is eligible to be a part of the two activities above.

POLITICS IS EVERYTHING!

• The Republican led House and the Democratic led Senate cannot agree to a FY 2013 Budget.

• The House 234-201 Republican and the Senate is 55-45 Democrat.

• 144 members of the House are Conservative Republicans (49 Tea Party Members) who want to defund Obama Care.

• The Speaker of the House, in an effort to keep his job, has sided with Conservative Republicans.

MORE POLITICS

• The Speaker refuses to hold an up or down vote on the Budget, because he knew it will pass.

• A poll came out yesterday stating that the political breakdown of the country was as follows:– 28 % Hard Core Conservative (Tea Party Types) – 51 % Moderate (Not Hard Core either way)– 21% Hard Core Liberals (MSNBC types)

Confused about the back-and-forth between the House and Senate over the budget shutdown that threatens

the entire American economy? Allow us to explain, using the Legos on our desk.

Let's say, for the sake of explanation, that this is the funding for the federal budget. (Clean Budget)

Let's say, for the sake of explanation, that this is the funding for the federal budget.

It's not that clean and orderly, of course. And the budget at issue in Congress right

now has big holes from where the Sequestration led to across the board cuts

It's not that clean and orderly, of course. And the budget at issue in Congress right now has big holes from where the sequestration led to across-the-board cuts.

BUDGET IS A NUMBER OF PIECES

• All Budgets are composed of a number of parts:– National Defense 20%– Social Security 20%– Medicaid 20%– Medicare 20%– Other 20%– Obama Care ?

PIECES OF BUDGET IN LEGOS

Like any budget, it's composed of a number of pieces.

A lot of it, for example, goes to defense. (National Defense was 20

% of the 2012 Federal Budget)A lot of it, for example, goes to defense. (Not to scale, since defense was one-fifth of the budget in 2011.)

And some of it goes to the Affordable Care Act, or Obama care, which itself

has a number of pieces.

And some of it goes to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, which itself has a number of pieces.That's it at right. That's Obamacare.

DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BUDGET

• And then there are all sorts of other things that are included: parks and health and veteran's services and nutrition, for example.

• National Guard• National Parks• WIC-Food Stamps• Washington DC• FEMA• Head Start• Veterans Services

SEQUESTRATION CAME OUT OF THE LAST AGREEMENT

So the funding proposal under discussion looks more like this, with all those little pieces added in and still those holes from sequestration.

On September 30, the budget was set to expire. So Senate Majority Leader Harry

Reid, a Democrat, advocated for passing a resolution continuing the ugly budget

(WITH SEQUESTRATION).On September 30, the budget was set to expire. So Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, advocated for passing a resolution continuing the ugly budget we've been working with all year. This is the so-called "clean CR," a resolution without amendments.

• At first, House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, seemed to go along with that. His second-in-command even wrote a statement praising the passage of the sequestered budget in September.

But then Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas got involved. He'd spent the summer

touring the country with the Heritage Foundation, arguing that a shutdown

was preferable to providing any money for Obama care.

But then Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas got involved. He'd spent the summer touring the country with the Heritage Foundation, arguing that a shutdown was preferable to providing any money for Obamacare.

Cruz convinced his conservative allies in the Senate and House that this made sense. So, with

not much time left before the budget ran out, Boehner proposed continuing the budget as it

was, minus the Obama care part. It passed the Republican House.

Cruz convinced his conservative allies in the Senate and House that this made sense. So, with not much time left before the budget ran out, Boehner proposed continuing the budget as it was, minus the Obamacare part. It passed the Republican House.

Cruz (and everyone else, really) knew the idea wouldn't pass Reid's Democratic Senate. So after

being pressured to do so, he gave a 21-hour speech that essentially just

burned the clock.Cruz (and everyone else, really) knew the idea wouldn't pass Reid's Democratic Senate. So after being pressured to do so, he gave a 21-hour speech that essentially just burned the clock.

And sure enough, Reid and the Democratic Senate said, "No. Pass

the whole thing."And sure enough, Reid and the Democratic Senate said, "No. Pass the whole thing."

Boehner tried again. This time, he proposed delaying part of Obamacare,

repealing a tax on some medical devices, and taking out a mandate that

employers cover contraception.Boehner tried again. This time, he proposed delaying part of Obamacare, repealing a tax on some medical devices, and taking out a mandate that employers cover contraception.

Reid and the Democrats had the same response. No. Pass the whole

thing.Reid and the Democrats had the same response. No. Pass the whole thing.

That same day, September 30, Boehner tried again. How about

delaying the individual mandate to buy health insurance?Th

at same day, September 30, Boehner tried again. How about delaying the individual mandate and revoking the subsidy the government gives staffers to buy health insurance?

No, the Democrats replied. Pass the whole thing.

No, the Democrats replied. Pass the whole thing.

Shortly after midnight on October 1, Boehner tried one last idea. Same as the last proposal, but including a conference between the two chambers to work out a

longer-term plan.Shortly after midnight on October 1, Boehner tried one last idea. Same as the last proposal, but including a conference between the two chambers to work out a longer-term plan.

No. The whole thing.

No. The whole thing.

By then, the government had shut down. So the Republicans turned

to another great idea from Ted Cruz: Why not pass bills funding

parts of the government?By then, the government had shut down. So the Republicans turned to another great idea from Ted Cruz: Why not pass bills funding parts of the government?

This seemed smart politically: make the Senate say no to things people loved. Like, at first, money for the Head Start, the Park

Service, and money for the Washington DC.

And then they added more: benefits for veterans and money for the National Guard.

... Money for FEMA and for nutritional programs.

.

.

. Money for FEMA and for nutritional programs.

But the response from the Democrats has been the same: No. The whole thing. After all, they argue, anything else is simply the Republicans holding some aspect of the government hostage to demands they

can't pass in Congress.But the response from the Democrats has been the same: No. The whole thing. After all, they argue, anything else is simply the Republicans holding some aspect of the government hostage to demands they can't pass in Congress.

So here we are. The Democrats want a vote to pass the full budget;

Boehner won't let it happen. The shutdown is 2 1/2 week old.

The end.So here we are. The Democrats want a vote to pass the full budget; Boehner won't let it happen. The shutdown is one week old.The end.

THE VOTE

• To pass a budget, you need 218 votes (Simple Majority). Most experts say that if the speaker allowed the Budgets that passed the Senate to come to a vote, it would easily pass with 201 Democrats voting for and at least 15 more Republicans joining in.

• Is this fair what the Speaker is doing?

A DEAL WAS REACHED

• Deal made last night– House voted 285-144 to reopen the government-

87 Republicans joined Democrats in the vote– Senate voted 81-18

• In the Deal– The Government will be funded to January 15,

2014– Obama care will remain in tact– The Sequester will remain in tact

HOMEWORK

• Homework– Complete a Summary of the provided article on

my website labeled “Government Shutdown”.– Find an Article that best represents your point of

view.• If you were a member of Congress?– You would push for another shutdown, and this is

why….– No, you would be against another shutdown, and

this is why….