In a minor cause of celebration, the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has managed to get a clean stopgap bill that will avert any government shutdown until January 19th. So with just three days to spare before the latest shutdown threat, the Republican leadership gave over 90 members of its caucus the middle finger and used Democratic support to pass a bipartisan bill. Oh, the shame of it all. Government entities work together to govern. What will they think of next?
Of course, this being the most bare minimum of the function of government, I am pressed to celebrate this victory much. After all, the passing of bills to allow the government to function is the most basic job of the House. Yet that continues to be a job that they seem unwilling to do before they do all the other posturing that is more politically advantageous.
For now, I will take this bare minimum as a win. But it’s a win only in that just maybe Congress can prove they might be able to finally get back on their tricycle and make the transition from kindergarten. But we’ll see. My bet is they manage to tip it all over before the end of the year. Anyone want to bet against me?