JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There is a lot to process and to continue watching from Washington, D.C., this week.
While lawmakers agreed to the continuing resolution to fund the government Thursday, negotiations continue regarding President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. There are multiple issues taking center stage, including an effort to increase the debt limit of the United States and two infrastructure bills that are, in some ways, competing with each other.
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The bill to avoid a government shutdown only gives Congress until Dec. 3. News4Jax political analyst Rick Mullaney said we’re likely to see another shutdown showdown in two more months.
“Here’s why it’s so divisive, and here’s what really we’ll be up against,” Mullaney said. “There’s two things to keep in mind. One is this fund the government legislation that authorizes spending to keep to avoid the shutdown that’s to go forward with spending to run the government. The second is the debt ceiling, that’s by statute and involves an authorization for borrowing. That deadline is Oct. 18, according to Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary. That is a serious deadline and she warns of dire financial consequences if we miss that deadline.”
“The divisiveness part came when the legislation will try to do both of them at the same time, to authorize spending and the increase in the borrowing and Republicans objected,” Mullaney told me. “In response, the Democrats get one piece of ledge legislation this stopgap measure to fund the government, both sides disagree, and that’s what got passed on Thursday to avoid a shutdown.”
Sunday morning on This Week in Jacksonville, Mullaney and I discuss the debt ceiling and the difference between the infrastructure bills being debated in the House and Senate.
One senator, in particular, has held up Biden’s agenda. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he won’t agree to a $3.5 trillion bill for social infrastructure. That bill could expand paid leave, child care, Medicare and education while investing in green energy.
I asked Mullaney how one lawmaker could hold up the president’s agenda, and if that’s unusual.
“Two answers to that: yes it is unusual. But second, because of the unique circumstances of a 50/50 Senate with the tiebreaker being the Vice President, and because of the process known as reconciliation in which you can get past the filibuster and pass it with 51 votes, in effect, every Democratic senator has veto authority over that $3.5 trillion bill. Every Democratic senator does, but the only two that are talking about it are Manchin, and (Senator Kyrsten) Sinema (of Arizona).”
Sunday on This Week in Jacksonville, Kent is also talking with Jake Gordon, the leader of Downtown Vision Inc. DVI just released results of an 18-month study on downtown’s health.
Plus, activist Desmond Meade also visits Sunday’s program. He has lead efforts on rights restoration for former felons, and he received another award recently for his work. At the same time, he has been denied a pardon by Florida’s Clemency Board twice in the past 12 months.
You can watch the full interviews with all of our guests on This Week in Jacksonville at 9 a.m. Sunday on Channel 4 and at noon Sunday on CW17.
