Republicans have a very slim majority in Congress, but the party has so far demonstrated greater voting discipline in both chambers
The longest government shutdown (‘shutdown’) in the history of the United States was heading, this Wednesday (12), towards a likely end in the Chamber of Representatives, where the Republican majority managed to dodge the Democrats’ most demanding demands. Republicans have a very narrow majority in Congress, but the party has so far demonstrated greater voting discipline in both chambers. Democrats, on the contrary, seem divided between a leadership that wants to maintain arm wrestling with the government and certain moderate legislators who have already broken ranks and reached an agreement under certain conditions.
Health debate
After six weeks of blockade, the Senate voted on Monday in favor of ending the closure, thanks to the participation of eight Democrats and the opposition of just one Republican. Efforts by Democrats to try to reopen the big debate over subsidies for health coverage have ended in frustration. The Senate voted to send a text back to the Chamber of Representatives that does not commit to anything on this front. Republicans limited themselves to promising a separate debate, in the short term, on aid for millions of Americans to pay for their health coverage.
The Rules committee of the House of Representatives announced, this Wednesday, that it has already approved by eight votes in favor and four against the law to reopen the government, which indicates that its definitive approval is likely in the plenary. “We are going to reopen our country, which should never have closed”, celebrated the president.
His allies in Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, demonstrated firmness through weeks of enormous pressure, which included flight cancellations across the country due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, who had not been paid for nearly two months.
The American president assured that the Chamber is ready to extend public spending until January. “Only those who hate our country want to see it closed,” he told ESPN. “It’s very sad. They closed the government for more than 40 days, and for what?”, added the head of the Republican caucus in the Chamber, Tom Emmer.
Democrat nervousness
The minority leader in the Senate, Democrat Chuck Schumer, voted against the reopening, the same position maintained by the head of the representative bench, Hakeem Jeffries, this Wednesday. “People’s health care in this country is about to become priceless,” Jeffries said. The controversy lies in “Obamacare”, the health reform approved during the presidency of Democrat Barack Obama, which represented a first attempt to introduce universal public health coverage across the country.
This coverage, which the Supreme Court ruled could not be mandatory, has survived thanks to tax credits approved by Democrats. Faced with the coronavirus pandemic crisis, the Democrat extended a series of subsidies into 2022 to help millions of Americans pay for this coverage. The aid period expires at the end of the year, which can cause the values to rise considerably.
Republicans argue that these subsidies should only help the most disadvantaged classes and not be extended indiscriminately. During the heated debates over the government shutdown, Republicans also accused Democrats of wanting to benefit millions of undocumented immigrants.
Polls showed that the majority of the population held Trump and Republicans responsible for the closure, as they dominate the White House and Congress. But their unity remained almost uncracked, while public outrage grew. Nervousness ended up weighing most heavily on the Democratic ranks, who just a week ago were celebrating a series of victories in their electoral strongholds, including the election of Zohran Mamdani, a self-declared socialist candidate, to command New York City Council.
Generational renewal accelerates in this party. The veteran leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, announced her retirement last week, and Schumer appears increasingly questioned in the Senate.
*With information from AFP
