Tag: Government shutdown

Paul Ryan Could Be Next Speaker, But Hard-Liners Have A Big Decision To Mak

Paul Ryan Could Be Next Speaker, But Hard-Liners Have A Big Decision To Make

OCTOBER 21, 2015 6:03 AM ET
RON ELVING
Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., at a news conference following a meeting of House Republicans Tuesday night. Ryan says he will run for House speaker if the disparate GOP factions can get behind him.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., at a news conference following a meeting of House Republicans Tuesday night. Ryan says he will run for House speaker if the disparate GOP factions can get behind him.

Andrew Harnik/AP

Paul Ryan made it all but official Tuesday night.

He told his fellow Republicans he had returned from a 10-day recess visit home to Wisconsin with a new attitude toward being Speaker of the House.

After weeks of being ostensibly uninterested and even hostile to the idea, Ryan had found a reason to seek the most powerful post in Congress and the second spot in the presidential succession (after vice president).

“I came to the conclusion that this is a very dire moment, not just for Congress, not just for the Republican Party, but for our country,” Ryan said. “I think our country is in desperate need of leadership.”

That was one of several lines Ryan delivered to waiting reporters after a late-evening, closed-door meeting with the Republican Conference. Here’s another:

“I have shown my colleagues what I think success looks like, what I think it takes to unify and lead, and how my family commitments come first. I have left this decision in their hands, and should they agree with these requests then I am happy, and I am willing to get to work.”

 

Continue reading “Paul Ryan Could Be Next Speaker, But Hard-Liners Have A Big Decision To Mak”

2016 Budget Talking Points

IMPORTANT: This information should not be downloaded using government equipment, read during duty time or sent to others using government equipment, because it suggests action to be taken in support or against legislation. Do not use your government email address or government phone in contacting your Member of Congress.

Budget Talking Points: FY’16

  • On December 11th, we will be on the verge of another government shutdown. This will be the third time in less than 5 years that we are facing this kind of fiscal crisis.
  • These crises aren’t just bad for Americans’ confidence in Congress, they’re bad for the economy. As a federal employee, these shutdowns are directly impacting my ability to provide needed services to the American people.
  • I want a budget deal that works for working Americans. For my family and I, that means ending the sequestration and not cutting my, or any other federal workers’, pay. Enough is enough.
  • Federal employees have already contributed $159 billion towards deficit reduction through a combination of retirement cuts, pay freezes, furloughs, and budget cuts. The math is:
    • 3-year pay freeze (2011, 2012, 2013)
    • 2012 UI extension which increased retirement contributions for 2013 hires to 3.1%
    • 2013 lost salaries of 750,000 employees furloughed because of sequestration
    • 2013 Murray-Ryan increased retirement contributions for post-2013 hires to 4.4%
  • The House- and Senate-passed budget resolutions includes a 6.25% increase in pension contributions for all federal employees, which would mean a pay cut for the entire federal workforce. That’s equivalent to me losing 3 weeks of pay! Haven’t we sacrificed enough already?
  • No other group has had to sacrifice so much in the name of deficit reduction, and now, some in Congress want more from federal workers.
  • We all want a deal; but not at the expense of our livelihoods and our abilities to provide services to the American people. Vote NO on any budget that doesn’t end the Sequestration and vote NO to any bill that would further cut federal employees’ pay.

Republicans Have 2 Months to Fund Government, Raise the Debt Ceiling and More

Republicans Have 2 Months to Fund Government, Raise the Debt Ceiling and More

Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner (right) arrives at a meeting to nominate candidates for his replacement.
Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner (right) arrives at a meeting to nominate candidates for his replacement. Evan Vucci/AP

Con­gress is back in town after a brief re­cess. And now it faces a two-month stretch of mind-numb­ing chal­lenges.

It must avert a gov­ern­ment-shut­down dead­line of Dec. 11, raise the coun­try’s bor­row­ing au­thor­ity by Nov. 3, and fund in­fra­struc­ture pro­jects past the end of Oc­to­ber, as well as ex­tend a series of pop­u­lar-but-ex­pired tax breaks.

It would be a daunt­ing sched­ule even be­fore con­sid­er­ing these com­plic­a­tions: a House GOP without an idea who its next speak­er will be or when John Boehner will resign, a House re­volt vote to re­store the Ex­port-Im­port bank over the ob­jec­tions of con­ser­vat­ives and even some GOP lead­ers, pre­cious time spent to hon­or Vet­er­ans Day, and a week back home to cut the Thanks­giv­ing tur­key.

 

Continue reading “Republicans Have 2 Months to Fund Government, Raise the Debt Ceiling and More”

Budget talks stall before they even begin

Budget talks stall before they even begin

Congressional Republicans are trying to project confidence. But the Senate GOP has a major uphill battle. By  10/19/15 05:15 AM EDT

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Congress’ crucial effort to strike a year-end fiscal deal is faltering before it’s really started.

Republicans are demanding changes to entitlement programs, a request that’s already been rejected by Democrats. Democrats want boosts in domestic spending without painful cuts, a nonstarter for the GOP. Meanwhile, there’s no House speaker scheduled to serve past October. And private staff-level talks are making little headway, according to sources close to the negotiations.

To top it all off, the Big Four congressional negotiators still haven’t been in the same room.

“It’s such a hard equation to figure right now,” said one Democratic aide close to the negotiations. A meeting at the White House “has gotta happen soon.” Continue reading “Budget talks stall before they even begin”

Shutdowns Affect Feds More Acutely Than Debt Ceiling Woes

Shutdowns Affect Feds More Acutely Than Debt Ceiling Woes

Flickr user John Sonderman

Deadlines again loom for keeping the government open and dealing with the debt limit. So, which is worse for federal employees: A government shutdown or a debt ceiling crisis?

That depends on whether you are looking at short-term, or long-term consequences. Federal workers likely would feel the effects of a government shutdown more acutely than they would the repercussions of exceeding the debt limit. But if the government’s alternative financing options are exhausted and the Treasury Department runs low on cash before a new debt limit is agreed upon, there could be problems.

“Failing to raise the debt ceiling would not bring the government to a screeching halt the way that not passing appropriations bills would,” said a 1995 report from the Congressional Budget Office. “Employees would not be sent home, and checks would continue to be issued. If the Treasury was low on cash, however, there could be delays in honoring checks and disruptions in the normal flow of government services.”

 

Continue reading “Shutdowns Affect Feds More Acutely Than Debt Ceiling Woes”

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