US Government lives month to month

The news this morning is that Congress has passed legislation to keep the government open until the end of the year. In essence, the federal government lives from month to month.

What does this say about the state of the union? Presently, the dysfunctional Congress decided to fund the government so incumbents can go home to get reelected. Have they earned the will of the people to return them to office? Most incumbents are not qualified to be there in the first place. They didn't have sufficient experience entering the office, and it is impossible to gain experience while in government that should have been acquired outside. That is one view. They can't get better with more government experience.

Besides, this Congress has left an enormous debt that is not just unattended; it has been permitted to grow. The interest on the debt is eating our future as a nation.

Needed to improve the situation are representatives who can help prioritize and to limit and reduce our obligations with compassion for those who need extraordinary assistance. In a global context, we must increase collaboration among free world allies and to encourage more proportionate sharing of the cost to rescue humanity from disasters that a principally created by too many people living in unsustainable places.

Let's discuss.

"House approves stopgap funding, averting costly shutdown

By Sarah Ferris and Cristina Marcos - 09/28/16 09:57 PM EDT 

The House on Wednesday approved a bill to fund the federal government through December 9, averting a costly shutdown two days ahead of the deadline. 

The 10-week bill, which passed comfortably 342 to 85, now heads to the president’s desk and sends lawmakers back to their district early for campaigning. 

A majority of the Republican conference backed the bill, with just 75 Republicans opposing it. Ten Democrats voted against the bill. 

Lawmakers agreed to keep federal agencies running through Dec. 9, while also funding a $1.1 billion emergency aid package to halt the spread of the Zika virus. Flood-stricken regions in Louisiana, West Virginia and Maryland will also receive a half-billion dollars. 

The months-long marathon to fund the government turned into a sprint Wednesday as lawmakers raced toward the exits. The pre-election adjournment comes just a few weeks after Congress was out of session for a two-month summer recess. 

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/298418-house-approves-stopgap-funding-averting-costly-shutdown

James George, Author