Budget agreement in the US Congress: a rare demonstration of unity between the parties
In a rare show of unity between political parties, the US Congress averted a looming shutdown by approving a budget deal. By extending the federal budget until mid-January, parliamentarians avoided the paralysis of the American administration as the end-of-year holidays approach.
After a massive vote by the House of Representatives, the Senate also adopted the bill with an overwhelming majority of 87 votes to 11. This budget extension, which excludes aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, put end to intense negotiations on Capitol Hill. Without this agreement, more than 1.5 million civil servants would have lost their salaries, air traffic would have been disrupted and national parks would have had to close their doors.
The prospect of a “shutdown”, this paralysis of the federal government, was particularly unpopular, especially as the holiday season and Thanksgiving approached. Elected officials from both parties were aware of the discontent that this situation would have caused among the population.
Democrats wanted to include substantial aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in the bill, but Republicans preferred to treat each request separately. Some Republicans were hesitant about the $61 billion in military aid to Ukraine, but insisted on the need to support Israel and take a tough stance against China.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged the bill isn’t perfect, but it achieves Democrats’ goal of avoiding a shutdown. The dissensions in Congress are such that parliamentarians have failed to adopt annual budgets, unlike most other countries. The United States therefore regularly finds itself faced with mini-budgets lasting one or two months, leading to heated negotiations and political instability.
The latest budget negotiations last September plunged Congress into chaos, with the Republican Speaker of the House impeached for reaching a last-minute deal with Democrats. This time, the proposed agreement provides for an extension of the budget until mid-January, then until early February, in order to avoid a new budget impasse. The new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has had to deal with different factions within his party, including conservatives who favor strict budgetary management and Democrats who refuse to let their economic policy be dictated to them.
Once again, the United States narrowly avoided a debt default, but the question of more stable and predictable fiscal management remains relevant. Mini-budgets are only a temporary stopgap, and Congress must find solutions to adopt long-term budgets, like other developed countries.
In the meantime, this budget agreement marks a rare demonstration of unity between the parties and shows that, despite their differences, they can agree on issues crucial to the functioning of the state. This agreement is all the more remarkable at a time when political polarization is at its peak. Hopefully this cooperation will continue in the coming months to ensure long-term financial stability for the U.S. government.