Holiday Traditions
This time of year, religion aside, folks roll out holiday traditions…gathering on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the kitchen area of offices filled with seasonal treats, the wearing of ugly sweaters.
Lately, another holiday tradition–holding citizens hostage while Congress makes promise after promise, then breaks all of them by passing a last minute (or after-the-last-minute) bill to keep the government open a few more weeks while they zip home so as not to miss Christmas with their families.
Just like those ugly sweaters…the now-annual Congressional shenanigans should be a tradition that ought to be retired.
Let’s start with the fact that we only have to worry about a government shutdown because they failed to get their work done in a timely manner to begin with. It’s not something surprising or new that the federal fiscal year begins on October 1. And the fact that the people who make the rules then ignore them and miss the deadline is bad enough. But the fact that it is now common practice and that we the people don’t seem to care is even worse.
Republicans stand on the verge of the D.C. trifecta–holding the White House and majorities (albeit slim) in both houses of Congress. As was the case eight years ago, they have no excuse for not at the very least getting a budget done before the fiscal year. Despite all their promises about holding the line on spending, about returning to “regular order” and giving members time to read bills, about governing differently than Democrats—once back in D.C., Republicans of late just act like the members of the uni-party that they are.
Now it is fair that just as the President should not expect Congress to bow to his every whim, so too Congress should not expect the President to stand idly by. And there is bound to be disagreement within a group of smart people about what path to take.
But just as we hold on to receipts in case we have to take a Christmas gift back…we’re holding on to receipts for our votes cast last month, in the event we need to trade for a different model in two and four years. Based on how quickly the citizens rose up to block last week’s bloated continuing resolution–those who identify as Republicans are clearly on notice; we’ll see how they respond in the new year.
