The ‘lockdown’ crisis grows in the US

As the US government prepares for the possibility of a “shutdown” starting Sunday because the budget bill that will fund the federal government has not yet been enacted, the crisis between a group of conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is growing.

McCarthy, who could only be elected president of the House of Representatives with some concessions he made to the far-right after 15 rounds of voting that lasted 4 days and were held in January due to the lack of agreement on the deadline by the Republican Party, currently has to try again with the same group.

As the government prepares for the possibility of a “shutdown” starting Sunday, as the budget bill that will provide funding to the federal government for the new fiscal year has yet to be enacted, a group of far-right Republicans Those who insist on cutting budget-related expenses and refusing to make concessions have put McCarthy in a difficult situation.

COULD NOT PASS THE ASSEMBLY

Finally, in the vote held today in the House of Representatives, the conservative Republican wing rejected the temporary budget bill proposed by its leader McCarthy to avoid the “shutdown” of the government. In other words, the bill presented by the Republicans could not be approved in the parliament in which they had a majority.

Comments were made in the American press that the rejection of the bill was a “significant and embarrassing defeat” for McCarthy.

THE CONGRESS WILL BE MORE COMPLEX

On the other hand, according to some media reports, far-right Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to take steps to remove McCarthy from office next week. This means the process will become more complicated for Congress in the event of a possible government shutdown.

According to a Washington Post report, the group is considering nominating Tom Emmer as the next speaker of the House of Representatives if he can “successfully oust” McCarthy.

Although it is still unclear whether far-right Republicans are serious about this issue or whether they are sending a warning message to McCarthy, unrest within the party has gradually increased since January.

As the possibility of a government shutdown increases in the United States, internal clashes within the Republican Party following the disagreement between the two parties in Congress are dragging the country one step further into uncertainty and confusion.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CLOSURE?

The “shutdown”, which will surely begin on Sunday, will cause a slowdown and disruption in many services provided by the country’s federal institutions.

In this process, in which millions of federal employees will be affected, employees in “vital” areas such as the army, security units and airlines will be able to continue their activities, but will not receive their salaries until Congress approves a new budget. .

During the government shutdown, approximately 1.3 million service members will continue to work in the military without pay. Approximately 200,000 of the 800,000 civilians affiliated with the Pentagon will work mandatory overtime.

The National Federation of Federal Employees, one of the unions representing federal employees, predicts that the salaries of 2.1 million civilian federal employees may be delayed, while approximately 4 million contract federal employees will not receive salaries because they will be out of work. compulsory license.

The Capital Area Food Bank in Washington is preparing to receive up to 100,000 federal workers who may need food assistance in the event of a government shutdown, according to National Public Radio’s NPR.

During the government shutdown, security and air traffic control units at federally affiliated airports will continue to operate under minimal conditions. However, new non-essential hiring, training and projects in these areas will be stopped.

IT WILL ALSO AFFECT CITIZENS

The closure will directly affect citizens who do business with the federal government in the country. Services in areas such as passports, firearms purchases and clinical trials will slow or stop.

Likewise, institutions and contracted companies that work with the federal government will be closed; The tourism sector, especially museums, national parks and camping areas, will be one of those affected by the closure.

According to the American Travel Industry Association, the tourism industry will suffer a daily loss of $140 million in the event of a closure.

The provision of basic services in the field of health will continue. The federal health insurance called Medicare and Medicaid is stated to have a sufficient budget for at least 3 months, and approximately 90 million low-income people within the scope of this program are expected to be unaffected.

Community health centers that receive federal grant funding will be affected by the closure, and some clinics may need to reduce services or staff depending on the length of the potential closure.

A report prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services states that 42 percent of the institution’s staff and approximately 80 percent of the National Institutes of Health staff are expected to be furloughed during this period.

21 TIMES IN THE LAST 47 YEARS IT ‘CLOSED’ DUE TO LACK OF BUDGET

In the country where the government has “shut down” 21 times in the last 47 years due to lack of budget, Congress has until midnight on September 30, US local time, to agree on a new budget bill that will fund the federal government and prevent a new shutdown.

The fact that the US Congress is divided between the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, and the fact that far-right Republican conservatives want to use the government shutdown as leverage Cutting spending in the budget makes things difficult.

For any budget to become law, the bill must be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate and signed by US President Joe Biden.

Under US law, Congress must approve the permanent budget for the fiscal year that begins October 1 and ends September 30. During periods when the budget cannot be approved, federal institutions that lose their spending authority temporarily suspend their activities.

WHAT DOES ‘FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’ MEAN?

Under US law, if Congress cannot pass the budget in time for the entire fiscal year, which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 each year, the period until this happens must be covered by temporary budgets.

During periods when a temporary budget cannot be passed, the federal government, having lost its spending authority, is forced to suspend all activities except vital services.

In this process, while public employees working in non-essential services receive compulsory leave, public employees such as the US military, intelligence agencies, doctors and nurses working in public hospitals, security guards at airports and prisons continue with its functions. These employees, who are in the “essential personnel” category, generally do not receive their salaries during shutdown periods until Congress passes a new budget.

IT WAS CLOSED FOR THE LAST TIME DURING THE TRUMP ERA

If a deal is not reached in the US Congress by midnight Saturday, the government will shut down for the first time since 2019.

The country’s federal government last shut down during the reign of former US President Donald Trump, and the 35-day shutdown that began in December 2018 and ended in January 2019 was the longest shutdown in US history.

In the event of a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be laid off and a wide range of services, from economic data releases to social benefits, will be affected.

(AA)