Opinion | The sequel no one wants to see: another government shutdown – By Lauren Maddox (The Hill) / Aug 7, 2023
While Americans flock to see “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” two original Hollywood blockbusters, here in Washington we’re watching the telltale signs of a tired sequel take shape: another government shutdown.
Who wants to see that? For starters, not the credit agencies, one of which, Fitch, just downgraded the U.S. debt rating based on “repeated debt limit standoffs and last minute resolutions” and “a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years.” And, not House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who negotiated the debt ceiling agreement a few months back only to anger his right flank, such that they shut down operational control of the chamber, leaving the Speaker no choice but to send members home for a handful of days.
Yet, the Freedom Caucus has signaled more of the same is on the horizon. They’re using a September end-of-fiscal year deadline to try to extract new concessions from McCarthy and President Biden. The roots of this crisis reach back to the agreement McCarthy made with conservatives in April. Their pact allowed legislation to move forward and propelled the administration and congressional Democrats to negotiate a debt ceiling agreement. But the eventual deal came with a catch. The Gang of 21 now wants a “power-sharing agreement” with McCarthy.
