Five days out from an increasingly likely government shutdown, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is once again demonstrating a willingness—if not a downright enthusiasm—to cave to the demands of far-right members of his caucus.
The Washington Post reports on the latest from the spending negotiations, with McCarthy now embracing steep cuts to a slew of safety net programs that provide food assistance for children, veteran housing benefits, and home heating assistance. It’s an astonishing proposal that also includes a potential 80 percent cut in funding for low-income schools, as well as the slashing of funding for food assistance for poor pregnant mothers. The list represents yet another attempt to placate the very people McCarthy himself accused last week of being behind a “whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn things down.“ (As I said this weekend, the assertion is laughable; McCarthy is far more familiar with these people than he lets on.)
Will these latest concessions convince his fractured party to play ball? Who knows. Even if McCarthy succeeds in flipping the far-right, his plans are dead on arrival at the Senate and White House, proving that the top Republican is unserious about avoiding a shutdown. But regardless of how negotiations shake out, it’s McCarthy’s eagerness to screw over some of the most vulnerable people in society that shouldn’t be forgotten. For all the talk of a new GOP, Republicans are pushing for the same thing as usual: cutting programs that help poor people.
In-depth political discussion from around the world; if it’s a political happening, you can post it here.
These guidelines will be enforced on a know-it-when-I-see-it basis.
Subcommunities on Beehaw:
This community’s icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
And he will get his hair cut and professionally styled before every press conference.
Its just a blow out, not a cut.
… the cruelty is the point.
do they know they’re monsters?
It’s a feature, not a bug.
Yes, but do they self-identify as the bad guy?
No, they are incentivising poor people to work harder to not be poor.
I guess they forgot that this is how revolutions get started.
The Republican Party is as morally bankrupt as they come.
deleted by creator
The far right caucus is a lot like hostage takers who threaten to kill one hostage every hour until their demands are met.
I look at them as threatening the deaths of their hostages unless other hostages are killed first. They absolutely want the end of public programs that demonstrably save lives.
deleted by creator