Summary: Congress unveiled a massive bipartisan $1.3 trillion spending package that will keep the government funded until the end of September. Lawmakers have agreed on funding levels for every corner of the government: with a $700 billion budgeted for defense and $591 billion slated for non-defense spending.The bill also contains policy riders that incentivizes state and federal authorities to report more data to the country's gun background check system.
Analysis: This huge bill ends the government fight over a spending bill. After the government shutdown in February, this was a key step forward into coming together and creating change in America. This bill helps congress know how much they are able to spend to create a gun-control bill, fix relations with foreign nations and ensure child care development grants.
Questions:
1. Do you believe that the government did a good thing in stopping another government shutdown and agreeing on a budget?
2. What should be the first thing congress works on now that they have a budget.
3. Are you concerned that the new budget again puts us at a deficit?
4 comments:
There we go into more and more debt. I believe that this package was wise on the governments side. It gives Congress time to come to a decision on a bill. Congress needs to work in harmony. As of now, its just bad. The shutdown in February is a sign of disagreement and the inability to work together. Because this new budget won't affect me much, I couldn't care.
I think it is fantastic that Congress has been able to create a spending bill that will keep the government funded until September. It represents great progress in bipartisan cooperation, and more flexibility and compromise on both sides of the aisle. Or maybe it just represents desperation to avoid another government shutdown, like the one in February Stephen alluded to above. Either way it is good that things are getting done once again. It is not so fantastic that the government is going to run up another budget deficit, but I also think it was unavoidable, as President Trump seeks to spend more money on defense and immigration control, but has already cut tax revenue. When you work to spend more and take in less, the only possible result is a budget deficit. I also strongly disagree with Stephen that this is something that does not effect us. When the government borrows more money, the entire economy is affected negatively. Private borrowers are crowded out and corporations have a harder time finding loans to satisfy their need for capital. This results in reduced growth in productivity for the nation as a whole, as corporations are unable to invest in new equipment and research that would otherwise allow GDP to rise faster. GDP is directly correlated with quality of life, showing how government budget deficits can profoundly impact the lives of all people living in America.
I think it is a good thing that they were able to make an agreement, especially with the increased polarization of American politics today. While, yes, that it will further put us into a big deficit, it is unavoidable to solve the multitude of issues that America faces today. Furthermore, the United States is already in a pretty unpayable deficit, so any extra spending probably does nothing to that amount. I agree with what Sam said, as much of the government money spent in this case is going to public services, such as the police and firefighters, as well as welfare services and infrastructure maintenance. Without it, the quality of life you are living will be pretty bad and dangerous, as there will be no people to protect us, nothing to get around on and no one to help you when you are sick.
I agree with a lot of the comments that say this is a good thing in the end - we get the funding we need for a lot of valuable things, to all of us, as Sam and Justin pointed out. But I don’t agree that this may be a sign of bipartisanship, or some progress. A government shutdown is rare, and although it has happened it looks bad on all parts. The members of Congress are just looking out for themselves. I don’t see anyone drafting a budget that puts us at a surplus anytime soon, and as Justin pointed out, were already in one heck of a hole. It’s good to know that our government isn’t so shot we can at least pass a budget, but if we’re celebrating just passing a budget, we’re in a pretty bad place. But everyone knows that.
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