The Christmas Eve spending dispute is a complex disaster, so let's break it down. Forced to extract it: It's a no-confidence vote against the Republican House speaker, a blow to fiscal conservatives, and, if ultimately successful, the best-case scenario President-elect Donald Trump had hoped for. Become one. . It all may seem contradictory, but hear me out.
Let's start with the president. First, the deal would raise the debt ceiling in June and protect the White House from a major battle in the administration's first six months, when Democrats are regaining their fighting spirit.
Egos will be hurt. The spreadsheet will be torn. These aren't normal times.
Next, he would get a “clean CR” (basically meaning continued spending at current levels) that would last until March, after which a minority of the House and Senate would be required to renegotiate his priorities. can be expected to rely on the Republican majority.
In the end, a win means his threat had real weight (and it worked). If Congress had ignored him or the plans he had laid out had failed, his friend Elon Musk's big mouth would have been guilty of defeating Trump before he even took office. That's bad news for aspiring leaders.
Next up is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. — One of the biggest losers this week, no matter what happens. Before this whole drama began, Johnson promised (1) an open process, (2) led by committee chairs, (3) no huge omnibuses, and (4) no MPs would have time to read. He completely breaks 1, 2, 4, stretches a 3 beyond laughter, and the Mar-a-Lago crowd hits him like a thousand bricks.
While the Louisiana Republican was able to correct course, Johnson and his staff repeatedly showed they were overreaching. They lack firm conviction and any semblance of strategy. Johnson proves he doesn't lead or decide things – things happen.
to he. If he survives as chairman, it will be by virtue of no one having the energy to fight over who comes next.
Meanwhile, conservatives in Congress are angry that he acceded to Trump's request to remove June's debt limit fight from the calendar. But the sad reality is that Mr. Johnson would never have won the debt limit battle anyway. The Democratic Party is now enervated and defeated, but six months after the incoming White House's deportation program and other administrative reforms began, the Democratic base will be ecstatic and will regain momentum. Probably.
Debt ceiling negotiations in June will be brutal, but Johnson does not seem capable of getting through them without defunding key aspects of President Trump's policies. That's a risk the White House doesn't need to take.
This brings us to fiscal conservatives in Congress. Their fight with the ridiculous General Manager Johnson was the main reason they ended up with a much better spending bill (and they had high levels of support from Mr. Musk), but this is a sign of their influence. It also shows the limits.
In fact, their positions are reminiscent of the fiscal conservatives when President Ronald Reagan took office. President Reagan agreed with their arguments and sympathized with them, but his top priority was defeating the Soviet Union. To this end, he will not allow any cuts in military spending, even if it means leaving behind a large portion of domestic spending that can be cut. The Congressional agreement to cut domestic spending by X percent for every Y percent of defense spending was void on arrival.
Back to the present, Trump has fought the influx of illegal immigrants with a massive deportation program, cracked down on the border, renegotiated trade deals, and revitalized American manufacturing against the excesses of the Democratic culture war. He returned to office promising to fight back harshly. Many of them cost money. Furthermore, the Democratic Party is trying to muddy the waters. Ending waste, fraud, and abuse may be important, but while it is certainly Mr. Musk's number one goal, in reality it is secondary to the president's goals.
The president-elect is trying to make America great again by fighting enemies at home and abroad. Egos will be hurt. The spreadsheet will be torn. These aren't normal times. Best to get used to it.
Blaze News: Trump backs Johnson's new 116-page CR after Republican pressure campaign
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Merry Christmas! It's been a great year and an honor for Blaze News. You're subscribing to (and hopefully enjoying) Beltway Brief. Enjoy the holidays with your family and look forward to seeing you in the new year.
God's blessing,
chris
