The American Congress on Wednesday definitively approved a bill that would allow the elimination of the longest budget paralysis in the history of the United States.
The White House had previously indicated that President Donald Trump would soon sign the bill, ending a 43-day shutdown that disrupted parts of the American economy.
After the Senate passed it on Monday, the House of Representatives approved the budget bill with 222 votes in favor and 209 votes against. Only six elected Democrats joined the president’s majority, while two Republicans expressed their disapproval.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the blockade was “completely stupid and ultimately unnecessary.” Meanwhile, Donald Trump “is happy to put an end to this closing bad impact caused by the Democratic Party,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press conference.
After more than 40 days of budget stalemate, a handful of Democratic senators finally gave in on Monday by agreeing to a new bill with their Republican counterparts, extending the previous budget through the end of January.
However, the text did not clearly explain the expansion of subsidies for “Obamacare,” health insurance for low-income households, to the dismay of many Democratic Party officials. Among the only concessions made to the opposition, the text provides for the reinstatement of civil servants laid off since the start of the shutdown.
It also includes funding for the SNAP food assistance program through September, thereby preventing a freeze on aid that benefits more than 42 million Americans if another budget collapse occurs at the end of January, as is the case with the current blockade.
Gavin Newsom: “Capitulation and betrayal”
Due to Senate rules, eight opposition votes were needed to pass the text. And the eight in question have drawn the ire of many Democrats, who have criticized Republicans’ meager concessions and false promises.
California Governor Gavin Newsom lamented X as a “capitulation” and “betrayal” of American workers. Many Democrats are also wondering why these senators are throwing in the towel just days after their party’s sweeping wins in key elections across the country, which they say validates their strategy in Congress.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, for his part, urged Republicans to make good on their commitment to quickly hold a vote in Congress to extend Obamacare subsidies. “Now we have to see whether there will be action or just words,” he told CNN.
The question of subsidies was at the heart of the dispute that led to the “shutdown”. Without its extension, health insurance costs are expected to more than double by 2026 for the 24 million Americans on Obamacare, according to KFF, a think tank specializing in health issues.
“Public health across this country is on the verge of becoming unaffordable. And this in America, the world’s richest country in history!”, denounced Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday.
Since October 1, more than one million civil servants have not been paid. Certain aid payments have been severely disrupted, and tens of thousands of flights have been canceled in recent days due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, some of whom are choosing to call in sick rather than work without pay.
