37 Republicans say no to Trump. Hopefully, Speaker Johnson does not survive this debacle.
I almost never watch TV. But I did get to watch this one from a neighbor’s house. Thanks Sam. I made that image on my phone.
Yesterday, Speaker Mike Johnson agreed to pass a 1500+ page continuing resolution budget monstrosity.
The bill died after Elon Musk and president-elect Trump trashed it.
Johnson then slimmed the bill down to 116 pages. That bill had Trump’s support.
Not mine. But I don’t get a vote. Regardless, I was reasonably confident the revised bill would blow up, and it did.
Understanding the Math
Once Johnson stripped 1300 pages of Democrat goodies the bill was doomed in the Senate and I thought the House as well.
Sure enough, the vote was 234 against to 174 for. That is nowhere close to a majority even if you throw in 21 non-voting and 1 who voted present.
Even if there was a majority in the House, the bill was doomed in the Senate.
That means it was foolish (twice) for Johnson.
Trump Threatens to Take Down Chip Roy, One of the Only True Fiscal Conservatives
Prior to the vote, I reported Trump Threatens to Take Down Chip Roy, One of the Only True Fiscal Conservatives
Massive Republican infighting between Trump and fiscal conservatives is underway.
Trump was annoyed because Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus blasted the Trump-approved 116-page bill.
Well, I am pleased to report 37 house member were willing to stand up to Trump.
Primary Them All?
The typical reaction on X was to label Roy a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and threaten to primary him.
Roy didn’t care. He did the right thing as did 36 others.
The last thing Republicans need is constant infighting like we have had for two years, but here we go again.
The incumbent party normally loses seats in midterm elections. Yet, with an effective majority of one starting in January, you have to be extremely foolish to go after your own.
But here we are. Trump is likely still annoyed that Roy did not support Trump in the Jan 6, 2020 incident.
Roy was smiling after the vote this evening.
Dead on Arrival
Johnson will need to craft something that Republicans can sign off on. He should have done that today, but didn’t.
Perhaps he thought everyone would bow down to King Trump but they didn’t. And Johnson should have known there was this much dissent and not called this vote.
It should not be that hard to craft something a Republican majority can agree to. Throw in some budget cuts somewhere, it doesn’t much matter what, but I suggest serious hardball with Democrat priorities.
I bet I could come up with a bill in 2 hours. Just ask Roy and the 37 what they want, but make sure the bill has money for hurricane victims.
What Then?
Then the Republican House can pass the bill, perhaps with votes from Democrats in hurricane-impacted states (Two Democrats did vote Yes tonight and I bet we can shame more).
Then it would be a bipartisan bill.
Then it might immediately be dead in the Senate.
So what?
Serious Hardball is the Correct Strategy
Nothing but the hardest of hardball makes any sense here.
Pass something, then challenge Schumer to knock it down.
Then anticipate the headline “Democrats Block Disaster Relief Aid for Hurricane Victims”
Let’s see how that headline plays in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Then what?
Then thank Chip Roy (or me) for proposing serious hardball.
I used the word then 10 times in this post. I suspect that’s a record. It’s a matter of knowing when you have leverage to play hardball and when you don’t.
Dear Congress, Please Shut Down
I repeat: Dear Congress, Please Shut Down, There’s No Need to Address the Budget this Year
The Government can survive until at least March and possibly May.
This is the first time in 6 years Republicans have had the chance to play hardball. So don’t F it up.
You should be running our government…..
Chip Roy is a better man than Trump; but they are both better than any Democrat.
Im a mfg supervisor in commercial hvac related products. Our orders have dropped to the point where we were doing 100,000 pounds per day of production to 35,000. It was like a cliff.
Jesus Christ it never ends.
Biden to announce another Ukraine aid package totaling $1.2 billion, per Reuters
And another multi billion dollar student loan handout.
You that a good part of that money is coming back to Biden and the rest of the drifters somehow.
Interesting how Musk jumped the gun on Trump. Who did you guys vote in, anyway?
Trump and his entourage.
Candace Owens and Jimmy Dore.
Musk needs a pardon
Flavia, you do recall Trump saying we “won’t need to vote anymore”, don’t you?
A billionaire’s tweet is all it takes now…
it doesn’t matter if it is from the Stable Genius or the First Buddy.
I do recall that!
Personal spending and personal income numbers both missed this morning. Nothing to see here
I know, right? GDPNow updated today for only a positive, real GDP growth rate in the 4th quarter 2024 of 3.!% LOL
Yup, inflationary depression. Worst economy since 09 from what I’ve experienced. And the general public based on the vote. Thanks
I find it hilarious that the $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act (which included a provision for Transgender health-care) breezed through Congress this week with hardly a peep from Musk, Trump, or Vivek, but this bill gets killed almost immediately.
I’m not saying I support either spending bill, but this definitely falls under the category of “things that make ya hmmmm”.
A black transgender immigrant is technically the top of the pyramid.
Moron……
Grover Norquist is experiencing night-long wet dreams these days as his every wish for the USA is coming true. Hear The Beast gasping for food, water, and air.
Not with Trump calling to primary Chip Roy, and cheerleading to abolish the debt ceiling.
Who cares about the headlines?
Nobody watches the news anymore.
Just do what is best for the country and count on direct media to get the story right.
Quietly and without much fanfare, both shale oil and shale gas appear to have passed their zenith several months ago.
Recent data from the Energy Information Agency (EIA) reveal that shale crude oil production reached its high-water mark in November 2023, only to slide 2%— roughly 200,000 barrels per day—since then.
Likewise, shale dry gas production peaked that same month and has since slipped by 1% or 1 billion cubic feet per day. The trajectory from here, according to our models, looks steeper still. https://blog.gorozen.com/blog/the-depletion-paradox
Stack wood
When you elect clowns, you get a circus. Chip Roy just happens not to be a clown. Three things will need to be tackled to get the US fiscal house in order: (1) reform and cut Medicare; (2) reform and cut Social Security; and (3), reform and cut the military. All three things are off the table. Let the circus continue.
On the table for me
cast your vote to pass the bill then
Americans earning under $50K are skipping meals, selling belongings and delaying medical care to cover housing costs,” per Moneywise
24% of Americans earning under $50,000 a year have skipped meals to afford their rent or mortgage payments. And 23% have been forced to sell belongings.
I would like to see how that quintile of people have been doing financially, over time. I think their plight is pretty consistent. I mean for decades if not centuries. As you stated it, that is the bottom fifth of the bottom fifth in financial condition.
3 Billion in interest expense a day now to run our government. CUT IT ALL
Funny, does not seem 1500 plus page Bill passed either.
Oh the spotlight is on what exactly?
Seems spotlight is on Business as usual crowd.
That a spending bill with only 116 pages got tabled and garnered support is a miracle of itself.
Can’t find in my adult memory that ever occurring before.
Trump breaking new ground already.
Chip Roy a true fiscal conservative had option to throw his shoulder to the wheel.
115 page Spending bill had zero chance getting signed by Biden.
So Chip Roy and others had chance to move the needle on spending but choose to be somewhat a stiff.
Only two possibilities here. Chip Roy is either an idiot or a RINO. Some would say that’s the same thing.
Strike up the calliope, the circus is back in town!
Agree, there is no need to compromise now. But Republicans have a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Necrosis in New ZealandShocking drops in industrial production and GDPhttps://fasteddynz.substack.com/p/necrosis-in-new-zealand
That’s what happens when a country runs short on affordable energy,
NZ is toast …
Save your sympathy … you are next:
Preface. Conventional crude oil production may have already peaked in 2008 at 69.5million barrels per day (mb/d) according to Europe’s International Energy Agency (IEA 2018 p45). The U.S. Energy Information Agency shows global peak crude oil production at a later date in 2018 at 82.9mb/d (EIA 2020) because they included tight oil, oil sands, and deep-sea oil. Though it will take several years of lower oil production to be sure the peak occurred. Regardless, world production has been on a plateau since 2005.
What’s saved the world from oil decline was unconventional tight “fracked” oil, which accounted for 63% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2019 and 83% of global oil growth from 2009 to 2019. So it’s a big deal if we’ve reached the peak of fracked oil, because that is also the peak of both conventional and unconventional oil and the decline of all oil in the future.
Some key points from this Financial Times article: Read More
Shale is the only thing between us and NZ-like outcome… and shale is peaking.
Don’t matter! Gotta drive! DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE!
NZ has a population of 4 million so nobody cares. There is a joke about 4 million people being trapped on an island….it’s called New Zealand.
You should keep an eye on New Zealand — you are looking at your near term future.
Conventional Oil Sources peaked in 2008 and the Shale binge has now spoiled US reserves, top investor warns Financial Times.
Preface. Conventional crude oil production may have already peaked in 2008 at 69.5million barrels per day (mb/d) according to Europe’s International Energy Agency (IEA 2018 p45). The U.S. Energy Information Agency shows global peak crude oil production at a later date in 2018 at 82.9mb/d (EIA 2020) because they included tight oil, oil sands, and deep-sea oil. Though it will take several years of lower oil production to be sure the peak occurred. Regardless, world production has been on a plateau since 2005.
What’s saved the world from oil decline was unconventional tight “fracked” oil, which accounted for 63% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2019 and 83% of global oil growth from 2009 to 2019. So it’s a big deal if we’ve reached the peak of fracked oil, because that is also the peak of both conventional and unconventional oil and the decline of all oil in the future.
4 million people and hardly none of them can do a proper Haka.
I don’t think democrats have anything left to lose after literally losing the house, senate, executive and judicial branch. democrats should just pass the crazy republican schemes and watch it all implode.
No one will remember any of this two years from now when midterms start. heck I don’t even remember what hurricanes came through a few months ago.
I’m MAGA and hope the Republicans stand up for Americans by voting no to ALL pork and reckless spending. They can shut down the government for YEARS…..whatever it takes to stop the reckless spending and NOT increase the debt ceiling.
Amen! I can’t wait for the biggest pork: social security and medicare, to be cut deeply or eliminated altogether. this is 80% of the problem.
Don’t forget Medicare and social security recipients vote. 🙂
These payments don’t stop if the government is shutdown.
Don’t hold your breath. SS won’t be cut. There’s a lot of potential for cuts to medicare if people would be responsible for their health through their lifestyle — it’s all about diet and exercise. But I doubt that people will do much in the way of cutting out the processed food and getting up off the couch and out of their chairs. I am afraid that we are doomed as “sick care” consumes more and more of the budget.
Uhh, 67+ million people in the US are on Medicare and they will vote for the other party in the 2026 mid-terms if funding is cut in a meaningful way which effects their monthly premiums and co-pays.
Last time I checked, 67 million (and dropping fast) is a lot smaller than 273 million.
Fact: The 67 million Medicare enrollees in 2024 increased around 1.25% from 2023. This includes those enrolled in traditional Medicare and Advantage programs. It represents almost 20% of the total US population of 344+ million.
Last time I checked, 67 million is more than 40% of the voters in this 2024 election. If SS is cut, expect each and every one of the 67 million to vote.
Good luck getting to 50% plus 1 with the remaining 60% of the voters!
Haven’t you heard? The majority of this elderly cohort voted for Trump and the incoming Republican Congress. The plans for Project 2025 were well publicized. If voters did not pay attention to what the consequences would be for their vote (including cuts to these entitlement programs), that’s on them
If there are “consequences” of their votes, there would be “consequences” for those who made that happen.
Per USA Today, voters 65+ in the election voted 51 – 48 for Trump vs. Harris or just 3% margin. That is not a majority. Exit polling from various sources show similar data.
Reality check: Start cutting entitlement programs increases the likelihood that Republicans will lose their several seat majority in the House in the 2026 mid-terms. It would provide the Democrats with too much political ammo to run on.
Here’s how it works:
Big Gov subsidizes Big Ag to grow corn syrup and GMO wheat
Big Food buys the corn syrup, wheat etc and makes processed/junk food/colas
Big Gov subsidizes Big Food via SNAP programs (most purchases are cola/snack/processed food)
“Big Americans” get sick, especially from (pre-)diabetes and chronic disease
Big Pharma reaps the profits
Big Medicine (docs, hospitals, dialysis units) profit from Medicare payments
(There are separate Medicare/Medicaid/disability scams but that’s another scandal.)
Get the picture?
I would be nice to at least get the principal we have paid in before you shut it down. I would like my million plus dollars and some interest if you don’t mind before I die.
You know what, we would ALL like our taxes back. I pay $100k in federal income taxes every year and have been for the past decade and not that much less before that. That’s just income tax not all the other graft: FICA, property taxes, sales taxes, tolls, fees, etc.
It all needs to stop, we have working people trying to support 5x the number of people and it won’t work. The biggest leeches are SS and medicare, we NEED to start there because that’s the elephant in the room and everything else is trivial.
I can appreciate that if you’re on SS or medicare this is a bad deal for you but it’s better that the elderly get screwed than everyone else, you guys have lived your life already, congrats on reaching 70 or 75 or 80, you “won” the game, it’s time to let other play.
The federal government is 100% of the problem.
You seem not to understand that without the trillions of dollars of stimulus as a result of government debt… the US would collapse.
Yeah, whatever would people DO with that money taken out of their paychecks?
Let’s imagine what would happen if the government was to reduce the burn from a trillion every 100 days to 500B …
Give it a try
I love the smell of shutdown in the morning.
https://babylonbee.com/news/Congress-Warns-Failure-To-Pass-Spending-Bill-Might-Delay-Destructio-Of-The-Country
Mish, you’ve answered your own rant about the 1500+ pages.
“Just ask Roy and the 37 what they want, but make sure the bill has money for hurricane victims.” That’s how these proposals become 1500+ pages. If hurricane relief is needed, why have they not passed a separate bill (that all taxpayers pay for) since months ago when the disasters happened? Why are these 37 House Reps special? When they get “what they want”, everyone will ask for it. That’s why we end up with 1500+ pages.
Everyone thinks it’s so simple. But any proposal has to get through the House, then the Senate, then the President (and now Elon apparently). Shared governance is not easy and was purposely not made easy when the Constitution was created. We’re all in this together, for better or worse
Plus, why is “hardball” needed now so badly? In one month, we’ll have a Republican Senate and MAGA President. Cantt they play nice with the Republican House then to get everything they want? Do you really think Jim Jordan is going to be able to corral the House better than Johnson?
Roy has already stated he would OK hurricane relief if it was funded.
I am OK with that tradeoff. Hell, Trump asked for nothing. WTF?
Did you read what I said, take some funding away from democrats and make them take a stand. It’s best to look ahead to the midterms instead of acting like Trump.
Yes, Mish, I always read what you write. And you had multiple strands of thought in this post.
I’m in total agreement with you that votes should be simple for people to take a stand. Want Johnson try to take some spending from the Democrats and have them vote on record. I’m in favor. Sounds perfect in theory. But I think he’s not going to do that because I don’t think there’s any spending cuts he could offer that all his slim-majority Republicans will vote for (and under current rules, he needs way more than a simple majority). But yes, throw up such a vote and see what happens.
But “Trump asked for nothing”? IMO, that is not true at all. He acted just like many of these pork-barrel politicians. That debt ceiling limit law has been in effect for over a century. Trump ‘made’ Speaker Johnson include its suspension as a hugely important rider in the page-short bill that failed. No time for committee meetings, no time for real discussion; just put it in because…. And Republicans revolted against him. That was not nothing. And now, he came out this morning pushing for it to be suspended throughout his entire 4-year term?
There isn’t any “everything they want.” Republicans are fighting among themselves. Democrats aren’t going to bail them out.
Well, at least the GOP is fighting about spending. This certainly isn’t a problem within the blank check Dem side. Unfortunately, we still have way too many hold over GOP members of the UniParty running around. An 82-year-old turtle is our best example.
I understand that, but Mish was the one that said Johnson should ask those dissenting Republicans for “what they want”
Not sure the founders thought the federal government was going to be 90% of gdp though. They have way too much power. Shut down 75% of it.
90%? Maybe you can read up on some basic economic statistics and theory from Khan Academy before contributing to the conversation?
There’s a report out that McConnell, Shumer et al have been planning this for 85 days. You’re right, a clean disaster relief bill all by itself could have been passed within days.
Liberal media desperately trying to spin its way out of oblivion. Continuing to give liberals false hope after a devastating defeat. Neither will ever learn.
It’s the democrat’s bluff for Trump to call and Trump holds all the cards. No reason to compromise now. Shut ‘er down and let’s talk next summer.
That was spun so hard I got dizzy.
Chip Roy is great, as was Bob Good. Johnson could also make the Hurricane Relief a stand alone bill (as things should be) and pass it as such.
I don’t know why Trump doesn’t demand stand alone bills. Just decree any bill that has the words “and for other purposes “ will be vetoed.
USA socialism ran out of other people’s money $36 Trillion ago. The free shit army is SOL. Blame Roosevelt’s communist social security Ponzi scheme on him. Welcome to the reality, personal responsibility, work, save, and invest. Root hog or die. My heart goes out to the widows, divorcees, retards, handicapped, and orphans. I’ll send flowers if I have any spare cash after my peanut butter and jelly.
But for FDR’s programs, we would have gone full Communist (remember it was just about 15 years after the 1917 Soviet revolution) and you would be speaking Russian right now!!!!
WTF did you like about the 1300 pages of pork?!🐖
Can you read or is your comment directed to someone else?
I never said I liked anything about the 1300 pages.
Mish, you didn’t make it clear: You said that you opposed the slimmed-down bill.
Now, did you mean to say that continuing-resolutions are pork-filled gotchas, and that Congress should—you know—pass a budget?
(c.f. Jeffrey Gundlach’s recent comments on spending.)
Bickering so close to Xmas in endless horsetrading.. Humbug to any Politicians who deserve it. And to all the other citizens, it’s just more lousy Theatre.
This shit show just keeps getting better and better. Hey PapaDave, you got any popcorn left for me? I’ll bring the drinks, what’s your poison?
Elon and his girl Pinkie gonna Thelma and Louise this thing right off a cliff.
Do you seriously believe that only Democrats load pork in these bills? Because here is the reason why this bill fails: the GOP is as guilty, if not guiltier, of stuffing pork in these bills. Just check under which administrations the federal debt has increased the most (of course, it was the fault of the previous Dem administrations). They only want the pork to be directed differently. And is the GOP really credible to want to shrink the budget, when they are hitching for yet another round of supply side tax cuts which, starting with Reagan, have initiate the era of oversize budget deficits? How much more hypocrisy are we going to witness?
Sounds good. Let’s shut it down till spring.
@Andy, the era of oversized deficits began with Cheney-Bush and the 9/11 thing.
From 1980-2000 the FedGov was forced to capitulate on deficit spending by high interest rates driven by the bond vigilantes (Wall Street).
The FedGov will be forced to capitulate again, since the only way to bring interest rates down is to bring down the deficit-driven inflation.
As for hypocrisy, there’s an infinite supply and no one is seriously penalizing it yet.
Well said, Mish. I’ve never known Chip Roy not to be in the right. And as you said, all Johnson had to do was come in the direction of the Freedom Caucus to have a majority.
All cuts must be on the table. Everything
Mish, unless you are willing to cut entitlements, I can’t take you seriously. People talk a good game till it will affect them too. Shared sacrifice from everyone.
Yeah, I don’t want and don’t need “entitlements” either. The govt should just give me back what it took from me (plus interest and penalties) and I’ll call it square.
I think entitlements are fine. What I don’t think is fine is spending almost a trillion dollars a year on defense or sending money to other countries including Israel.
If we don’t spend $1T, Russia will invade El Paso. Thank God our NATO allies like Estonia have been helping defend our southern border.
Without Israel as Our Greatest Ally, we wouldn’t be able to guarantee the flow of Middle East oil … to Israel.
LOL
Or, specifically, sending $1 billion in military aid to the Egyptians every year as part of their peace deal with the Israel. They recently announced they will be replacing their aging F-16s with Chinese J-10 fighters…
I already told you what I would do with Medicaid. Is your memory that short?
Yes apparently.. though I was talking about all entitlements included SS