Washington’s shutdown mess proves nobody’s serious about fiscal sanity. Republicans offered a no-frills plan to keep the government open—a clean resolution that doesn’t add to our $2 trillion deficit (but doesn’t cut it either). It’s a straightforward move to avoid chaos while budget fights drag on. The Cato Institute backs this restraint, with analyst Chris Edwards warning that our 2,623 federal subsidy programs are already bleeding us dry.
Democrats rejected the plan, pushing to extend Obamacare subsidies with billions in new spending. They frame it as protecting healthcare, but it’s a fresh hike in subsidies with no clear way to pay for it. Reason magazine slams this as reckless, pointing out we borrow $19 billion daily to fuel a $37 trillion debt. Cato’s Michael Cannon argues these subsidies mask Obamacare’s failures, covering 93% of premiums while dodging real fixes for soaring costs.
Neither side gets it. Republicans were wrong in not making it clear that the Democrats were asking for new, unpaid for spending. Democrats were wrong by erroneously implying that this was healthcare as usual— and not brand-new spending. Neither side gets it.
Pay for it with cuts or, if you must, new revenue—don’t just dump it on the deficit. Using shutdowns to sneak through more spending is a disaster waiting to happen. Every dollar counts, and we can’t keep kicking this debt can down the road for our kids to deal with.
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