Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the policy issues were standing in the way of an agreement. “We are very close on the cuts and how we make them. The only things “” I repeat, the only things “” holding up an agreement are women’s health and clean air,” Reid said.
That was the The Hill reporting Thursday evening. As of this morning, it remained unclear just how much of the impasse is due to the Tea Party’s insistence on anti-science, pro-polluter ‘riders’ in the final deal.
Brad Johnson explains that the shutdown itself is a backdoor way for the Tea Party to achieve its pro-polluter agenda, “During a budget shutdown, agencies are allowed to continue some emergency and essential activities, but tens of thousands of workers will be sent home, crippling environmental protection and economic services”:
The Interior Department “would continue with offshore oil-and-gas permitting and several other government functions if a government shutdown occurs, but overall it would cripple the agency and prompt the furlough of more than 50,000 employees.” Continuing: “volcano and earthquake monitoring; U.S. Park Police and law enforcement for Interior’s various agencies; firefighting; wildlife caretakers and others.” Shut down: USGS work, “National Parks and wildlife refuges, Bureau of Indian Affairs economic development programs, federal oversight and regulation of surface coal mining.”
The Department of Energy has “appropriations set aside that would allow the department to operate at full capacity for ‘a limited time,’” but furloughs would begin if the shutdown extends for more than a few days.
The Environmental Protection Agency “would cease all ongoing permitting work, rulemaking activities and environmental impact statement efforts,” “scientific evaluations for chemicals and pesticides,” “testing of various technologies such as studies on fracking techniques,” and “most water programs “” such as pollution monitoring at beaches.”
“It is deeply disappointing that our Republican colleagues are so willing, able, and apparently eager to shut down the government,” Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) said Wednesday. “Shutting down the government is not a solution. Shutting down the EPA is not a solution. Shutting down American innovation is not a solution.”
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
FYI typo in headline “against”
An impending furlough. Does Obama have the balls to say “woohoo guys, bring it on”?
The last major federal government shutdown didn’t exactly result in a good outcome for the Republicans.
– frank
People like Ryan, McConnell, and the Kochs and Scialfes who back them are no better than gangsters. Now is when we really need investigative journalism, widely broadcast to the public.
Poll: 46 percent of Mississippi Republicans want interracial marriage ban
And more of those who oppose interracial marriage have a favorable view of Sarah Palin, a new poll reports http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/07/poll_mississippi_interracial_marriage/index.html
Welcome to the Dark Ages 2.0, brought to you by the Republican & Tea Party
Yes, the Tea Party will shut down the government. It’s the only lever of power they have, and they’re damn well going to use it.
And they’ll keep on doing it (or threatening to do it) as long as we let them.
Is the Gov’t shut-down threat going to fill the need in the Repub House as the fillibuster threat did in the Senate?
Is the threat of Gov’t shut-down going to fill the need in the Repub controlled House as the fillibuster did for the minority in the Senate? I say, let them shut it down, and let the Repubs face the consequences.
The Republicans are attempting to legislate using the budget.Let them shut down the government and take the consequences.Obama should call them out in a major speech.
“Prokaryotes says:
April 8, 2011 at 11:27 am
Poll: 46 percent of Mississippi Republicans want interracial marriage ban
And more of those who oppose interracial marriage have a favorable view of Sarah Palin, a new poll reports http://www.salon.com/ news/ politics/ war_room/ 2011/ 04/ 07/ poll_mississippi_interracial_marriage/ index.html
Welcome to the Dark Ages 2.0, brought to you by the Republican & Tea Party”
Jethro Tull’s “Dark Ages (1979):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NegXrA7uNa8
Not far off, somehow!
Cheers – John
Political views reflected in brain struture;
First empirical evidence of neurological correlation to general political outlook;
Researchers stress they don’t know which came first…. did ones views encourage different regions to develop or was that different development hardwired in
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110407121337.htm
Related…. you want to engage the electorate on an issue? Then broadcast political discussion using studio techniques of PBS. You want the listenting audience to believe that BOTH sides are whack and the issue is WHACK? Then use the studio techniques of Fox-shock debates.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201354.htm
Walter Karp in ‘Indispensable Enemies’ lists a number of occasions in the US where popular insurgencies were neutralised by the political power structure by one or other party (usually the Democrats) ‘running dead’ and letting the Opposition have free rein. They feared losing their control over political power to the people more than anything else. Remember ‘populist’ ie rooted in the people, is a universal term of abuse in sham politics, capitalist style. Mad, bad and dangerous as the Republicans are, the Democrats and Obama are false prophets, who will change nothing. Service to money power is their only aim. The situation in Australia is nowadays identical, only our Greens are somewhat more successful, so are suffering a truly demented hate campaign driven by the Murdoch pathocracy. Meanwhile any hope of meaningful ecological remediation and mitigation is left to the ruling elites and their MSM propaganda apparat to fight out amongst themselves. If the saner masters win, we might get a degree of de-carbonisation, perhaps a lot, so long as it maximises profits. If the Kochtopus and Murdochism continue to dominate, we disappear. It’s pretty much as stark as that. It does mystify me why the battlements have not yet been overwhelmed, by the sane, humane, fraction of humanity. As we march towards oblivion, driven on by the pathocrats and bufocrats, we seem almost like sleepwalkers, fervently hoping that we will soon awake and find that it has all been but a nasty dream.
I knew this is what they would do. This is what Cuccinelli does all the time in Virginia.
I don’t think the Democrats/President should agree to any extension. You can’t give in to people who are holding you hostage.
Does anybody have any info on how the public is taking this? I gather the deadline is past. Are people out protesting? ME
Did they drop the EPA restriction rider? Because all they mentioned on NPR was abortion. Nothing about obstructing the ability to regulate greenhouse gases. Are they following the lead of other media outlets in putting the risk of accelerated climate change on the back burner?
Cancel me #14. I got the news. Thanks.
Yes OregonStream, ABC24 mentioned the EPA and said it went along with abortion, ME
The so-called deal made this evening will require some Democratic votes to pass. That is perhaps as it should be. It was painfully obvious that the impass had little, if anything, to do with the budget deficit. If it had they would have actually done something to address the revenue portion of the problem, which is at least half of the problem, if not more.
Unfortunately, this culture can no longer distinguish between reality and illusion. We must wake up and realize that the trivia that passes for news and information is childishness. Far too many are clinging to fantasy in these times of real problems and listening to demagogues to reassure and entertain them. Fox had finally had enough of one of their top rated charlatans so I suppose there is a glimmer of hope
Now that the president and congressional leaders have reached an agreement, it will be interesting to see how many of the Republican extremists still vote against the agreement. Many probably think that this is still a free vote to support their bases, but I think that those who vote against the compromise should be targeted for removal.
I’m glad that Obama has not given in on the EPA issue. It’s really time to start factoring in a cost for CO2 emissions. Since renewables seem to be taking off, perhaps a tax on CO2 would really boost renewable energy. Since the EPA has been supported thus far, I hope that Obama has really drawn a line in the sand and will veto any bill attempting to repeal or delay the EPA authority.