Congress works best on a deadline. But the dwindling calendar is doing little to spur the legislative branch into action on some major issues.
Two dates ought to be circled in red on the calendars of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Dec. 31 is when a set of expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies expire. Without new legislation, health care costs will skyrocket for millions of their members’ constituents.
Jan. 30 is the expiration date of the short-term funding bill lawmakers passed to reopen the government in November. Absent another continuing resolution or an appropriations bill for the rest of the fiscal year, we’ll find ourselves right back in another shutdown. Given that the last shutdown was the longest in federal history — and tied to the expiring Obamacare subsidies — you might expect that lawmakers would feel some urgency to deal with these problems. You’d be wrong.
This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest column. Read the full column here.
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