Crisis averted (for now): Senate agrees to Republican-friendly deal to fund FEMA, avoid government shutdown

By Michael J.W. Stickings

WaPo:

Senate leaders agreed to a deal Monday evening that is almost certain to avert a federal government shutdown, a prospect that had unexpectedly arisen when congressional leaders deadlocked over disaster relief funding.

After days of brinkmanship reminiscent of the budget battles that have consumed Washington this year, key senators clinched a compromise that would provide less money for disaster relief than Democrats sought but would also strip away spending cuts that Republicans demanded. The pact, which the Senate approved 79 to 12 and the House is expected to ratify next week, is expected to keep federal agencies open until Nov. 18.

"It will be a win for everyone," said Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called the plan "a reasonable way to keep the government operational."

Aides to House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said he will support the compromise. 

Usually when you read quotes like this, you know the Democrats got screwed. And while this deal would appear to be fair, it clearly benefits the Republicans, particularly with respect to their long-term aganda of slashing government to a state of desperate starvation.

A win for everyone? Hardly, Senator Reid. And all you're doing is enabling the Republicans, establishing the precedent (or, rather, reiterating it) that fair is when Democrats give in to Republican demands and agree to "compromise" that requires the Republicans to sacrifice very little of their far-right agenda.

And you're allowing Republicans to look "reasonable" by playing right into their hands.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Look, something had to be done, clearly. FEMA needs money to carry on its work, and, more broadly, the government needs money to keep running.

But, once again, Republicans succeeded by holding the country hostage. They pushed the country to the brink of a federal government shutdown, just as they almost pushed it into default over the debt ceiling, by insisting on unacceptable offsets for disaster relief funding. Yes, sure, this deal allows FEMA to be funded without the budgetary offsets demanded by Republicans, but the Republicans still succeeded in reducing its funding:

Although Democrats said the Federal Emergency Management Agency needed more funding, they agreed to accept a Republican plan to spend $3.65 billion in disaster relief money, $1 billion of which would have gone toward the budget for the current fiscal year, which ends on Friday. Republicans, concerned about adding to the federal deficit, refused to support the funding unless it was accompanied by $1.5 billion in cuts. They targeted an auto loan program popular with Democrats, leading to the standoff.

The showdown between the two sides was averted on Monday, when FEMA said it could make ends meet through the end of the week. That led to an agreement that calls for the agency and other government disaster relief programs to forgo the $1 billion in proposed funding for this week. Beginning Saturday and running to Nov. 18, FEMA can begin to tap the remaining $2.65 billion for ongoing efforts.

It's hard not to see this as a concerted effort on the part of Republicans to benefit from split-the-difference politics: The Democrats propose A (a sensible, perhaps somewhat center-left but often fully centrist option), Republican extremists propose B (a radical, right-wing option supported by the party's base and much of its Congressional caucus), a crisis ensues (say, over keeping the government running), and Democrats panic and agree to C (a center-right if not decidedly right-wing "compromise" that the Republican leadership, posing as "reasonable" leaders, can champion as a significant victory for bipartisanship when in fact what is "bipartisan" is essentially mainstream Republican, with Democrats looking like utter fools and delusionally applauding their own demise).

Sound good? Well, that's what Republicans are doing. No, there aren't the offsets they wanted, or claimed to want, but they still cut FEMA's funding well below what it needs for disaster relief. (Republicans clearly have no qualms playing politics with disaster relief -- see Cantor, Eric.)

The White House has said FEMA will need $4.6 billion for the next fiscal year -- a figure many Democrats say underestimates the agency's needs.

Democrats will push to fully fund FEMA's request and perhaps broaden it during negotiations over spending for the rest of the year, but they were split Monday night over what the compromise would mean for future funding battles.

"This is a very big and important move. It says we met each other halfway. We saved the jobs," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.), referring to the the auto loan program. "We figured out a way to fund FEMA that was acceptable to them. It's a template. We have to figure out how to meet each other halfway here."

Thanks, Senator Boxer, hat pretty much encapsulates the stupidity and myopia of Democrats. Even if it's a good thing to meet "halfway," the question is halfway between what and what? If it's halfway between centrism and right-wing extremism, how is that "a very big and important move" in a good way? Really, it's just meeting Republicans well over on the Republican side of the spectrum.

Yes, a program Democrats like was saved, but that is a short-term win that means little given the ongoing Republican assault on government. Why not let Republicans shut down the government and force them to take the fall? Why not demand that they defend their extremist positions to a public that in the past hasn't exactly supported government shutdowns and that actually likes most of the programs Republicans are trying to cut?

Because Democrats are a bunch of pathetic wusses, of course. Because they (almost always) panic and (almost always) end up on their knees desperate for Republicans to save them from themselves -- and always on Republican terms, of course.

Because that only "fair."

And do you really think Democrats will be able to get the funding they want for FEMA? Do you really think Republicans will let them? We'll just hear more about compromise, with Reid et al. smiling their stupid smiles and feeling ever so good about themselves for meeting the other side halfway. (Is it any wonder progressives, those to the left of Democratic centrism, are so frustrated, so angry, so alienated? These are core Democratic voters the Democrats are losing with their Republican-enabling deals.)

And with Democrats operating this way, why would Republicans ever agree to any meaningful compromise on anything?