Shutdown 1, 2, Buckle Your Revenues!

Yet again the congress is at risk for another shutdown with honestly no surprise from most Americans after the media wildfire and knowledgeable expanse that swept the nation at alarming rates. This time the congress has the issue of agreeing on funding for fiscal year 2014, starting just three weeks ago and will end on September 30^th. The original spending request was issued by Barack Obama on April 10^th 2013. Fiscal year 2014 must be enacted by both houses of congress before they can take affect (sadly) in accordance with the United States budget process. (Frame work used by congress and the president of the United States to formulate and create the United States federal Budget.) Even though the deadline is set for September 30^th, lawmakers have until mid January until the current round of temporary government funding is expired to sort it all out until another possible shutdown happens. (Though the hilarious jokes that could be made about the situation itself, it has a vast and harmful impact to several things that without the government could not be tended to, i.e. zoos, national parks, ect.)

Right now there are two numbers floating about that could mark the chances for a deal: $967 billion and $1.058 trillion (though both had budget cuts that took place in sometime around March.) Individually the $967 billion is funding for defense and a non defense program that House Republicans have called for, though republicans would lean that money more towards non defense programs, called under law of course.  The $1.058 trillion is what the Senate Democrats have proposed and where spending would be if the sequester were canceled for 2014. Democrats have stated that this large sum of money will be made up through tax increases and other spending cuts as always. 

Right now the government is being funded temporarily until January 15^th at an annualized amount of $986 billion. Of course if nothing gets done there will be a $20 billion automatic cut which of course is being found unappealing to Republicans because it would hit defense most heavily. With Democrats they find it hard to take in because allowing that second round of cuts to occur all but codifies the sequester as a fact of life.(Basically if the sequester is replaced the republicans will find equal saving through entitlement cuts and that’s a no from democrats who will only agree to entitlement cuts if the revenue matches the increase which draws a no from republicans.) Everyone get ready it’s time for shutdown number two.