Quote:
Originally Posted by stang
Anyone with the quick get you up to speed version? How the hell does can that even happen? Can't Obama say " get back to work"
|
There are three main branches to the US government - the executive branch (President) legislative (house of representatives and senate) and the judicial (courts). No law can be passed without approval from all three. The judicial branch cannot make new laws, only rule on the legality of existing and newly passed ones.
All money bills (ie. new taxation laws, and budgets, which is important here) MUST originate in the lower house of congress, which is the House of Representatives, or just plain "Congress", which is how it is frequently, though incorrectly, referred to in the press.
Once the House passes a budget, it goes to the upper house of Congress, or Senate for approval. After that, the executive branch (President) gets to have his say, and can veto anything that comes to this desk, which is very unusual these days. Only a 3/4 vote in the Senate can override his veto.
Now, here's the problem. The lower house is now controlled by the Republicans. They have legitimate concerns about the implementation of Obama's prized piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare". They are refusing to allow the government to be funded going forward without attaching a piece of legislation to the budget that delays the implementation of Obamacare.
Now, the current President is a Democrat, so he's not too happy about these uppity peons down in Congress messing up his plans. His party control the Senate, so he doesn't even need to worry about vetoing any budget bill - it simply won't even get that far. Any bill coming out of the lower house that includes a delay in Obamacare is dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Obama will win this in the short term by refusing to budge. The Republicans in the House will be forced to fold under public pressure once people start realising just how inconvenient this is making their every day lives. Long term, how it plays out in next year's midterm elections really is anyone's guess. Obama will be out the door three years from now anyway so at least nobody can accuse him of not standing strong on the key issue he promised to address if elected.