Courtesy of wikipedia.org
By the time this blog is published, the budget war between Republicans and Democrats may be over. Will the Republicans have succeeded in tarring the Democrats with the loss of government services? Will Democrats have convinced the public that some pain is necessary to save the country’s healthcare system? Or is it also likely the war still rages?
If the current budget passes without amendments, many will suffer. According to the Congressional Budget Office $1 trillion will be cut from Medicaid over the next decade. By 2034, 11.8 million Americans will live without health insurance.
Overall, the bottom 40 percent of households will lose income while households in the top 0.1 percent will gain $100,000 annually. (“One Megabill for the Megarich,” by Belle Taylor-McGhee, Ms. Fall 2025, pg.26-27)
The budget reflects Republican contempt for the public. Even now, conservative legislators are heaping more insult upon injury as they work to eliminate the citizens ’right to weigh in on federal rules and whittle away at the requirements for public notice. (“Trump Administration Aims to Shut Down Public Participation in Federal Rulemaking,” by David Rosen, Public Citizen News, Sept/October 2025, pg. 8)
In exchange for Republican loyalty, the White House rewards its followers with equal disdain. Having convinced his minions to pass the Recissions Act of 2025, the President is now free to ignore the Congressional budget, treating its allocations as suggestions rather than mandates. As a result, billions of dollars remain in the Treasury that were intended for foreign aid, public broadcasting, and public health. (“Political Games: Trump’s Recissions Law Threatens Lives and Democracy,” by Sara Faraj, Public Citizen News, Sept. Oct. 2025. Pg. 9) Perhaps Trump will choose to spend those tax dollars on medbeds for the MAGA crowd.
Given the President’s control over the budget–to spend or not spend money as he chooses–the skirmishes between Republicans and Democrats amount to nothing more than sound and fury. The former have turned the power of the purse over to Trump, and the Democrats have no leverage.
If this blog seems more cut and dry than those in the past, there’s a reason. The sooner we realize we no longer live in a democracy, the sooner we can agree to reclaim it.
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