When kicking the can down the road is seen as a notable accomplishment, you know that the standards are miserably low. We don’t know that the latest plan in Congress to avoid a government shutdown is getting rave reviews exactly, but there is, at least, a sense of relief in the air. Assuming there is the necessary “bipartisan cooperation,” as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has described the full House and Senate approvals now anticipated in the coming days, the federal government will stay in business under a continuing resolution negotiated over the weekend. It will potentially be funded for a few more months when, presumably, whoever is elected U.S. president can help hector and cajole Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to do their jobs and pass a budget. Or the country could, once again, face fiscal chaos before Christmas.
This mini-drama in Congress is instructive because it demonstrates at least three defining elements of current politics. First, lawmakers start to get serious about getting the people’s work done when elections loom. A government shutdown in October would surely have been disastrous for incumbents seeking reelection in November. Second, certain members may talk big about reducing federal spending, but when they see something shiny and new they want fully funded, they are ready to spend. In this case, the popular cause is the U.S. Secret Service, which is getting $232 million more in the wake of the second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. And finally, it shows Republicans were never really serious about election security — specifically requiring voters to demonstrate proof of citizenship that was both unworkable at this late date and unnecessary given the rarity of noncitizens voting but nonetheless strongly backed by Trump, who favored a shutdown to help make it happen.
Naturally, the only meaningful question left by this “meh” action (assuming it gets done) is what this means for Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who can’t seem to please his party’s hard-liners. Here’s the correct answer: Americans should not care about Johnson or anyone else’s political performance. Let’s measure our elected officials not by their dramatic doctrinaire readings on camera but by the actual performance of their jobs. Getting the bare minimum done (or, to be generous, the bare minimum plus better Secret Service protection) isn’t much to brag about.
Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.
