All the talk this weekend in D.C is about none other than the debt limit in the United States. On Saturday, reports emerged that a tentative (but not finalized) agreement had been reached between extremist Republicans who are trying to take America hostage and the White House.
With just under a week and maybe a day or so to go until America’s limit is breached, a deal has finally been almost reached by dueling Republicans seeking to rob ordinary Americans blind. In the deal, there are a number of concessions that appear to have been given to Republicans.
Let’s run through those:
- Limited stricter work requirements are coming for programs like Snap (but Medicaid has largely been left alone.)
Repubicans are hellbent on ensuring that homeless people; vulnerable people, and others get removed from PA rolls. Initially, Republicans wanted much stricter work requirements, especially for those between the ages of 18-49 and who may not have had children. The problem with that is that would’ve affected thousands of innocent people who are otherwise homeless; don’t have a job (or lack the resources to obtain a job), among other things. Biden’s concession granted these work requirements in their own form, however, even those are not permanent. In 2030, those revised work requirements are due to expire. The new work requirements raise what are known as “ABLE BODIED” requirements to the age of 54.
Republicans attempted to spearhead a Medicaid campaign that would’ve installed further requirements for such a program. Medicaid has never had requirements based on employment in its history. Instead, the deal keeps Medicaid in place and omits the Republican demand for such requirements.
Elsewhere in the tentative debt deal, it freezes spending this year.
2. The already bloated U.S military is getting a 3% spending increase.
In the tentative deal, Republicans sought nearly triple the increase for the military. It is unclear why Republicans seem to think that the military needs so much of America’s budget. Defense hawks seem to have Republicans in their back pockets. Democrats would not budge beyond a 3% increase.
3. Joe Biden’s notorious student loan program betrothed by Republicans (who ironically only love what they call handouts when it benefits them) will be left as is.
Right now as it stands, the loan forgiveness program is to remain and will be decided by the Supreme Court. Biden won a major concession and Democrats refused to remove this portion from the bill. It was a ‘non-starter’ almost entirely party-wide.
Veterans and homeless people are ultimately excluded from the new work requirements in a win for doing the right thing.
4. Temporary assistance for needy families.
Additional work requirements are coming as Republicans seek to stop ordinary Americans from ever getting any kind of leg up.
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