Midnight on Capitol Hill

Funding the War Machine:
Capitol Hill has been gradually plunged into chaos for the past month, but one would be forgiven for not noticing. As war erupts in the Middle East, government bureaucracy is on full display. Republicans and Democrats are now on the hook for funding yet another war, yet neither party can seem to reach a consensus on any kind of resolution for either the war in Ukraine or Israel’s war in Gaza. The Biden administration recently requested 106 billion dollars to Congress to allocate funds for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and border security domestically. Another 425 million dollar aid package announced by the Biden administration Friday has fueled discord over funding for the war in Ukraine within the Republican party. The unprecedented $106 billion request remains stalled in the House due to objections from many House Republicans over continued support for the war in Ukraine. Many House Republicans additionally object to the consolidation of funding for both Ukraine and Israel into one bill. President Biden has made it clear he plans to veto any bill that provides aid to Israel, or Gaza for that matter if it does not also include aid for Ukraine. The Biden administration is doing this to ensure that aid to Ukraine continues, despite the objections of many Republicans in Congress.

Washington is struggling to manage the ballooning responsibilities it has taken on globally in recent years, particularly in the past few months. The war in Ukraine has reached a stalemate, with little progress made by either side. The Biden administration, to the objections of Ukrainian President Zelensky, has now shifted its priority to getting both sides to engage in peace talks and reach a ceasefire agreement. The aims of the U.S. government in Ukraine has been drastically reduced for the past year and this new messaging from the White House is a far cry from the administration's messaging regarding the war just months ago.

Israel’s war in Gaza has also placed a great deal on an already fractured government. Washington was not ready for war in Israel, and now a decades-long U.S. policy of unequivocal support for Israel is on the line. Republicans in Congress, recent critics of continued support for the war in Ukraine, are now calling for more money and aid to be sent to Israel. Meanwhile, the Democrats who have been longtime supporters of supplying aid to Ukraine, are more hesitant as their party faces internal strife over the support for Israel. However, debates over American support for Israel have not remained contained to Congress. American cities and families have been divided with calls for a ceasefire amid growing unrest and tension in many communities.

Where do we go next?
Congress is stuck in a deadlock regarding each of these conflicts, one of which continues to escalate as U.S. forces come under fire by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. These two conflicts aren’t the only headache for Capitol Hill. The House has been embroiled in a weeks-long speaker battle after Matt Gaetz (R-FL), had successfully passed a motion to vacate the former speaker, Kevin McCarthy. The House finally chose a new speaker, Republican Mike Johnson from Louisiana, an unfamiliar name. Johnson has been an advocate for aid to Israel and a critic of any continued aid to Ukraine. While the House remains in a fragile state as it fails to meet its deadlines, another one is approaching, and quickly. Two months ago the 45-day emergency funding resolution was passed by then speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, merely hours before the government was set to shut down. Yet another funding deadline has passed with no concrete resolution. The federal government has yet again kicked the can down the road, setting the stage for two more funding fights in January and February. Axios reported that some lawmakers have even suggested “punting” the budget debate as far away as April to give the House more time to address its long list of problems, like the conflicts in the Ukraine and Israel.

The government repeatedly approaches and fails to meet its budget deadlines and almost no progress on a finalized bill has been made in months. Congress isn’t the only part of our government in turmoil. The Department of Defense is struggling to deal with escalating global tensions and the DOJ is struggling to manage many high-profile cases, specifically those connected to former President Donald Trump. Besides a brief address to the nation by President Biden, the White House has been relatively silent on government funding and the escalating situation in the Middle East. The Biden administration has no definitive foreign policy plan for the Middle East and likely does not know how to respond if attacks on U.S. forces continue, or if Iran directly involves themselves in the war.

Outlook for 2024:
The U.S. government is struggling to do its job and reach any coherent plan or consensus on key issues. Every single government agency is stressed, overwhelmed, plagued by political strife, and exacerbated by intense government bureaucracy. The 2024 general election is in less than a year from now and as the government struggles on every front, the presidential race begins to heat up. Each presidential election grows more contentious and taxing than the last. As the government struggles to manage its responsibilities now, is it ready to handle the stress of an election year?