Vox Sentences - Congressional procrastination...

Thursday, November 16, 2023:

Hi all, here’s what’s top of mind today… 

UP FIRST: Congress is procrastinating on the real government shutdown fight

CATCH UP: Israel’s case for its raid of Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital

— Rachel DuRose, Future Perfect fellow

Congress is procrastinating on the real government shutdown fight

Getty Images

Once more, Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding bill. But, it’s a Band-Aid solution that only postpones work on a full-year government spending package, and one that sets the stage for a heated debate next year.

The lowdown: The bill is what’s known as a continuing resolution (CR). It does not include any changes to spending, and sets two deadlines for establishing a longer-term solution. Transportation, housing, energy, agriculture, and veterans’ affairs funding must be decided on by January 19, while spending for the other parts of the government must be determined by February 2.

• Democrats got the CR over the finish line. The GOP-controlled House relied on Democratic votes to pass the bill, which faced opposition from the most conservative members of the GOP. 

• Republicans’ and Democrats’ spending priorities differ greatly. Conservative Republicans want to cut foreign aid, environmental, and welfare spending, and increase spending on border security. Meanwhile, Democrats want to increase funding for foreign aid, the environment, and education. That’s going to make finding a compromise on the full-year bills tricky.

• Next year's spending fights will put new House Speaker Mike Johnson in the hot seat. For a spending bill to pass the House, Johnson will likely have to work with the Democrats, which ultimately was what got his predecessor ousted. Johnson stated he won’t support another CR, raising the risk of a 2024 shutdown. 

The stakes: In the short term, this bill is good news. Government services will continue and government employees will keep getting paid. But, it doesn’t solve any of the disagreements that have made passing full-year bills difficult, and it could set up a rolling shutdown if lawmakers can’t come to a consensus in the next couple months. 

At the heart of the matter are the 12 appropriations (spending) bills Congress has to pass to keep the government open through September. If they don’t pass these bills (or a short-term stopgap) then the government shuts down. Thus far, the Republican-led House passed seven bills, and the Democrat-led Senate passed three. Zero of these have made it through both chambers.

“The two chambers will ultimately have to reconcile their versions of these bills before they can move forward,” writes politics reporter Li Zhou. “For now, the CR ensures there won’t be any shutdown drama over the holidays, though there’s no such guarantee for January and February.” 

Read Li’s full story on this short-term funding fix here.

Israel’s case for its raid of Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital

AFP/Getty Images

Israel claims a Hamas command center (what officials called the “beating heart” of the organization) operated out of the tunnels beneath the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. Earlier this week the IDF entered the hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, and it claims to have uncovered proof of Hamas’s operations within the complex — something Hamas categorically rejects. 

Israel’s bombing campaign, siege, and ground assault of Gaza have made it difficult for journalists and international monitors to verify the IDF and Hamas’s competing narratives. Here’s what each side has said about the hospital thus far: 

• The IDF posted videos and released images of duffel bags, uniforms, weapons, supplies, and a laptop that they claim prove Hamas operated out of the hospital. Hamas said the IDF was “lying” about what they found, and accused Israeli soldiers of staging the clips. [Al Jazeera]

• Israeli footage of an alleged Hamas base at al-Rantisi hospital is also under scrutiny. The IDF claimed in two videos that an item the Washington Post identified as a hair tie, as well as couches, a toilet, and a calendar prove Hamas once held hostages at the hospital. The calendar has become a flashpoint of debate: the IDF claims it was a schedule to guard prisoners; the Post reports it seems to simply contain the Arabic words for the days of the week. Hamas called the IDF’s videos a “lie and charade.” [Washington Post] 

• Thousands of civilians and patients remain inside al-Shifa. The World Health Organization is calling for a ceasefire and expressing concern for the patients and staff trapped in the now non-functioning medical facility. [The Hill] 

• The US has defended Israel’s raid on al-Shifa. The National Security Council claims the US has a “variety of intelligence sourcing” that proves Hamas has a headquarters beneath the hospital. President Joe Biden refuted the idea that the IDF had “raided” the hospital with large-scale force, reiterating that the US has secret intelligence verifying the claim that al-Shifa covers a Hamas base. [The Hill] 

If you have questions about the ongoing war, let us know here. And here’s where you can keep track of all our developing coverage.

• The UK’s supreme court ruled Wednesday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful. Right-wing British politicians put forward the plan in 2022, but were never able to enact it due to a slew of legal challenges. [CNN]

• Research from the CDC shows cancer deaths dropped significantly for children from 2001 to 2021. In the last two decades, cancer deaths in those 19 or younger declined 24 percent. [Axios]
  

• Several groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, protested outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters last night. The demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza ended with a clash with US Capitol Police. One person was arrested and several were pepper sprayed. [NBC4 Washington]
  

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