Daily Times

The last phase of the US midterm election cycle concluded with yesterday’s results pouring in from the state of Georgia. Even though the control of the United States Senate was not at stake, the run-off election between Incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and football veteran Herschel Walker remained as divisive and decisive as ever.

Democrats already controlled the US Senate after a pickup in Pennsylvania in the general election, back in November, but this election changed the dynamic of the conversation of what future political implications could be following the swearing-in of the new Congress, next month. Highlighting a chasm between Blue America and Red America, the run-off signified what was a post-election reaction on behalf of the GOP, and the arrogance they brought with policies to gerrymander their way to a lower house majority, with minimal power.

In terms of the shift in Georgia, the election proved consequential. Georgia only shifted to a blue state in 2020, after suburban voters split their ticket to vote along moral lines, avoiding another term for Former President Trump, who has narrowed down his new “team of fighters” to anti-Semites and racists-very blatantly. Take for example-Gwinnett County in the Atlanta metropolitan area-Mitt Romney won that state back in 2012 with a double-digit lead. Today, Senator Warnock, a democrat-won the County with a 25-point lead which is huge, acting as a reflection of a decade of reform, and an echo of a newer Republican Party.

The issue of debt is something that could trigger multiple defaulting spectrums for the Biden Presidency.

Looking ahead to the new Congress, Republicans have negligible power. Many pundits may argue that there is a House Majority for the GOP, which can help blockade the Biden Agenda for the next two years. The biggest problem that plan faces is a division within the Republican Party. This division is not only based on Presidential candidacy, but also on a major policy front, which may drive the same “majority” they point towards down a very unmarked and dangerous road. Now, in an attempt to hinder Progression, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed that he would be supporting a short-term extension to last year’s fiscal spending bill, standing in the way of defence funding, and a potential Government shutdown.

Now, the funding expires on the 16th of December, which is far less time Democrats have to push through a working, yet, positively bipartisan spending bell for 2023. This could eliminate the vaccine mandate put in place for the Military, to gain GOP support for the bill.

The NDAA contains critical funding for the military to have the training, equipment, and resources they need to carry out their missions. In many ways, it is a non-debatable issue, made partisan by Republicans who throw around the mud, in an attempt to please their focus groups and Super PACs. About the continuing resolution-a process by which they may extend a short-term agreement-McConnell said, “We don’t have an agreement to do virtually anything, which can only leave us with the option of a short-term CR into early next year.”

But this is not the only issue, on which Congress is enacting financial troubles for the Treasury and the Executive branch. The issue of debt is something that could also trigger multiple defaulting spectrums for the Biden Presidency given conservative spending would be a discordant part of the next two years of legislative agenda. This would cause debt limit cuts in social spending for things like Medicare and social security, something that has been somewhat of a “boom” in the last two years, following the Coronavirus crisis and the stimulus check that was supplied to much of the general public, catering for the inevitable recession fears that have been growing. The US Trade deficit also managed to rise to 78.2 Billion dollars in October following a report this week. Incoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has also hinted that he would allow the debt ceiling to remain in the same territory, to default a country-not exactly in a position to tumble into more economic crises.

However, this is spending that helps actual people, in their everyday lives. The Joint Congressional Economic Committee has also agreed to the idea of “baby bonds” which “would provide children at birth their own bank account with a specified amount of money. Each year, eligible children would also receive additional funding to help augment their savings.”

For months, the US Dollar makes US goods more expensive as it has become stronger and is aiding local buyers to buy cheaper goods, which is generally a good thing to counter a deficit. However, lower crude oil prices hurt the procession of the deficit as a lower value of exports over imports, compared to Petroleum products would be highlighted in the fall of the energy sector. Now, Congress does come in here, at some point, along with the executive branch, to regulate commerce with foreign nations. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has also made clear that she will combat foreign influences on the US economy, which create a regression in growth. Together, with Congress, proper taxation can help curb troubles on the horizon, but only if the “party of low taxes” recognizes to do so.

The writer is a columnist and a linguistic activist.