On the Brink

President Biden's infrastructure bills are stalled in Congress, with moderate and progressive Democrats at odds with each other over how much to spend in new programs - "human infrastructure" - in a budget reconciliation measure.  Moderates want to go no higher than $1.5 trillion in spending over the net ten years on child care, climate change, and college tuition, while progressives want to spent no less than $3.5 trillion - after compromising down from $6 trillion.  And if House progressives don't get what they want, they're going to vote against a bipartisan bill on rebuilding roads, bridges and railways already passed by the Senate. The vote is scheduled for tomorrow and anyone who thinks it's going to pass while the $3.5 trillion bill - called a reconciliation bill because it's meant to reconcile with the budget - is opposed by moderate Democrats in both houses is either an unwarranted optimist, a moron, or both.

And the time to cut a deal is growing short.

Republicans, meanwhile, have taken advantage of Democratic infighting by refusing to cooperate on keeping the government open at the start of the 2022 fiscal year this coming Friday and also refusing to cooperate on raising the debt ceiling by not allowing itto be attached to a bill to keep the government open, meaning the United States could default for the first time ever as early as next week. 

All this while a major hurricane churns in the Atlantic Ocean and could strike the East Coast by the end of the week, causing billions of dollars in damage?

Prepare to meet thy doom.