November 19, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.
Tired of the repeated partisan clashes in Congress every time a major budget deadline approaches, like last week? Tired of breathless cable coverage of looming government shutdowns or debt defaults, knowing that advocates (almost) always reach a compromise at the last minute, as they did on Tuesday?
Or are you already logged out?
Here’s why you should pay attention: These senseless, self-induced crises have cost taxpayers a lot of money in higher interest on the U.S. debt, even when Congress manages to avoid a government shutdown or default. On top of that, they have had an incalculable impact on public confidence in governance.
And know that this irresponsibility is not a two-sided issue. Democrats and Republicans are not equally guilty. More than a quarter of a century ago, it was the Republicans who provoked the clashes, setting conditions that could not become law on their own, both to finance the government and to raise the debt ceiling of the country, so that the Treasury can continue to borrow to pay the bills.
In
