OPINION:
House Republicans are once again engaged in what seems to be their favorite activity: arguing among themselves.
In trying to craft an appropriations bill that will somehow satisfy Democrats, they are putting themselves squarely in the line of fire for holding up appropriations to keep the government open. They are teeing themselves up for what they fear the most: the charge of shutting down the government.
What short memories! It was only months ago they were in the exact same place about raising the debt ceiling. And when they put together a bill that all Republicans voted for, they lobbed the ball into the Democrats’ court. In the ensuing process, they ultimately achieved some decent if imperfect spending agreements.
That is precisely the task now. Pass a bill, almost any bill. If far-right members have provisions they wish to include, then include them. Include policy riders on the border or whatever it takes to produce a Republican-passed bill. If centrists have provisions they want, include those as well.
Do whatever is necessary to pass a bill — or individual appropriations bills if that is possible. Stop trying to kick the can down the road with short-term continuing resolutions. The House Democratic leader has made it clear he does not intend to help Republicans pass an appropriations bill.
The reasons for this are obvious.
First, as Republicans discovered in the debt ceiling debate, this makes it far more difficult for Democrats to credibly accuse Republicans of “shutting down the government.” Even with the mainstream media’s megaphone — which will always blame policy impasses on Republicans — it turned out that passing a bill took a lot of heat off Republicans and put it squarely on Democrats.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to say over and over again, and with some credibility, that the ball was now in the Democrats’ court. Do it again.
Second, putting the ball in the Democrats’ court will reveal that Democrats are not a monolithic, well-oiled machine themselves. They have many of the same intramural squabbles as do the Republicans. Let’s have a look at them.
Third, it is not like a Republican-passed bill will become law in all its particulars in any event. It will be subject to significant changes in negotiations with Senate Democrats and more importantly, as we saw with the debt ceiling debate, the president. The president is in a bit of a weakened position these days, and getting past a government shutdown may be a desirable result at a time when he is wrestling with issues of age and possible impeachment.
It makes no sense for Republicans to continue to negotiate with themselves. They should be negotiating with the Democrats. And if “fringe” Republicans do not get everything they want in the final outcome, they will at least have gotten what they want in a House-passed bill.
Perhaps their animus could be better directed at the Democrats than at Mr. McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy was able to sell just this kind of result fairly successfully on the debt ceiling legislation.
The course of wisdom is to pass a bill (or individual appropriations bills if still possible) and then repeat over and over that Republicans have done their job: “We have done our part to keep the government open; now it is the Democrats’ turn.”
Smart people do not negotiate with themselves. Let the Democrats take center stage for a while. This is sure to produce a better result in the end.
• Jeff Bergner served in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government.
