BLUE PRESS JOURNAL – As the holiday decorations come down, the political climate in Washington is heating up. While American families are trying to plan their year, the Congressional GOP, the Senate, and the Trump administration (whose influence remains heavy within the party) are once again steering the country toward a fiscal cliff.
If you are a taxpayer, you should be worried. Not because of political tribalism, but because the cost of this incompetence is measured in billions of wasted dollars and economic instability.
Here is why the current dysfunction is a raw deal for the American taxpayer.
1. The High Cost of Political Brinkmanship
The most immediate threat is another government shutdown. Following a contentious health care debate and a two-week holiday recess, the House legislative calendar is dangerously thin.
As it stands, lawmakers have passed only three of the 12 appropriations bills required to fund the government. With the January 30 deadline looming, they have barely any time left to finish the job.
Why does this matter to your wallet? Every time Republicans force a shutdown showdown to score political points, the American economy pays a price. According to an analysis by S&P Global, the 2018 shutdown alone cost the U.S. economy $6 billion—far more than the savings from the shutdown itself. That is money that evaporated from the economy, lost productivity, and wasted government resources. By dragging their feet and creating artificial crises, the GOP is risking your tax dollars on a game of chicken.
2. Health Care Instability and the Broken Promises
The House GOP is currently paralyzed by a civil war over health care subsidies. Specifically, subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are set to expire at the end of the month.
The chaos is so bad that four Republican lawmakers broke ranks to sign a discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension of these subsidies, bypassing their own leadership.
The instability caused by this hesitation directly impacts taxpayers. If these subsidies expire, premiums will skyrocket for millions of Americans. Furthermore, this uncertainty wreaks havoc on the insurance markets. When the government creates artificial scarcity and uncertainty, it drives up costs for everyone—including the federal government, which ultimately has to step in to mitigate the damage. The GOP’s inability to govern effectively puts the financial health of American families at risk.
3. Democrats are Forced to Play Hardball
The situation has become so toxic that Democrats are preparing to use the January 30 funding deadline as leverage. If the GOP fails to resolve the subsidy issue before the funding deadline, Democrats plan to oppose any funding package that doesn’t address the issue.
This is a recipe for a total government shutdown. The Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, yet they cannot unite to keep the lights on or keep insurance premiums stable. By failing to lead, they are forcing a showdown that will inevitably result in wasted taxpayer money on “stopgap measures” and emergency funding.
The Bottom Line
The Congressional GOP, Senate leadership, and the lingering influence of the Trump administration are proving once again that they are incapable of managing the basic duties of governance. From threatening shutdowns that cost billions to creating chaos in the healthcare market, their dysfunction is expensive.
American taxpayers deserve a government that works, not one that holds the economy hostage every few weeks.
Blue Press Journal 
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