Talking Points: Klobuchar On A Possible 2nd Gov't Shutdown
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The government shutdown may have ended but there is already concern that another shutdown could happen in just a few months.
Congress now faces deadline starting in January to achieve budget and debt ceiling deals.
On our web poll at WCCO.com, more than 400 people responded with 65 percent saying they fear another shutdown will happen. Another 19 percent say it might happen.
The Congressional deal to end the shutdown wasn't much of a deal, it just postponed the issue. The agreement only keeps the government open through Jan. 15. And the debt ceiling has only been raised through Feb. 7.
Meanwhile, conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz say they will continue to do whatever it takes to stop the implementation of Obamacare. The paralysis extends to issues like sequestration cuts, immigration and the inability of Congress to pass a farm bill.
This latest standoff ended with a bi-partisan group of moderate Senators coming together to reach an agreement. One of those Senators was Amy Kobuchar. She appeared on WCCO Sunday Morning.
"I think the thing that makes me hopeful is that the public is so angry and that is a shift, they have never been happy with what's going on in Washington but they are actually ferociously angry at these elected officials that have been actively obstructionist," she said.
Sen. Klobuchar's optimism that there will be a new spirit of cooperation in Washington will get its first real test in mid-December. That's the deadline for a House and Senate conference committee to agree on a budget. But that is a soft deadline. There is no real consequence if the committee can't agree. That's not the case with the January deadline. No deal by then and the government could once again shutdown.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Matt Brickman every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
