samedi 12 octobre 2013

Vers la fin du shutdown?

Juste après avoir posté le billet précédent je lis dans le Washington Post que les républicains sont probablement et réellement en train de capituler en rase campagne!

En clair et en Français, les sénateurs Républicains font pression sur Boehner pour qu'il mette aux voix une résolution levant immédiatement le shutdown et repoussant de six mois le plafond d'emprunts du Trésor Fédéral (qui va atteindre son actuel plafond dans six jours) avec une mineure modification de l'application de la loi Obamacare, que les Démocrates sont susceptibles d'approuver.

Details were still fluid late Friday, but the latest 23-page draft of the emerging measure would immediately end the shutdown and fund federal agencies for six months at current spending levels. It would maintain deep automatic cuts known as the sequester, but give agency officials flexibility to decide where the cuts should fall.

In addition, the proposal would also raise the debt limit through Jan. 31, 2014. Lawmakers were considering whether to include a provision that would direct the House and Senate Budget committees to immediately enter negotiations over broader budget issues and to issue a report by Jan. 15, 2014. If an agreement could be reached, it would clear a path for another increase in the debt limit later that month, without additional drama.

In exchange, Republicans were seeking what they called a few “fig leafs” — minor adjustments to Obama’s new health-care initiative. The first would delay for two years a 2.3-percent tax on medical devices that is unpopular in both parties. The second would require internal auditors to ensure that people who get tax subsidies to buy health insurance are in fact eligible.

Another option under consideration but not included in the latest draft would reduce the number of workers required to receive health coverage from an employer, by changing the definition of a full-time worker from 30 hours a week to 40 hours a week.

In an interview with a Kentucky newspaper Friday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled that he was helping to shepherd the effort to reach a compromise with Democrats.

“We’re in one of those situations right now where it’s going to require some sort of coming together here to get past the current impasse. And I’m going to continue to work on that,” McConnell told the Herald-Leader of Lexington.

Après les négociations de 2011 sur le relèvement du plafond de la dette où il avait été forcé de faire de larges concessions, Obama avait juré qu'il ne négocierait plus avec le Parti Républicain face à une telle limite parce que ça les encourageait à utiliser cette échéance d'importance cruciale pour l'économie américaine et mondiale pour obtenir d'autres concessions. Il a réussi cette foi, ou du moins il est en passe de réussir. Espérons que ça serve de leçon.