Free and Fair trade issue

Proposed Stopgap Spending Bill
Budgetary changes are common in the public administration field. Governments make budgetary changes as part of public governance based on various factors relating to serving the interests of the public. However, the process of making budgetary changes is sometimes characterized by political issues and partisan approaches. Policymakers or politicians differ on the measures adopted by the government or public sector organization when proposing changes in the budget. This paper examines a recent publication regarding proposed budgetary change and how the change affects a particular population. The discussion includes an evaluation of the source as well as a personal opinion on the issue.
Summary of the Article
Cochrane (2020) published an article on the differing opinions between Democrats and Republicans regarding a recent spending bill. The recent looming government shutdown prompted Congressional leaders to enact a stopgap spending bill to mitigate the impacts of the shutdown. Prior to the creation of this bill, President Trump has promised farmers relief worth billions of dollars. However, Democrats established a measure that omitted this promise due to the impact of President Trump Administration’s trade policies and the coronavirus pandemic. The move generated a dispute between Republicans and Democrats at a time when they were almost reaching a bipartisan deal on the measure (Cochrane, 2020). The emerging dispute threatens efforts by these lawmakers to reach an agreement that would prevent a lapse in government funding once the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2020.
Democrats hesitated to add more money in the Community Credit Corporation package on grounds that President Trump was seeking to use it as his personal piggy bank to provide incentives to a politically potent constituency weeks before the 2020 presidential elections. On the contrary, Republicans argue that Democrats disgracefully omitted key support and relief needed by American farmers. Congressional Republicans supported the Administration’s effort to ensure farmers continue obtaining payments by providing agriculture funding. In this case, they sought to provide such funding at a time when the Community Credit Corporation program is nearing its borrowing limit. President Trump reinforced Democrats’ fears at a recent campaign rally in Wisconsin where he announced that his administration would provide an additional $14 billion to the program for more payments to farmers. Big farms and Southern States, which form a major part of the president’s political base, would disproportionately benefit from the program.
The situation created a dispute as Democrats also failed to include provisions that would extend key deadlines for U.S. census to offer limiting data or extra funds for election security. The stopgap spending bill proposed by Democrats also includes a provision preventing Medicare recipients from being subjected to huge increases in their premiums because of measures adopted to mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus. However, it does not include more relief to assist American families and businesses to recover from the effect of the pandemic. Nonetheless, Ms. Pelosi stated that lawmakers would still avoid a lapse in federal funding despite the dispute over agriculture funding to farmers (Cochrane, 2020).
The Issue and the Affected Population
The major issue in the proposed stopgap spending bill to avert the government shutdown is agricultural funding to American farmers. This implies that American farmers are the affected population since the created measure by Democrats sought to stop funding for additional relief and support amidst the pandemic. Even though the Community Credit Corporation program is nearing its borrowing limit, American farmers need more relief and support due to the impact of the coronavirus and current trade policies. Democrats’ opposition to additional relief for American farmers is not fueled by concerns regarding the program’s fast-approaching borrowing limit. Democrat lawmakers opposed the additional funding on the premise that it would disproportionately benefit President Trump’s political base close to Election Day. Therefore, Democrats’ opposition is for political reasons rather than the need for relief for American farmers who are affected by the coronavirus global pandemic.
Evaluation of the Source and Personal Opinion
Emily Cochrane published the story on the dispute between Democrats and Republicans on this issue in The New York Times, which is a reputable news source. Cochrane is a reporter who covers Congress in The New York Times’ Washington bureau. As a reporter focusing on covering Congress, she provides insights on some of the issues Congressional leaders face in their policymaking initiatives. Therefore, the source provides high-quality and reliable information on this issue.
I believe that the dispute between Democrats and Republicans regarding the agricultural funding in the proposed stopgap spending bill is an example of how politics affects the lawmaking process. As evident in this case, the underlying reason for Democrats’ opposition to the funding is its potential impact on politics and this year’s presidential election, which is weeks away. Therefore, politics plays a major role in decisions and positions taken by lawmakers when making policies. While Congressional Republicans support the agriculture funding on the premise that it would provide necessary support and relief to American farmers, the potential political benefits from this funding also influences their decisions and position on the issue. On the other hand, Democrats seemingly acknowledge the need for American farmers to obtain relief and support given the impacts of the pandemic. However, they oppose attempts to offer such relief and support because it could give President Trump political advantage.
Reference
Cochrane, E. (2020, September 21). Democrats and Republicans Clash Over Spending Bill to Avoid Shutdown. The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/us/politics/spending-bill-government-shutdown.html