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           US Government Shutdown Missing Key Negotiations, Until Now

   Unlike recent American financial showdowns, the two-day partial U.S.
   government shutdown has been marked by a notable absence of high-level
   negotiations to try to resolve it, although that could be ending.
   President Barack Obama has summoned congressional leaders for a late
   afternoon meeting Wednesday to discuss the stalemate that has left
   800,000 government workers furloughed, halted many government services
   and closed 400 national parks and monuments.
   As the United States sought to defuse earlier government funding
   issues, Mr. Obama, a Democrat in the fifth year of his presidency, met
   regularly with Speaker John Boehner, leader of the
   Republican-controlled House of Representatives. They sought to craft a
   grand bargain on government spending and taxation, but ultimately were
   unsuccessful as their supporters balked at various terms they were
   discussing.
   At the end of 2012, however, Vice President Joe Biden and Republican
   Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell successfully negotiated a pact
   to avert widespread tax increases for most American workers, while
   allowing taxes to increase for some of the country`s wealthiest people.
   This week, however, U.S. political leaders have traded barbs over
   responsibility for the shutdown, each blaming the other for the first
   government work stoppage in 17 years.
   One presidential scholar, government professor John Gilmour at the
   College of William and Mary in the mid-Atlantic state of Virginia, told
   VOA the shutdown has been provoked by Republicans. They are seeking to
   halt or delay implementation of Mr. Obama`s signature legislative
   achievement, the 2010 health care reforms popularly known in the U.S.
   as Obamacare, in exchange for approving a new spending plan for
   government agencies. Mr. Obama and Democrats are continuing to defend
   the law.
   Gilmour said the two chief U.S. political parties are more polarized
   than ever, with little political pressure to compromise.
   "The Republican party is much more cohesively conservative, and the
   Democratic party is much more cohesively Democratic, liberal than ever
   before."
   As the shutdown continues, some analysts suggest that the current
   impasse on government funding, might be combined with another key U.S.
   financial issue. That is the need to increase the country`s $16.7
   trillion borrowing limit to keep the U.S. from defaulting on its
   financial obligations.
   Government officials say the U.S. will reach its borrowing limit by
   October 17. Mr. Obama says he will not negotiate over increasing the
   debt ceiling, because the U.S. needs to borrow more money to pay bills
   it has already incurred. But Republicans are seeking spending cuts in
   exchange for increasing the borrowing limit, and are continuing their
   fight against the health care law.
   A U.S. economist, Jim O`Sullivan of High Frequency Economics, told VOA
   that increasing the debt ceiling is paramount, more important than the
   immediate dispute over the government shutdown.
   "The real, more critical issue ultimately is the debt limit. And
   certainly there is plenty of precedent for temporary shutdowns and they
   haven`t been that disruptive for the economy in the long run. Of
   course, we`ve never not met our obligations.... And I think at the end
   of the day, they`re not that irresponsible. The debt limit will be
   dealt with."
   Political scientist Gilmour said the U.S. disputes will not be resolved
   until public opinion turns against either Mr. Obama or the conservative
   Republicans opposing him.
   "What will have to happen to resolve this is that it will have to
   become clear is that one side is either winning or losing in this. So
   if public opinion shifts decisively against either President Obama or
   against the House Republicans, then that would help to resolve this,
   and bring an end to the shutdown. But before that happens, I don`t see
   the shutdown ending."
   The government professor said he thinks Republicans will "eventually
   have to back down." But Gilmour said he does not see that happening
   until the government faces possible cuts in pensions to older Americans
   because it has does not have enough money to make the regular monthly
   payments. He said that point could be reached later in October.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-government-shutdown-missing-key-ne
   gotiations-until-now/1761651.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-government-shutdown-missing-key-negotiations-until-now/1761651.html