‘We have to be able to walk and chew gum’ on government spending, says budget chairman on debt crisis and national security

The U.S. government has a lot to pay for at the moment: in addition to mandatory spending like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, it has also needs to fund its military endeavors. First came Venezuela, a relatively brief period of intervention; but the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran has dragged on longer than expected.Agreeing on budget packages hasn’t been Congress’s strong point during the second Trump administration: Already, there has been a government shutdown, and a significant amount of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is still closed due to the fact that spending to reopen it hasn’t been approved.The demands on Treasury finances are a tightrope policymakers are going to have to learn to walk effectively, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington said in a recent interview, suggesting that reconciliation (a budget procedure vote allowing for a simple majority of 51) may be the quickest way to ensure funding for DHS and prevent similar snags in the future.

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