Members of Congress have been on summer recess for a few weeks now and are expected back next month. When they return, it will be to a “mess,” according to Guy Williams, president of Gulf Bank and Trust.
“It’s going to be a mess when they get back to Washington,” he told WWL’s Newell Normand.
In particular, Williams believes that the upcoming session will be rough as far as the economy is concerned. With little middle ground between far left and far right candidates, he believes that lawmakers will have a difficult time passing spending legislation.
“So, September 30, we’re actually going to have a real problem because the debt bill that was passed, the stopgap means that they were supposed to approve these,” Williams explained. “And if they don’t, there will be a government shutdown.”
That would put a halt to non-essential government spending until a resolution is passed. In late May, Audacy reported that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced an agreement to extend the debt ceiling. This agreement included some demands from the GOP.
Lawmakers have agreed to increase the amount of debt the nation is allowed to take on many times in recent years. Standoffs over the debt limit were a factor in the Fitch rating agency’s choice to downgrade the U.S. rating earlier this month.
While Congress has been on break, wildfires tore through the Hawaiian island of Maui, and a tropical storm hit California at the same time as an earthquake. Both disasters required FEMA response. There have also been new developments in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in which the U.S. has been supporting Ukrainians.
“FEMA’s looking for more money… and of course, there’s more money needed for Ukraine as it’s just turned into a grinding slog, sort of like World War I,” said Williams.
He told Normand that he thinks things will be especially complicated due to the very composition of Congress at this time.
“It really is a mess because you don’t have many people left in the center… you know, you’ve created ultra-safe districts for the far left, ultra-safe districts for the far right,” he said. “So you really don’t have to negotiate because you’re going to get reelected.”
Listen to their full conversation here.
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