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Three days away from the self-imposed Congressional deadline of tax increases and spending cuts, and there still seems to be very little happening in Washington.
Usually dramatic deadlines are the only thing that seem to move our elected officials to action, but the impending fiscal cliff seems destined to be jumped off.
As CAAP Update reported last week, David Bradley of the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) felt that Speaker Boehner's inability to get two crucial votes passed last week spoke loudly for the demise of an solution prior to January 1.
Despite all the nice talk of working together on behalf of the American people, partisan politics is in heavy play as both side cast blame on each other while claiming they are open to reasonable last minute compromise.
House and Senate leaders are meeting again today at the White House. And while most odds makers are saying that a deal at this late date is unlikely there are a few, like Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), that think there is still a chance. Speaking on NBC's Today show, Schumer said "the odds are better than most people think."
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) believes "we'll kick the can down the road...there will be some small deal and we will create a fiscal cliff to deal with the fiscal cliff."
We can all hope for an end of the year miracle and that the all parties involved will finally, as Memphis Mayor AC Wharton said "do something even if its wrong." As Mayor of the poorest city in America, Wharton urged Washington to "...do something. And if it's what we like, we'll smile. And if it ain't what we like, hell, we'll get over it."
Washington will do something before the deadline, even if that something is letting sequestration and tax increases take affect.
NCAF's Bradley said last week that he believes there will not be a deal by the end of the year. "Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, are comfortable with having no deal reached and 'letting the chips fall where they will'," said Bradley during his special fiscal cliff webinar.
In this scenario, Community Action Agencies can expect an 8 percent cut to our program.
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