Likelihood of a US Government Shutdown

Osamenor

Osamenor

Staff member
The federal government is threatening to shut down, possibly next week. I heard about it through my work, because that will affect us directly. I work for a nonprofit operating on federal land. While we're not feds ourselves, if the government shuts down, we have to shut down because we can't access our site.

Astrologically, how likely do you all think it is that the shutdown will happen? I note that Mercury is retrograde right in the fire grand trine of the August eclipse. Currently, there's a local government shutdown happening in my area due to a labor dispute involving city workers--they've closed the public libraries and other city services--and it started right when Mercury turned retrograde. So, obviously, the astrological weather is right for a government shutdown. It's already happening on a smaller scale.

However, Mars will transit to Scorpio on Saturday. If the federal shutdown takes place, the soonest it would start is Monday. Perhaps Mars moving from indecisive Libra to decisive Scorpio will facilitate decision making and moving forward, so that they come to an agreement and don't shut down? But then, it's also possible that Mars moving from detriment (fair, negotiating Libra) to domicile will push things in a more militant direction. If communication is still being hampered (Mercury retrograde), the decisive action could be a shutdown.
 
JUPITERASC

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
Osamenor said:
The federal government is threatening to shut down, possibly next week. I heard about it through my work, because that will affect us directly. I work for a nonprofit operating on federal land. While we're not feds ourselves, if the government shuts down, we have to shut down because we can't access our site.

Astrologically, how likely do you all think it is that the shutdown will happen? I note that Mercury is retrograde right in the fire grand trine of the August eclipse. Currently, there's a local government shutdown happening in my area due to a labor dispute involving city workers--they've closed the public libraries and other city services--and it started right when Mercury turned retrograde. So, obviously, the astrological weather is right for a government shutdown. It's already happening on a smaller scale.

However, Mars will transit to Scorpio on Saturday. If the federal shutdown takes place, the soonest it would start is Monday. Perhaps Mars moving from indecisive Libra to decisive Scorpio will facilitate decision making and moving forward, so that they come to an agreement and don't shut down? But then, it's also possible that Mars moving from detriment (fair, negotiating Libra) to domicile will push things in a more militant direction. If communication is still being hampered (Mercury retrograde), the decisive action could be a shutdown.
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according to WASHINGTON (AP) :smile:

Top Republicans left no doubt that the House will approve legislation Thursday
preventing a weekend partial government shutdown
erasing any suspense over an impending budget clash
that would put a calamitous exclamation point at the end of the capital’s tumultuous year.

“I feel good where we are,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters
hours before his chamber planned to vote on legislation keeping federal agencies afloat through Dec. 22.

Their money runs out at midnight Friday without approval of fresh funding
and Senate approval was also expected.

The leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus
whose members had been threatening to withhold needed support
also made clear that the bill would be approved.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., told him
Republicans had the votes needed to approve the short-term spending measure.
Freedom Caucus members will likely give leaders whatever support they need to pass the legislation, Meadows said.

Meadows said they’ll help it pass
to avoid distractions from the GOP drive to push their treasured $1.5 trillion tax bill
through Congress this month.
That measure, which mostly benefits businesses and upper-income people
is President Donald Trump’s and the GOP’s top remaining priority
and would be their first major legislative triumph of the year.
But hours before Trump was to bargain with congressional leaders at the White House
over longer-term spending decisions
Meadows said the conservatives would oppose
any agreement they feel allows excessive federal spending.

“I want to avoid a headline that says President Trump’s administration
just passes the highest spending levels in U.S. history
There will be zero support on numbers that are too high
regardless of anybody’s position on that.” Meadows told two reporters.

Meadows also said Ryan promised he’d fight in coming weeks
to pass a full-year budget for the military
and leave fights with Democrats over domestic spending for later.
It is unclear how that strategy would work
since Republicans control the Senate 52-48
and will need at least eight Democratic votes to pass any spending legislation.
In another brewing battle, Meadows said conservatives would strongly oppose
any spending bill with provisions extending protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants
who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children.
Trump ended safeguards against deportation three months ago
but Democrats are demanding their revival
and Trump has expressed openness to restoring them.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters Thursday
that lawmakers “will not leave here” without approval of language helping those immigrants.
The prospects for successful White House talks were buffeted Wednesday
when the impulsive Trump blurted to reporters that a shutdown “could happen.”
He blamed Democrats, saying they want “illegal immigrants pouring into our country
bringing with them crime, tremendous amounts of crime.”
Last week, an unexpected attack by Trump on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Pelosi
prompted the two to skip a bargaining session that was planned then.
This time, the White House smoothed the waters
by following up with a more peaceable, written statement.
It praised Pelosi and Schumer for choosing to
“put their responsibility to the American people above partisanship”
and said Trump was anticipating productive talks
between “leaders who put their differences aside.”

Later, the White House issued another statement
indicating Trump would sign the two-week spending extension.
It also laid out administration budget goals
saying money for the military, including missile defense and security along the border with Mexico
“must be prioritized in a long-term funding agreement.”
The two-week spending bill also makes money available to several states that are running out of funds
for the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
That widely popular program provides medical care to more than 8 million children.
While many Democrats seemed likely to oppose the short-term bill
enough were expected to support it in the Senate
to allow its passage there.
They know they’d still have leverage
on subsequent bills needed to keep the government running.
Democrats have been using their leverage
to insist on spending boosts for health care, infrastructure
and other domestic programs
that would match increases Republicans want for defense.
Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Ken Thomas
contributed to this report.
 
Osamenor

Osamenor

Staff member
True, the shutdown was averted. With the real decision postponed two weeks--to right when Mercury goes direct. I wonder if they're consulting an astrologer.

Mercury direct won't necessarily mean no shutdown, though. Depending on how things go, it might move forward smoothly, or there might be some big clash of wills resulting in a shutdown.
 
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