Los Angeles, Nov 10: As the US midterm election results roll in, it’s evident that the Republican “red wave” that many experts anticipated hasn’t materialised.
Early numbers indicate that Republicans are likely to take back the House of Representatives but by slimmer numbers than expected, even as the US Senate remains a toss-up.
While it might see more of a ripple than a wave, Washington still appears braced for divided government.
In the US Congress, Republicans will focus on maintaining a united front against Democrats and trying to ensure that President Joe Biden only serves one term.
Policy and legislative gridlock is likely to be the watchword in Washington over the next two years.
Although Biden may have some power to appoint federal and possibly even supreme court judges if Democrats keep control of the Senate, other key White House priorities – including on the environment, healthcare and reproductive rights – will grind to a halt.
Here’s five other key takeaways:
1. Spending cuts
If there’s one place where House Republicans, in particular, will leverage their newfound clout, it’s in the area of Government spending.
Federal expenditures, which have soared to new heights under the Biden administration, will likely be reigned in.
Republican leadership will try to force Democrats’ hands in reforming social security and Medicare in exchange for allowing an increase in the debt ceiling, the borrowing limit for the US Treasury that keeps the federal government operating.
The scope and scale of spending cuts will in large part be determined by how well Republicans can stick together.
Reforming welfare is known as the “third rail of American politics” because of its potential to damage officials who deign to take away financial support from Americans.
While fiscal hawks such
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