| Good Morning, Partisan bickering over a $3.5 trillion budget proposal led to the U.S. Senate rejecting, along party lines, two pieces of legislation that would have provided Louisiana with a significant portion of $28.6 billion in emergency disaster relief, kept the federal government from shutting down Friday, and allowed the nation to pay its debts. At issue is a technical provision to raise the amount of money the federal government can borrow to pay its bills – called a debt ceiling limit. Without congressional action, the nation’s treasury won’t be able to pay its debts sometime in October. Because the federal government routinely doesn’t raise enough revenues to pay its expenses, the balance is covered by loans. Just as routinely both parties in Congress, without much discussion, raise the cap on the amount of debt the federal government can incur. Not this time, though. Federal debt, to which Donald Trump added $8 trillion when he was president, also would have included the ability to borrow $3.5 trillion for a proposed budget that enhances funding for many social safety net programs that Republicans oppose. Democrats point out that $28.6 billion in disaster relief can’t be funded without raising the debt limit. The GOP pushed a “continuing resolution” without a debt cap provision, while Democrats pushed one that would also recognize the need for a higher debt limit. The Senate has 50 who vote with Republicans and 50 who vote with the Democrats, and the Democratic vice president breaks the tie. But this particular bill needed 60 votes – and couldn’t get it. The only one crossing party lines was Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who wanted to preserve the right to bring back the legislation before the end of the week, when absent an agreement the government will shut down, then stop paying military personnel, funding food stamps, and supporting other programs. Also come Friday, rates for flood policies written by the National Flood Insurance Program are set to significantly increase for at least 70% of the policyholders in Louisiana – about $120 annually for most, $240 per year for some. Louisiana Republican U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, of Baton Rouge, and John N. Kennedy, of Madisonville, have been trying to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency to postpone the price hike, particularly in light of nearly 80,000 damaged during Hurricane Ida. Officials, and parents, also are worried that for the third time in 18 months Louisiana public school students are not in the classroom. Storms, COVID and now Hurricane Ida has kept more than 40% of Louisiana public school students from being able to attend classes. As always, check throughout the day for the latest Louisiana political news at theadvocate.com/politics or NOLA.com/politics and on Twitter at @MarkBallardCNB, @tegbridges, @samkarlin, @blakepater, @WillSentell. Here are a dozen articles, commentaries and editorials that will catch you up for the week to come. One last item: Thank you to our subscribers. Your support means a great deal to us. If you're not yet a subscriber, we’ve got a special offer you can check out here. – Mark Ballard | 