Congress fails to pass bills from both parties to prevent a government shutdown, leaving the subsequent actions unclear
The United States Congress finds itself in a precarious position as the deadline for passing a short-term funding bill approaches. The government is set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, and efforts to prevent this outcome have so far been unsuccessful.
In the House, a bill has been proposed that includes additional funding for executive and judicial branch security, as well as extra security for members of Congress, totalling $88 million. This bill, however, has faced opposition from Democrats, who have stiffened their resolve against backing a bill they didn't sign off on.
Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have expressed concern over the actions of former President Trump, who has publicly urged House Speaker Mike Johnson not to negotiate with Democrats on the short-term funding bill. This stance has been a shift from the approach taken in March.
Both chambers of Congress are expected to take at least part of next week off for Rosh Hashanah, leaving little time for negotiations. The Democratic proposal, which would have funded the government through October 31 with a series of policy add-ons, including permanently extending Obamacare subsidies, has been blocked in the Senate.
The Republican plan, which passed in the House, fell short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster in the Senate. Only one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, joined Republicans in voting for the House GOP spending bill, while two Republicans voted against it.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer and other Democrats have criticised the GOP legislation, with Schumer calling it a 'dirty CR' due to its lack of policy add-ons. In response, House Speaker Johnson defended the bill as a 'clean' CR, a point disputed by Democrats.
GOP leaders on Friday scrapped the days the House was scheduled to be in session (Sept. 29 and 30) to put more pressure on Senate Democrats to swallow the House-passed bill. However, this move has not resulted in a breakthrough, with the competing Democratic plan also failing to clear the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.
If the Democrats in Congress develop their own funding plan without Republican support, it can lead to legislative deadlock, risking delays or shutdowns in government financing if no agreement or bipartisan budget is reached.
Both the House and the Senate are scheduled to be on recess next week. Unless the House and the Senate can pass the same funding legislation and earn President Biden's signature, the government will shut down on October 1. The Democratic alternative also includes enhanced security money, but whether this will be enough to bridge the partisan divide remains to be seen.
In a shutdown, mandatory services such as Border Patrol, the Postal Service, and Social Security will continue, but federal workers, including the military, will go unpaid. This potential shutdown highlights the ongoing political tensions in Congress and the challenges of governing in a divided Washington.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
