Panoramic view of the U.S. Capitol on September 25, 2023 in Washington. Congress will return to take action on a series of spending bills before funding dries up and triggers a partial shutdown of the U.S. government.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Lawmakers return to Congress on Saturday with no clear path to resolving the dispute, which could see a wide range of federal government functions, from national parks to financial regulation, shut down within 18 hours. Seems to be high.
Infighting within the Republican Party, which controls the House of Representatives, has prevented the U.S. from passing legislation to keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 fiscal year, pushing the U.S. to the brink of a partial shutdown for the fourth time in a decade. . Year.
On the other side of the Capitol, the Democratic-controlled Senate plans to advance a stopgap funding bill, but a final vote could take days.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will lack funding to do their jobs if both chambers do not pass a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden’s signature by 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday. .
Federal agencies have already developed detailed plans detailing which services must continue, such as airport screening and border security, and which services must be shut down, such as scientific research and nutritional assistance to 7 million poor mothers. are doing.
Most of the more than 4 million government employees will not receive a paycheck, regardless of whether they are working or not.
Celebrations in Atlanta to celebrate former President Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday have been moved from Sunday to Saturday to avoid disruption, local media reported.
The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised concerns on Wall Street, with ratings agency Moody’s warning that it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.
Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy time to negotiate detailed legislation that provides funding for federal programs.
This year, Republican groups have been pushing for tougher immigration rules and spending cuts below the levels agreed to during last spring’s debt ceiling standoff, and are blocking action in the House.
On Friday, 21 Republican senators joined with Democrats to reject a bill reflecting those demands, saying Congress would rather pass a detailed spending bill for the entire fiscal year, even if it would lead to a shutdown in the short term. He insisted that we should focus on that.
Other Republicans were furious at the move, saying it destroyed an opportunity to advance conservative policies.
“There’s a lot of frustration with the 21 people who voted ‘no’ on what was a very good plan,” Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said Friday.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House would lean on Democrats to pass a stopgap bill that would continue funding at current levels, even if it could spark a challenge to his leadership from hardliners. He said there is a possibility. Details were not disclosed.
The Senate is scheduled to take a procedural vote at 1 p.m. ET to extend federal funding through Nov. 17. It has broad support from Republicans and Democrats, but a number of hurdles in the House mean a final vote on passage could be delayed until Tuesday. .
Even if it passes, both chambers would need to resolve their differences before sending the bill to Biden’s desk. This could be a new hurdle because Mr. McCarthy has said he opposes the $6 billion in aid to Ukraine included in the Senate bill.
“We continue to try to find a way out of this situation,” he said Friday.
