Congress Races to Avoid Government Shutdown Before Fiscal Deadline

United States: Senate Democrats including Schumer are going to roll out a continuing resolution stopping a partial government shutdown by the month’s end, he said on Thursday.

Calls for Swift Action

“Time is not a luxury that Congress has right now,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. Schumer said on the Senate floor. He stated that members of the chamber would spend the next several days in attempts to come up with a new deal that both Republicans and Democrats would be pleased with, as reported by Reuters.

Before the beginning of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, Congress must enact spending legislation to avoid placing thousands of federal employees on unpaid leave and halting numerous government activities a few weeks before the November 5 election.

House GOP Plan Stalls

One which would have tied election-law changes opposed by Democrats to six months of funding was shot down on Wednesday in the Republican-led House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson said after that vote that he would try another approach but did not give any specifics.

The two sides have yet to agree on how long they should provide temporary funding for the program. Johnson supported the six-month extension, which would shift the issue to next spring when his Republicans might be in control both in the White House and Congress.

Democrats are advocating for a three-month extension that would force Congress to pass the issue before the end of this year when Biden is still the democratic President and the Democrats are still in control of the Senate.

Government Functioning at Stake

An extension of the current $1.2 trillion funding plan would also disrupt government functioning because agencies such as the Department of Defense cannot begin new initiatives, as reported by Reuters.