Here we go again. Republicans are preparing to shut down the government on Friday. With funding for the government running out just before midnight Friday, Congress is not even close to passing a bill to avert the shutdown.
Part of the reason a shutdown appears to be imminent is that Congress failed come to a deal on what the continuing resolution would look like until Thursday morning. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., announced the House will consider it later Thursday. Any senator has the ability to stop the bill’s quick passage, and a handful of Republicans have threatened to delay it as they try to bar the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate on private employers.
“We’re not going to shut the government down,” Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday. “That makes no sense for anyone. Almost no one on either side thinks that’s a good idea.”
Both chambers of Congress need to pass a spending bill by Friday to prevent a lapse in funding. An extended shutdown can lead to furloughs of federal workers and the suspension of certain government services. The Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget pushed for “swift passage” of the spending measure on Thursday.
Congress must pass a government funding measure by the end of Friday or risk a shutdown Saturday.
