Just when you thought government shutdowns were behind us, there’s another one on the horizon — and its October 1 deadline is approaching faster than we think.
The Senate returned this week to craft a short-term funding bill to prevent federal agencies from running out of money on Sept. 30 and to buy more time to strike a longer agreement. You may be thinking there’s still plenty of time left, but the House doesn’t reconvene until next week, leaving a narrow window for both chambers to finalize and pass a continuing resolution, or CR.
While Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have both signaled support for a CR, they’re nowhere near a consensus on what should be included in the agreement.
Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted that negotiations were still a “pretty big mess.” (Shortly after he made these remarks, the 81-year-old raised some questions about his health after he froze up for the second time while talking to the press — more on that below.)
As we stare down yet another tight deadline, here’s what we know about the looming shutdown, which would mark the first since December 2018 under the Trump administration.
Why are we heading for another government shutdown?
Both Democrats and Republicans are eyeing a continuing resolution. But the Senate and House are still hundreds of billions of dollars apart on their bills after McCarthy backed away from a $1.59 trillion discretionary spending budget deal with the White House.
The Republican leader is walking a fine line presiding over the slim GOP majority in the House. His decision came after a group of hardline conservatives known as the House Freedom Caucus started pushing for cuts below what he initially agreed to during his talks with President Biden in the spring. The group has also vowed to oppose any funding bill unless it includes the Secure the Border Act of 2023, provisions on border security, the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice, and what they call “cancerous woke policies” in the military.
All of these demands are likely a no-go for Democrats, especially the group’s refusal to include additional support for Ukraine. Amid dwindling resources, Biden has asked for $20 billion to help support the country’s war efforts, including weapons and humanitarian aide.
But the chances of a short-term spending bill passing in the Senate seem much more promising. Before leaving for the August recess, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Appropriations Committee passed all 12 annual government funding bills. Then, on its return on Tuesday, McConnell said the upper chamber plans to pass its first batch of funding bills for 2024 next week. Leaders still have to discuss the need for a supplemental appropriations measure to address providing addition disaster relief. (Biden has asked for another $4 billion on top of the $12 billion following Hurricane Idalia and the Maui fire.)
“Congress needs to address our nation’s most pressing needs with timely appropriations and we need to keep the lights on come October 1,” McConnell said from the Senate floor.
What’s going on with Mitch McConnell’s health?
Amid these spending battles, McConnell is facing increasing scrutiny on Capitol Hill over his health and leadership ability following his latest freeze-up.
While speaking to reporters in Kentucky last week, the Republican leader went unresponsive for almost 30 seconds, prompting his team to check if he was all right. He was able to resume his interviews shortly after but not without help from an aide.
Similar to his first freeze in July, his staff has stated that the senator was feeling “momentarily lightheaded” — which Congress’ attending physician Dr. Brian P. Monahan confirmed wasn’t uncommon following McConell’s concussion in March. The physician also subsequently cleared him for work, saying there was “no evidence” that these mysterious episodes were a result of a stroke or seizure.
In response, most Republicans have stood by their leader. “We may expect that Mitch McConnell will check out for 20 seconds a day,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. “But the other 86,380 seconds in the day, he does a pretty darn good job.”
Yet others within the party wonder whether it’s time for the Kentuckian to step aside. One of McConell’s longtime critics, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, said he was “not fit for office.” Meanwhile, Democrats have also voiced skepticism, saying it shows the need for age limits. Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips pointed out that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who’s 89 years old, has faced similar concerns about her health following interactions with reporters and her leave of absence from Washington, D.C.
“For goodness sake, the family, friends, and staff of Senators Feinstein and McConnell are doing them and our country a tremendous disservice. It’s time for term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court and some basic human decency,” Phillips wrote on X.
What happens during a shutdown?
During a shutdown, the U.S. government is required to stop all non-essential activities. Essential employees, like TSA and FBI agents, would continue to work — though without pay — while “non-essential” employees (IRS agents) would be sent home on an unpaid furlough. (Yes, you still have to pay taxes.)
The good news is vital services like Social Security and food stamps will continue to be sent out to recipients. Medicare and Medicaid will also operate without interruptions. But the effects of a government shutdown shouldn’t be underestimated: The shutdown in 2013, which lasted for 16 days, is estimated to have cost the U.S. economy $24 billion in losses.
On top of job losses and economic impact, it could also affect your everyday life. For instance, it may take longer or be impossible to process new school or home loans. Applications for Social Security benefits and the processing of unemployment insurance might even be slower than usual, so a government shutdown is something we want to avoid at all costs.
