US government shutdown looms as House rejects funding bill
Good morning, U.S. Politics readers. The U.S. government faces an imminent shutdown after the House of Representatives rejected a bill late Thursday that would have agreed to a temporary funding deal just before a key deadline.
The House of Representatives voted 174-235 to approve pro-Trump policy proposals that were hastily put together by Republican leaders after the president-elect and his billionaire ally Elon Musk reneged on a prior bipartisan agreement. It was rejected by a vote.
Lawmakers now face a last-minute scramble to secure a new deal before a Friday night deadline. Otherwise, all non-essential government functions will be suspended.
Thousands of federal employees will be furloughed. This means that during the government shutdown period, employees will not come to work and will not be paid, but their salaries will be retroactively paid at the end of the shutdown period.
Other essential government employees, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, are continuing to work but will not receive paychecks until Congress takes action to end the government shutdown.
A government shutdown just before the peak of the holiday season could have dire consequences for millions of Americans.
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Three shutdowns in particular have entered US political lore:
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A 21-day partial closure in 1995 over a dispute about spending cuts between President Bill Clinton and the Republican speaker, Newt Gingrich, that is widely seen as setting the tone for later partisan congressional struggles.
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In 2013, when the government was partially closed for 16 days after another Republican-led Congress tried to use budget negotiations to defund Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare.
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A 34-day shutdown, the longest on record, lasting from December 2018 until January 2019, when Donald Trump refused to sign any appropriations bill that did not include $5.7bn funding for a wall along the US border with Mexico. The closure damaged Trump’s poll ratings.
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Here are a few more details about what happens when the US government shuts down:
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Thousands of federal government employees are put on furlough, meaning that they are told not to report for work and go unpaid for the period of the shutdown, although their salaries are paid retroactively when it ends.
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Other government workers who perform what are judged essential services, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officials, continue to work but do not get paid until Congress acts to end the shutdown.
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Depending on how long it lasts, national parks can either shut entirely or open without certain vital services such as public toilets or attendants. Passport processing can stop, as can research – at national health institutes.
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Federal inspections ensuring food safety and prevention of the release of dangerous materials into drinking water could stop for the duration of the shutdown.
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About 10,000 children aged three and four may also lose access to Head Start, a federally funded program to promote school readiness among toddlers, especially among low-income families.
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Good morning US politics readers. The US government faces a looming shutdown after the House rejected a bill late on Thursday that would have agreed a temporary funding deal just before a crucial deadline.
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By a vote of 174-235, the House of Representatives rejected a Trump-backed package, hastily assembled by Republican leaders after the president-elect and his billionaire ally Elon Musk scuttled a prior bipartisan deal.
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Now lawmakers face a last-minute scramble to secure a new deal before the Friday night deadline – or all nonessential government functions will pause.
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Thousands of federal government employees would be put on furlough, meaning that they are told not to report for work and go unpaid for the period of the shutdown, although their salaries are paid retroactively when it ends.
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Other government workers who perform what are judged essential services, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officials, continue to work but do not get paid until Congress acts to end the shutdown.
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A shutdown just before the holiday season hits its peak, could be disastrous for millions of Americans.
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main events
How unusual is the U.S. government shutdown?
robert tate
None of this happened for the first 200 years of the United States. In recent decades, such policies have become increasingly part of everyday politics, as Washington politics has become more polarized and brinkmanship has become more common as a political tool. Since 1976, when the U.S. first moved its fiscal year to start on October 1, there have been 20 federal funding shortfalls.
Three shutdowns in particular have become American political lore:
A 21-day partial shutdown in 1995 over a dispute over spending cuts between President Bill Clinton and Republican Party Chairman Newt Gingrich is widely seen as setting the tone for subsequent partisan battles in Congress.
In 2013, after another Republican-led Congress attempted to use budget negotiations to defund Barack Obama's signature Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare), the government When partially closed for days.
The 34-day shutdown, the longest on record, lasted from December 2018 to January 2019, when President Donald Trump passed a spending bill that did not include $5.7 billion in funding for wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. refused to sign. The shutdown hurt President Trump's poll ratings.
What happens when the U.S. government shuts down?
robert tate
Learn more about what happens if the U.S. government shuts down.
Thousands of federal employees have been furloughed. That means they will be ordered not to work during the government shutdown and will receive no pay, although their salaries will be retroactively paid at the end of the shutdown.
Other essential government workers, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, are continuing to work but will not receive paychecks until Congress takes action to end the government shutdown.
Depending on how long it lasts, national parks could close completely or open without essential services such as public restrooms or staff. Passport processing could also be suspended, as could research at national health institutions.
Federal inspections to ensure food safety and prevent the release of hazardous substances into drinking water may be suspended during the shutdown.
Additionally, about 10,000 3- and 4-year-olds could lose access to Head Start, a federally funded program that promotes school readiness among young children, especially from low-income families.
The recent turmoil was caused by donald trump He abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan to stop a government shutdown by Friday's deadline and called for a complete removal of the debt ceiling.
The United States is one of the few countries with legal limits on the amount of debt the federal government can accumulate.
Here's what you need to know about the U.S. debt ceiling.
david smith
Before the vote, Democrats and Republicans warned that the other party would be held accountable if Congress authorized a government shutdown.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters the policy would avoid chaos, close loose ends and make it easier for Congress to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in spending when President Trump takes office next year. He said it would be possible. “Government is too big, it does too much, and it does too little well,” he says.
But Democrats see the bill as a cover for budget-busting tax cuts that primarily benefit wealthy supporters like Mr. Musk, the world's richest man, while burdening the country with trillions of dollars in additional debt. I kicked it.
“How in the world can you lecture America on fiscal responsibility?” Efries said during the floor debate.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin told reporters: “So who is our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, supposed to be negotiating with?” Are you Mike Johnson? Is he the Speaker of the House? Or is it Donald Trump? Or maybe Elon Musk? Or is it someone else? ”
Some Republicans opposed the bill, saying it would pave the way for more debt while failing to cut spending. “I'm really tired of political parties talking about fiscal responsibility,” said Rep. Chip Roy.
david smith
Critics described the breakdown as an early sign of the turmoil to come when Trump returns to the White House on January 20th. Musk's intervention in a mass tweet on social media platform X was derided by Democrats as the work of “President Musk.”
“Musk-Johnson's proposal is not serious,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. “That's hilarious. Extreme Republicans are forcing us into a government shutdown.”
Despite President Trump's support, 38 Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting against the new policy, clearly falling short of the two-thirds threshold needed for passage and leaving next steps unclear. It remained.
Trump's defiant attitude from within his own party surprised many.
The latest bill would extend government funding until March, when Trump takes the White House and Republicans control both chambers of Congress. It would also provide $100 billion in disaster relief and suspend debt. Republicans removed other elements included in the original package, including pay increases for lawmakers and new rules for pharmacy benefit managers.
At President Trump's request, the new bill would also suspend the national debt limit for two years, making it easier to pass the deep tax cuts promised by Trump and continuing the $36 trillion in federal debt. It will be a stepping stone. climb.
US government shutdown looms as House rejects funding bill
Good morning, U.S. Politics readers. The U.S. government faces an imminent shutdown after the House of Representatives rejected a bill late Thursday that would have agreed to a temporary funding deal just before a key deadline.
The House of Representatives voted 174-235 to approve pro-Trump policy proposals that were hastily put together by Republican leaders after the president-elect and his billionaire ally Elon Musk reneged on a prior bipartisan agreement. It was rejected by a vote.
Lawmakers now face a last-minute scramble to secure a new deal before a Friday night deadline. Otherwise, all non-essential government functions will be suspended.
Thousands of federal employees will be furloughed. This means that during the government shutdown period, employees will not come to work and will not be paid, but their salaries will be retroactively paid at the end of the shutdown period.
Other essential government employees, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, are continuing to work but will not receive paychecks until Congress takes action to end the government shutdown.
A government shutdown just before the peak of the holiday season could have dire consequences for millions of Americans.
