A government shutdown means all work and no pay for federal employees in the military, law enforcement, national parks, TSA, FEMA, FDA, and UPS, among others|Kaz Vorpal|CC BY 2.0
While the U.S. is less than two weeks away from a potential government shutdown, the House Republicans remain divided as lawmakers are unable to reach an agreement on a short-term spending bill that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to for the 2024 fiscal year.
Why?
The hard-right liners within the House GOP want the $1.6 trillion budget cap to be reduced to $1.4 trillion. They are not even open to the stopgap funding bill McCarthy introduced, which will avoid a federal shutdown and allow its smooth functioning through next month.
Democrats, on the other hand, are not open to reducing spending any less than Biden already has.
What could happen in case of a shutdown?
A government shutdown means all work and no pay for federal employees in the military, law enforcement, national parks, TSA, FEMA, FDA, and UPS, among others.
- Airport staff may stop working, increasing flight delays and cancellations.
- Disaster emergency assistance for wildfires, floods and hurricanes will not receive funding.
- Food stamp payments will be delayed.
- The White House says 10,000 children will lose access to Head Start programs as grants would pause.
According to Ernst & Young estimates, the U.S. economy will lose $6 billion per week.
The last time the federal government shut down was in December 2018, when House Democrats opposed President Donald Trump’s proposed US-Mexico border wall. The shutdown lasted 34 days and was the longest of 20 shutdowns since 1976.