On Politics

Thu Sep 7 2023

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hello OnPolitics readers. Senators have returned to Washington from their weeks-long summer recess, but they've got some gloomy days ahead as they try to avoid a government shutdown, USA TODAY's Rachel Looker and Ken Tran reported.

Wait, what's a government shutdown again? Government shutdowns play out differently, but they can have a wide range of impacts that hurt Americans across the country. That includes everything from federal employees being furloughed to people who need food assistance facing delays.

So, uh, is the government going to shut down? The ball is in Congress' court. Lawmakers are staring down a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a federal budget. If Congress can't approve 11 more major spending bills, the country will face a government shutdown. Lawmakers can pass a temporary fix called a continuing resolution, but it's far from a permanent solution.

It won't be impossible: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer actually applauded Democrats and Republicans in the upper chamber for working together, but he issued a stark warning to House Republicans yesterday: "Recognize that time is short, and the only way to avoid a shutdown is through bipartisanship in both the House and Senate."

The House Freedom Caucus, a loose coalition of the most conservative lawmakers, have drawn hard lines on government spending, ranging from boosting border security to taking aim at Pentagon abortion policies. But those requests have no chance of passing in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

We'll see what's next.