Crisis Looms: Government Inches Closer to Shutdown Minutes Before Deadline

Federal agencies are in the midst of last-minute preparations as the government teeters on the verge of a shutdown, and members of Congress scramble against the critical midnight deadline on Saturday. However, the prospects of avoiding a shutdown seem bleak as GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy once again failed to secure consensus within his own party to prolong government funding, resulting in a deadlock in Congress.

House Republican infighting has been a major factor in the current Congress spending standoff, leaving uncertainty on how the issue will be resolved and raising concerns on Capitol Hill about the potential difficulty in ending a potential shutdown. The anticipated shutdown is anticipated to have significant impacts nationwide, affecting areas such as air travel and access to clean drinking water. Many government operations would cease, but essential services for public safety would continue.

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

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House Republicans have rejected a bipartisan Senate proposal to fund the government until November 17. However, they have not been able to unite behind their own plan to avoid a shutdown due to opposition from a group of hardline conservatives who are against any temporary funding extension. McCarthy faced a significant setback on Friday when the House failed to make progress with a final attempt at a temporary solution.

House GOP leadership has informed members that additional votes are anticipated for Saturday. However, the specific subject of the upcoming vote in the chamber remains uncertain.

Following the unsuccessful vote on Friday, McCarthy, in his conversation with reporters, mentioned his suggestion of presenting a "clean" stopgap bill. He expressed his efforts in figuring out the feasibility of implementing this proposal.

"We are still actively working on finding a solution to this ongoing issue," stated McCarthy. The Senate's bipartisan proposal aims to allocate extra funds for Ukraine aid, sparking disagreement with the House, where numerous Republicans oppose providing further assistance to the war-torn nation.

McCarthy suggested that removing aid to Ukraine from the Senate bill could potentially facilitate its passage. Expressing concern that prioritizing Ukraine over America could lead to complications, he raised objections to including Ukraine in the bill during an interview with CNN's Manu Raju. With hardline conservatives expressing opposition and the possibility of a vote to remove him as speaker, McCarthy is currently confronted with the most substantial test to his leadership so far.

On June 6, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, delivered remarks during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House in Washington, DC. The President discussed the state of the U.S. economy and the bipartisan agreement to increase the debt limit.

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The Senate, on the other hand, is currently working towards advancing its own bipartisan interim bill. It is expected that the chamber will vote on the bill's procedural aspects on Saturday afternoon to move forward. However, it remains uncertain when the senators will take the final vote to pass the bill, and that may not occur until Monday, after the government shutdown has already taken place.

GOP Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky has been impeding the Senate from reaching an agreement to expedite the bill's consideration. He is protesting against the inclusion of extra aid to Ukraine.

Republicans in the Senate are considering including amendments to the bill to address the issue of border security. They are currently in discussions to determine what kind of border amendment they would like to add. Furthermore, there is uncertainty regarding whether the bill can move forward in the procedural vote on Saturday without the inclusion of a border amendment.

"No real progress is being made at this stage due to the excessive complexity of the situation," stated Senator Mike Braun, a Republican from Indiana. "My understanding is that we are scheduled for a vote tomorrow... but apart from that, there is no clear consensus on any proposal that would likely be acceptable to the House."

This report includes contributions from CNN's Betsy Klein.