US edges towards government shutdown as congress fails to pass spending bill

The United States is inching closer to another government shutdown after the House of Representatives failed to pass a spending bill to keep federal agencies open.

Funding is set to expire at midnight on December 27 unless Republicans and Democrats can reach an agreement on a way forward, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Many federal government agencies rely on annual funding approved by Congress. Each year, these agencies submit their budget requests, which must be passed by Congress and signed into law by the president to secure funding for the upcoming fiscal year. If an agreement is not reached, non-essential and discretionary government functions come to a halt.

In September, both parties agreed on a bill to keep government funding until December 20. However, just days before lawmakers were scheduled to begin their holiday break, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson released a bill to extend funding until March. This bill, agreed upon with Democratic leadership, included provisions like a pay raise for lawmakers, which sparked dissatisfaction among some Republicans.

Elon Musk, a tech billionaire and ally of Donald Trump, voiced his opposition to the bill, and the president-elect subsequently signaled that he wanted his party to reject it. This led to the bill’s failure. A second, more pared-down bill made it to the House floor on December 19 night, but it too failed to secure enough votes.

If no agreement is reached by midnight, the US will experience its first government shutdown since early 2019.

Essential government workers will continue their duties, some without pay, while non-essential employees will be placed on temporary unpaid leave. Services like border protection, medical care in hospitals, law enforcement, and air traffic control will remain operational. However, services such as the food assistance program, federally funded preschool, student loan processing, food inspections, and National Parks will face reductions or closures.

While Social Security and Medicare payments will continue, benefit verification and card issuance will be halted.

An extended shutdown could also lead to travel disruptions. "An extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports," said Carter Langston, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

Elon Musk, who has been tasked with identifying spending cuts as part of the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a non-official body, has vowed to find $2 trillion in savings. On Wednesday, he posted multiple messages on X, the platform he owns, to express his strong disapproval of Mike Johnson’s bill. Amplifying some misleading claims about its content, he called it "criminal" and "outrageous."

By Vafa Guliyeva