The US Capitol Building is seen in Washington, DC, August 16, 2023.
Kevin Wurm | Reuters
WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday asked Congress to pass a short-term measure to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown at the end of September.
A spokesman for the US Office of Management and Budget said a short-term continuing resolution would be needed next month, keeping government funding at its current levels while negotiations continue on longer-term bills. appropriation.
Funding for the federal government is set to run out on September 30 unless action is taken by Congress. With a month to go before the deadline, the Republican-led House of Representatives has passed just one of the 12 bills needed to fund the government, according to Reuters.
Deep divisions remain between the parties with Republicans wanting to enact major spending cuts that are unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden requested a stopgap measure to cover routine government programs and an additional $40 billion — $24 billion for Ukraine and other foreign policy challenges, nearly $4 billion for border and migration issues and $12 billion for disaster relief to strengthen the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Biden warned against the government shutdown during a visit to FEMA headquarters Thursday in Washington, DC, stressing its impact on agencies.
“This is going to be a serious, serious problem,” Biden said.
Leaders of both parties have signaled openness to a continuing resolution. Both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed openness to the idea earlier this month.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that the current budget negotiations are “a big mess.”
“I think we’re going to end up with a short-term congressional resolution, probably in December as we struggle to figure out exactly what the level of government spending is going to be,” McConnell said.
