Government Shutdown Looms as Spending Bill Stalls


The federal government is facing the risk of a shutdown by the end of the month, as Congress has not yet passed a spending bill to fund its operations for the next fiscal year.

The House Republicans have finalized a deal on a short-term funding bill that would keep the government open until December 3, but it faces major hurdles in both chambers.

The main obstacle is the disagreement over raising the debt ceiling, which is the legal limit on how much the government can borrow to pay its bills.

The Democrats want to include a provision to suspend the debt ceiling until December 2022 in the spending bill, arguing that it is necessary to avoid a default that would harm the economy and national security.

The Republicans oppose this move, saying that it would enable more spending and debt by the Democrats, who control both Congress and the White House.

They want the Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own, using a special process called reconciliation that does not require Republican votes.

The standoff has created a stalemate that could lead to a shutdown if no compromise is reached by September 30.

A shutdown would mean that some federal agencies and programs would stop operating or reduce their services, affecting millions of Americans and businesses.

The last shutdown occurred in 2018-2019 and lasted for 35 days, making it the longest in U.S. history.


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