Washington Unless Congress devises a plan and takes immediate action, the U.S. government will shut down this weekend.
After entrepreneur Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump blew up their original bill and then a backup plan failed to pass Thursday night, congressional Republicans are starting over as federal funding ends at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Government operations that people depend on and the salaries of millions of federal employees are at risk while Congress considers a course ahead.
The following information will help you understand what a government shutdown is and how it can impact you:
What is a government shutdown?
Since Congress has the power of the purse under the Constitution, nearly all decisions on government finance are made on Capitol Hill. Every year, the government runs out of funds to continue operating unless Congress passes spending bills by October 1st, the beginning of a new fiscal year.
The House and the Senate may also enact legislation known as a continuing resolution to keep the government fully functional for a little period of time if Congress does not take action before that date. Congress did just that back in September, resetting the date to December 20.
There will be a funding lapse unless Congress does action by Friday evening. All unnecessary government operations must then cease.
How did Congress get to this point?
The way the government expenditure process is intended to operate is as follows: Each year, both chambers’ appropriations committees are expected to approve a dozen budget bills that affect various federal agencies. Before the measures reach the president’s desk to become law, they must first pass both the Senate and the entire House.
In contemporary Congresses, such hardly ever occurs. Congress authorized a short-term budget extension in September after running out of time to complete the procedure, as is now the standard.
Congress did not reveal a plan to prevent a shutdown until this week, despite being aware of the deadline of December 20 since the fall.
The agreement, which was reached between the leading congressional Republicans and Democrats, was revealed Tuesday evening by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. It would have extended government funding until March 14 and provided economic assistance for farmers and relief for areas hit by hurricanes. For the first time in over ten years, it also included a modest pay increase for members of Congress, up to a maximum of 3.8%.
Musk started posting critical comments about the bill to his more than 200 million followers on his platform before the House even scheduled a vote on it. X. Trump and several far-right members of Congress also voiced their opposition to the plan, calling it a giveaway to Democrats and criticizing certain policy provisions, such as the congressional raises.
In addition, Trump made a last-minute request that Congress pass legislation to raise the debt ceiling. Trump told NBC News on Thursday that he wants Congress to remove the debt ceiling completely, even though the nation isn’t anticipated to reach its borrowing maximum until sometime next year.
With 38 Republicans and almost all Democrats voting against it, House Republicans’ attempt to pass a second bill to allay Trump’s worries was unsuccessful. Now, they will have to figure out a new path as the clock ticks closer to the deadline.
When would a shutdown begin? How long could one last?
In the absence of last-minute action from Congress, a shutdown would start at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, so its effects would not be immediately felt until Monday.
It is difficult to predict how long a shutdown could last, but if it happens, it could last for a while, given divisions on Capitol Hill and the upcoming holidays. Republicans have a narrow majority in the House, and Democrats control the Senate. That will change on Jan. 3, when Republicans take over both chambers of Congress, and then Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.,posted on Xthat she would support shutting down the government until Inauguration Day.
What parts of the government would a shutdown affect?
During a shutdown, the federal government would beunable to pay its millions of employees, including members of the military and reservists, just before the holidays.
Hundreds of thousands of government workerscould be furloughed, meaning they would temporarily stop going to work. During a shutdown in 2013, about850,000 workerswere furloughed. But even those who have to keep performing essential duties would not be paid for the duration of a shutdown.
Federal workers would receive retroactive pay when the government reopened, which was not always guaranteed until Congress passed a law after a shutdown in 2019.
Some functions of the government would continue, including the military and public safety, like air traffic control and the Transportation Security Administration. Every federal agency creates acontingency planfor how to operate during a shutdown and which employees areexceptedfrom being furloughed.
The Defense Department, for example, would require active military personnel to continue to report for duty, and inpatient care and emergency outpatient care in Pentagon medical treatment facilities would continue during a shutdown, a defense official told NBC News.
Military retiree benefits would continue to be paid out because they come from a separate trust fund, not from congressional appropriations, but they could be slowed by a lack of personnel to process them, the official said.
President Joe Bidenandmembers of Congresswould all continue to work and be paid, asrequired by law.
Would a shutdown affect benefits and payments like Social Security?
Social Security checks that go out to73million people in the United Statesevery monthwould continueduring a shutdown, as that is consideredmandatory spendingand not funded through the dozen appropriations bills Congress is supposed to pass each year.
Other examples of mandatory spending that would continue are payments fromMedicare, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and veterans benefits.
How long did the longest government shutdown last?
Congress has allowed funding to lapse several times in the past four decades, leading to20 shutdowns that lasted at least one full day.
The longest shutdown was also the most recent: The government shut down for34 full daysfrom Dec. 21, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019.
During that shutdown, national parks remained open, buttrash started piling upwith park employees furloughed. TSA employees, who were required to keep working without pay, started calling in sick, leading to delays at airports. TheTSA administrator has warnedthat a shutdown this year would lead to longer waits heading into the holidays.
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