Why is the US government headed towards a shutdown? What does it mean?
The US government is headed towards a formal shutdown, with last ditch efforts to pass a bill crafted by Republicans as a short-term measure to fund the government through November 21 failed.
The Senate vote was 55 to 45 on Tuesday evening, while the Republicans need at least 60 votes to ensure the passage of the bill.(REUTERS)
The Democrats presently have the votes to effectively block the passage of a Republican stopgap funding package that does not address their demands, Bloomberg reported.
The vote was 55 to 45 on Tuesday evening, while the Republicans need at least 60 votes to ensure the passage of the bill. The vote further showed that both parties were unlikely to relent, even as a federal funding deadline looms.
The government spending will expire at 12.01 am if the Senate does not pass the measure to extend federal funding for seven weeks while lawmakers finish their work on annual spending bills. This would trigger the first US shutdown in almost seven years.
Republicans vs Democrats over healthcare spending
The Republicans and Democrats are currently engaged in a partisan standoff over healthcare spending, spurring an imminent shutdown which might disrupt national services and furlough federal workers. This would negatively affect the flow of critical data in the US economy.
The Senate Democrats have said that they would not vote for the package unless it includes an extension of expiring health care benefits, among other demands.
After the expiry of government funding at midnight, the White House Budget Office will issue a memo, triggering a formal shutdown.
With this, essential workers including military troops would work without pay, and non-essential employees would be furloughed. As many as 750,000 federal workers could be temporarily affected, even if United States President Donald Trump does not decide on permanent dismissals, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
However, Trump and congressional leaders have not been open to working towards a deal or a face-saving off-ramp, Bloomberg reported. On the contrary, the US President warned that his administration would let go of “a lot” of federal workers if the shutdown takes place.
Trump and fellow Republicans have denied to negotiate, saying that the measure is a stripped-down, “clean” bill, which should be non-controversial.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, after a bipartisan White House meeting that led to little progress, said Republicans were trying to “bully” the Democrats. Meanwhile, Trump posted a fake video mocking the Democrats after the meeting. “They lost the election in a landslide, and they don’t change,” the US President said Tuesday.
