The U.S. Capitol is seen Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)
The United States is days away from a government shutdown if Congress cannot pass legislation to extend federal funding. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has proposed a novel and uncertain path to keep the government operating so legions of federal employees aren’t left without pay just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Congress narrowly dodged a government shutdown in September, but Johnson, who has been speaker for less than a month, is running into the same problems his predecessor faced. Here’s what you need to know about the brewing fight on Capitol Hill.
What will happen if the government shuts down?
The government shuts down when Congress has not approved funds for operations for federal agencies. When that happens, certain federal workers — mostly those involved in national security or vital economic activity — continue working unpaid. Other government workers are furloughed until their agencies reopen. Members of Congress continue to get their paychecks.
What date would the government shut down?
The government would shut down on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 12:01 a.m.
Why is the government about to shut down again?
When Congress averted a shutdown in late September, lawmakers extended funding only up to this weekend, passing a bill known as a continuing resolution, or CR, to keep spending at last year’s levels up to the new deadline.
But the overall impasse mostly dates to a deal struck between President Joe Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in late spring to raise the federal debt ceiling, the amount of money the United States can borrow to pay for spending that Congress has already required.
The hard-right flank of the House thought McCarthy agreed to spending levels that were too generous — about $1.6 trillion — and demanded that McCarthy abandon the deal and enact sharper budget cuts. They stood in the way of a new CR in September and forced the country to the brink of a shutdown, until McCarthy passed a short-term extension anyway with help from Democrats.
In response, a band of eight GOP hard-liners ousted McCarthy from the speakership. After three weeks of limbo in which other candidates failed to secure enough votes, Johnson, a relative leadership novice, was elected speaker. But now he finds himself in a situation similar to the one that doomed McCarthy: The same group of archconservatives oppose any CR without steep spending cuts. And those members say they are willing to drive the country into a government shutdown to cut the budget.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday that Johnson’s proposal was “promising,” a major vote of confidence for the bill if it can pass the lower chamber.
What are Republicans proposing to avert a shutdown?
Johnson has proposed a two-tiered, or “laddered,” stopgap bill to keep the federal government funded. This CR would fund certain federal agencies and programs until two different deadlines.
On Jan. 19, funding would expire for military and veterans programs, agriculture and food agencies, and the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. And on Feb. 2, it would expire for the State, Defense, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services departments, among others.
Those deadlines in theory provide the House and Senate time to negotiate a full year’s worth of spending bills, though the two chambers are nowhere near an agreement. But it could also create two more financial cliffs that lead to partial government shutdowns.
What are the next steps ahead of the government shutdown deadline?
Congress must vote to approve funding for federal agencies, or the government will shut down after midnight Saturday. The House on Tuesday is set to take up its “laddered” funding bill. If it passes, the Senate will probably vote on it later this week. And if the Senate approves the bill, it will go to Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
Who would be affected by a shutdown?
Government shutdowns affect most federal workers. Hundreds of thousands of them could be sent home unpaid, while those who are excepted from the shutdown — such as employees in public safety — continue to work, but unpaid. (Once the shutdown ends, workers are compensated in full for their missed paychecks.)
Postal Service operations will continue because the agency is largely self-funded through the sale of postage products. Social Security recipients will continue to receive payments, which aren’t funded through annual appropriations.
Other impacts can include missed food-stamp payments and disruptions to environmental and food inspections. If the shutdown continues long enough, it could also affect the broader economy.
How would a government shutdown affect holiday travel?
The busy Thanksgiving travel week starts just after the deadline to keep the government open. While Transportation Security Administration workers and air traffic controllers would stay on the job unpaid during a shutdown, wait times for airports could still get longer — past shutdowns saw more absent workers than normal, and air travel delays helped push lawmakers and the Trump administration to settle the last shutdown. Car travel shouldn’t be affected much by a shutdown, if it happens, unless more people opt to drive rather than fly to avoid potential flight delays.
When was the last government shutdown?
The last government shutdown lasted 34 days from December 2018 into January 2019. President Donald Trump wanted funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, but Democrats, who took control of the House during the shutdown, wanted to fund the government temporarily with no strings attached. Congress resolved the dispute by passing a three-week continuing resolution to reopen the government while debate on a border wall continued. It was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.