BREAKING NEWS: The House is poised to avert a 45-day government shutdown with a short-term spending bill
With less than 12 hours to go before the deadline, House Democrats vote to avert a government shutdown.
The stopgap solution proposed by Republicans on Saturday to keep the government funded throws the rest of the matter into disarray by delaying a shutdown by at least 45 days.
The proposal is currently being voted on. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, is leading plans Saturday to avert a shutdown.
It came as a surprise to many lawmakers, who were debating intensely about how to mitigate the effects of a shutdown.
On Friday, McCarthy suffered a humiliating loss as his own party failed to pass a funding bill that would have averted the crisis, leaving 3.5 million federal workers at risk of going without pay unless an 11th-hour deal is reached comes.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy arrives on Capitol Hill Saturday ahead of an 11th-hour vote to avert a government shutdown
President Joe Biden will meet with his Cabinet early next week to discuss how the government will operate after the expected shutdown begins on Sunday
It is feared that the government shutdown could drag on for weeks
McCarthy’s bill requires two-thirds of the House of Representatives to pass, meaning Republicans will need help from their Democratic colleagues to pass it.
The proposal will be voted on today in the Democratic-majority Senate.
If it fails to secure a majority of votes, the government will close at midnight tonight.
The House speaker’s change of heart means he now risks being removed from office by fellow Republicans.
As fears about the shutdown grow, President Biden is preparing to convene his Cabinet next week to discuss how the government will operate.