US government shuts down after Congress fails to reach funding agreement
A large portion of the US federal government has entered a shutdown after Senate Republicans and Democrats failed to reach consensus on competing funding proposals.
Republicans voted to block a bill proposed by Democrats that included government funding through the end of October and an extension of federal healthcare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The second bill was also defeated nearly along party lines. Democrats refused to join Republicans to approve a short-term measure passed by the House that would keep the government funded at current levels through Nov. 21. Both measures needed 60 votes to pass.
Democrats have insisted that they will not vote for a spending measure unless Republicans agree to extend the subsidies for health insurance plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act. That did not happen.
Shortly after the failed votes, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought instructed affected federal agencies to "execute their plans for an orderly shutdown."
It is unclear exactly how far-reaching the impact of a shutdown will be or how long the suspensions of funding will last. Critical services, including Social Security, VA benefits and Medicare and Medicaid payments, will continue, but people who need those resources could face delays.
Federal jobs labeled as nonessential will experience more direct impacts, meaning there could be slowdowns in some government services and many federal employees will be left unpaid.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates about 750,000 federal employees may be furloughed daily.
President Donald Trump has also indicated he may take additional action to reshape the government. On Tuesday afternoon, he alluded to possibly carrying out mass firings of federal workers and eliminating programs in the event of a shutdown.
"We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. "We can cut large numbers of people. We don't want to do that, but we don't want fraud, waste and abuse."
Similar news
