The U.S. Capitol Constructing is seen in Washington, U.S., August 16, 2023.
Kevin Wurm | Reuters
WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday asked Congress to pass a short-term measure to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown at the top of September.
A spokesperson with the Office of Management and Budget said a short-term continuing resolution can be needed in the following month, keeping government funding at its current levels while negotiations proceed over longer-term appropriations bills.
Funding for the federal government is ready to expire on Sept. 30 unless motion is taken by Congress. With a month to go until the deadline, the Republican-led House of Representatives has only managed to pass one among the 12 bills needed to fund the federal government, based on Reuters.
Deep divisions remain between the parties with Republicans seeking to implement large spending cuts unlikely to pass within the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden requested a stopgap measure to cover standard government programs and an extra $40 billion — $24 billion for Ukraine and other foreign policy challenges, nearly $4 billion for border and migration issues, and $12 billion for disaster relief to spice up the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Biden warned against a government shutdown while visiting FEMA headquarters Thursday in D.C., stressing the impact it could have on agencies.
“It might be a serious, major problem,” Biden said.
Leaders of each parties have signaled an openness to a seamless resolution. Each House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed openness to the thought earlier this month.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday said the present budget negotiations are “a fairly large mess.”
“I feel we will find yourself with a short-term congressional resolution, probably into December as we struggle to determine exactly what the federal government’s spending level goes to be,” McConnell said.
