Without agreement, US government could face partial shutdown in four days

There is still no clear path to avoiding a partial U.S. government shutdown at the end of the week, with just four days left until Congress hits a key funding deadline.

Lawmakers had hoped to release the text of a bipartisan spending agreement on Sunday night (25), but the project has not yet been released. High-level disagreements on policy issues remain as House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is under immense pressure from his right flank to fight for conservative victories.

As the deadline approaches, Senate Democrats expressed anger and frustration Monday at the growing risk of a shutdown, while many criticized House Republicans over the impasse.

“What is wrong with these people? This is the most important thing Congress must do,” Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told Manu Raju of CNN. “Right now, Republicans can’t seem to organize themselves just to sign off on the basic work they’re supposed to do. This is just ridiculous.”

Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat up for re-election this cycle, was furious when he commented to CNN about a possible strike.

“There better not be,” he told Raju. “We are doing this every six months. This is bullshit. It's just bullshit. And so we need to do what we were elected to do: fund the government, not shut it down.”

Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, said: “I swear to God, it is sinful what is happening and the games that are being played right now with the American people and all the people who depend on the services of the federal government, and not We can’t even act together.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, warned of the risk of a shutdown in a “Dear Colleague” letter on Sunday, and said “intense discussions” are underway with Johnson and other key lawmakers. .

Schumer blamed chaos at the House Republican conference for the delay, writing, “While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would allow enough time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to organize.”

Later on Sunday, Johnson lashed out at Schumer's criticism of the House GOP, writing on social media: “Despite the counterproductive rhetoric in Leader Schumer's letter, the House has worked tirelessly, and continues to work in good faith, to reach an agreement with the Senate on government funding bills committed ahead of deadlines.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Monday that a partial shutdown would be “harmful to the country” and argued that it is “entirely avoidable” if the House and Senate can work together.

Separately, McConnell told reporters at the Capitol: “We will not allow the government to shut down.”

Congress faces two shutdown deadlines — March 1 and March 8 — after lawmakers passed a short-term funding bill in January.

President Joe Biden met with the four main leaders of Congress on Tuesday (27), as the White House increases pressure on parliamentarians to approve additional funding for Ukraine and before the deadline for a partial government shutdown.

Senators returned to Washington, DC, on Monday night, but the House will not return until Wednesday (28), leaving little time before the fast-approaching Friday (1) deadline.

In the Senate, an agreement would need to be reached with the consent of all 100 senators to quickly pass any legislation before the deadline to avoid a partial shutdown.

One main question hanging over the week's schedule is when the Senate will act on articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by House Republicans this month.

It is not yet clear when the articles will be sent from the House to the Senate. A source familiar with the conversations told CNN that the two chambers are discussing the moment, but no decision has been taken yet.

In the House, Johnson has little room to maneuver as he faces a historically narrow majority and an increasingly combative right flank. Tensions are expected to rise further due to the fight for government funding.

Hard-line conservatives have bristled at the House's approval of previous stopgap funding bills and a top-tier deal the House speaker signed with Schumer to set spending close to $1.66 billion in total.

In January, a hard-line group staged a riot on the House floor, failing a procedural vote to show opposition to the deal Johnson reached with Schumer.

Johnson won the gavel after conservatives ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote last year, raising the question of whether the Louisiana Republican could at some point face a similar threat to his presidency.

Funding extends through March 1 to a range of government agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and other priorities such as construction military.

An additional set of government agencies and programs will be funded through March 8, including the departments of Justice, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, State, Education, Interior, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Legislature .

The federal government has already started taking measures to prepare for a possible shutdown. Each department and agency has its own set of plans and procedures.

This guidance includes information about how many employees would be furloughed, which employees are essential and would work without pay, how long it would take to cease operations in the hours before the shutdown, and which activities would be halted.