US Congress tees up votes in last-minute scramble to avert shutdown
By Andy Sullivan and David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Lawmakers return to the U.S. Congress on Saturday with no clear path to resolving a squabble that appears likely to close wide swaths of the federal government, from national parks to financial regulation, in less than 18 hours.
Infighting among Republicans who control the House of Representatives has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.
On the other side of the Capitol, the Democratic-controlled Senate is due to advance a stopgap funding bill, but a final vote might not come for days.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lack the funding to do their jobs if the two chambers do not send a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden to sign into law by 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Sunday.
Federal agencies have already drawn up detailed plans that spell out what services must continue, like airport screening and border patrols, and what must shut down, like scientific research and nutrition aid to 7 million poor mothers.
Most of the government's 4 million-plus employees would not get paid, whether they were working or not.
In Atlanta, festivities for former president Jimmy Carter's (NYSE:CRI) 99th birthday were moved up from Sunday to Saturday to avoid disruption, according to local media.
The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised worries on Wall Street, where the Moody's (NYSE:MCO) ratings agency has warned it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.
Congress typically passes
Read more on investing.com
