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WASHINGTON: With a potential government shutdown now less than a week away, President Joe Biden and other administration officials this weekend intensified their warnings of the consequences of closing government agencies as they pressed congressional Republicans to find a way out of their spending stalemate.
Both the president and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made public calls for Republicans to resolve their differences before next Sunday, when federal funding is set to lapse. They noted that a shutdown would mean that members of the military would go without paychecks, air travelers could experience disruptions and a variety of programs safeguarding the public would be shuttered. Yet even after a weekend of private haggling at the Capitol, there was no sign that the GOP was moving toward a resolution.
“A government shutdown could impact everything from food safety to cancer research to Head Start programs for children,” Biden said at a Saturday dinner for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, blaming the situation “on a small group of extreme Republicans” opposed to a spending deal he cut earlier this year with Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “Now everyone in America could be forced to pay the price.”
“Funding the government is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress,” he said. “It’s time for Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do.”
On Sunday, Buttigieg warned that training for new air traffic controllers would cease during a staffing crunch that has already contributed to travel delays while the working controllers would not be paid.
“They are under enough stress as it is doing that job without having to come into work with the added stress of not receiving a paycheck,” Buttigieg said on CNN’s “State of the Union” as he made the rounds of Sunday news shows to sound the alarm. “House Republicans need to come to their senses and keep the government running.”
With the House tied in knots, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader, has set in motion a procedure for the Senate to pass its own temporary funding measure this week and send it over to the House with both Democratic and Republican votes. A test vote in the Senate is set for Tuesday.
Both the president and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made public calls for Republicans to resolve their differences before next Sunday, when federal funding is set to lapse. They noted that a shutdown would mean that members of the military would go without paychecks, air travelers could experience disruptions and a variety of programs safeguarding the public would be shuttered. Yet even after a weekend of private haggling at the Capitol, there was no sign that the GOP was moving toward a resolution.
“A government shutdown could impact everything from food safety to cancer research to Head Start programs for children,” Biden said at a Saturday dinner for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, blaming the situation “on a small group of extreme Republicans” opposed to a spending deal he cut earlier this year with Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “Now everyone in America could be forced to pay the price.”
“Funding the government is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress,” he said. “It’s time for Republicans to start doing the job America elected them to do.”
On Sunday, Buttigieg warned that training for new air traffic controllers would cease during a staffing crunch that has already contributed to travel delays while the working controllers would not be paid.
“They are under enough stress as it is doing that job without having to come into work with the added stress of not receiving a paycheck,” Buttigieg said on CNN’s “State of the Union” as he made the rounds of Sunday news shows to sound the alarm. “House Republicans need to come to their senses and keep the government running.”
With the House tied in knots, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader, has set in motion a procedure for the Senate to pass its own temporary funding measure this week and send it over to the House with both Democratic and Republican votes. A test vote in the Senate is set for Tuesday.
#White #House #Steps #Warnings #Shutdown #Impact #Deadline #Nears
