Summary
- Democrats warn federal agencies face shutdown risk September end.
- Demand White House, GOP leaders provide clear budget solutions.
- Continuing resolution funding set to expire September 30, 2025.
- Congress must pass appropriations or the shutdown will halt operations.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York, are the chambers' top Democrats. They wrote to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Thursday, requesting a meeting on the impending fiscal issues early next week in order to prevent a budget crisis.
“The government funding issue must be resolved in a bipartisan way,”
the pair wrote.
“That is the only viable path forward …
It is past time you reveal your plans to meet the needs of the American people. Otherwise, it is clear that you have abandoned bipartisanship altogether and are preparing to shut down the government.”
The deadline for lawmakers to accept a short-term extension of current agency funding levels or adopt a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on October 1, is September 30.
If neither is done, the majority of government operations will have to be partially halted until a new finance agreement is found.
This will result in the closure of some non-essential base offices and training facilities for the Department of Defense. Although troops may not receive their wages right away, they will still be expected to report for duty.
Thanks to advance financing previously approved for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the majority of hospital and benefits processing offices will continue to operate. However, during the political stalemate, other non-essential services will be suspended, and some information hotlines will be closed.
The appeal from the Democratic leaders was not immediately answered by either Republican leader. When Congress returns from its summer break next week, both men have stated that fixing the financial problem will be their first priority.
Despite having a majority in both chambers, a number of well-known Republicans have indicated that they might not be in favor of a short-term budget agreement, preferring to resume regular procedure in the appropriations process. However, there is still a lot of work to be done on most funding legislation before they are finally passed.
That implies that in order to approve any budget package and prevent a shutdown, at least some Democratic votes will probably be required.
President Donald Trump stated earlier this month that he would meet with Schumer and Jeffries to talk about possible areas of agreement, but he also noted that
"it's almost a waste of time to meet because they never approve anything."
Even if troops and critical workers continue to work, Defense Department authorities have cautioned about the possible negative effects of a government shutdown on military operations. They claimed that force preparedness initiatives are undermined when long-term procurement plans are disrupted and military family support services are shut down.
The most recent significant government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, took place in December 2018 during the first Trump administration.
On Tuesday, September 2, lawmakers are anticipated to return to Capitol Hill.
How would a partial shutdown differ from a full government shutdown?
In a partial shutdown, only some federal agencies or departments lose funding and must curtail operations, while others remain open and funded because their appropriations bills or continuing resolutions have been passed. This happens when Congress approves funding for certain parts of the government but not for others.
During a full government shutdown, no major appropriations bills are passed, leading to a closure or severe limitation of most non-essential federal government operations and furloughs of many federal employees.
A partial shutdown causes disruptions only in specific agencies or programs lacking funding, while essential services for protecting life and property continue in both types of shutdowns.