As the deadline for a government shutdown looms, the Senate has introduced a bipartisan stopgap bill in an attempt to avoid a shutdown. However, there is uncertainty as to whether the bill will pass in the House, as hardline conservatives have significant influence in driving the agenda. The House has voted to advance a package of appropriations bills that will not avert a shutdown, setting up a clash between the two chambers. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to amend the Senate’s bill to include a House GOP border security package, making the shutdown fight centered around the issue of the border.
The Senate’s stopgap bill, which would keep the government funded until November 17, includes $6.2 billion in aid to Ukraine and $6 billion for natural disasters. However, hardline conservatives oppose these provisions and will likely strip out the aid to Ukraine in the House. McCarthy hopes to swing enough holdouts to support a Republican stopgap bill by advancing a series of spending bills. The Senate still needs to pass their stopgap measure before it can be sent to the House, but any one senator can slow down the process under tight time constraints.
A government shutdown would have significant consequences and impacts across the country. Many government operations would come to a halt, while essential services like border protection and federal law enforcement would continue. The White House has warned of the damaging impacts of a shutdown on national security, including the delayed payment of 1.3 million active-duty military members and the furlough of civilian Defense Department employees.