| 01 October 2023
| Christie Anto
Washington D.C., USA - As the clock ticks down to Sunday midnight (04:00 GMT Sunday), the United States government is perilously close to a shutdown, a dire scenario that threatens to disrupt essential government functions, imperil federal employees' livelihoods, and sow political chaos. The looming shutdown, the first since 2019, is the result of an impasse between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who are locked in a bitter standoff over competing stopgap measures.
The potential shutdown's repercussions are far-reaching, with millions of federal employees and military personnel set to bear the immediate brunt. "It will have an immediate impact at one minute past midnight [04:01 GMT Sunday]," warned Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC. "Basically, large areas of federal institutions shut down," he added, underlining the gravity of the situation.
A primary concern is the fate of military personnel, with military paychecks scheduled for mid-October. If lawmakers fail to resolve the deadlock by then, approximately two million military members could face a distressing prospect of not receiving their due compensation. Simultaneously, all federal workers would either be placed on leave or compelled to work without pay.
The discord stems from a stark divide within Congress, with the House Republicans advocating for aggressive budget cuts and challenging federal spending, including aid to Ukraine. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy finds himself in a precarious position, struggling to garner support from conservative hardliners to avert a government shutdown.
The contentious issue of increasing aid to Ukraine remains a sticking point, with a growing faction of Republicans vehemently opposed to further assistance in Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia. McCarthy's proposed solution entails a vote on Saturday for a 45-day extension of government funding at current levels but without any provisions for Ukraine. This would necessitate significant Democratic backing for approval.
President Joe Biden has weighed in on the matter, declaring on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "If President Joe Biden wants to lobby against it, 'then the shutdown is on him.' It's unacceptable." The White House has emphasized that the primary negotiation should be between McCarthy and the recalcitrant Republican hardliners, underscoring the mounting turmoil within the party ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
In response, the Democrat-controlled Senate is poised to vote on its own stopgap bill, one that includes funding for Ukraine. It's crucial to understand that it falls to Congress to fund the government, and any funding agreement necessitates both House and Senate approval, ultimately requiring the president's signature to become law.
The entrenched positions of both sides make it difficult to foresee a swift resolution, leaving the prospect of a government shutdown lingering. However, if the shutdown extends into weeks, mounting pressure may force an end to the impasse. The specter of active-duty military personnel missing pay on October 13 or November 1, coupled with potential disruptions in air travel and border security as unpaid workers face mounting challenges, could push Congress into action.
The implications of a prolonged government shutdown would not only affect the U.S. economy but also tarnish the nation's international reputation. As Mike Hanna aptly put it, "It would have a massive effect on the U.S., not least on the economy, the lack of spending power but also on its international reputation, and this is the type of thing that would undermine the U.S.'s economic standing in the eyes of the rest of the world."
With the clock ticking down, the nation watches with bated breath as the specter of a government shutdown hangs in the balance, impacting not just the political landscape but the lives of millions of Americans and the nation's global standing.
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