Democrats scramble to stop government shutdown, increase debt limit

On Sep 29, 2021

Government shutdown looms after Senate Republicans block a federal spending bill over the debt ceiling. A shutdown would begin Oct. 1.

Breaking news this Wednesday OnPolitics readers: President Joe Biden’s immigration agenda suffered another blow Wednesday as the Senate parliamentarian rejected a plan that could have created a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

This is the second setback Democrats have faced in trying to include immigration in the reconciliation package.

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill: After delivering eye-popping testimonies before senators on Tuesday, the country’s top military brass headed to the House of Representatives for further grilling by lawmakers over the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, competition with China and the chain of command.

Plus, Congressional Democrats have a lot on their plate as they try to stave off a government shutdown.

It’s Mabinty, we’ve got lots to cover.

Will there be a government shutdown? Maybe.

Democrats scrambled Tuesday to extend funding for the federal government to avoid a shutdown, with negotiations in Congress at a stalemate as Biden canceled a planned trip to Chicago to focus on budget talks.

A possible shutdown would happen at the start of the fiscal year Friday if a bill to fund the government doesn’t pass both the House and Senate.

Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic effort to combine government funding with an increase in the amount the country can borrow. If the government does shut down, here’s how it will affect you.

That’s not the only crisis: The debt limit, which the country is projected to reach in mid-October, is another pending crisis. Democrats contend it’s irresponsible to block an increase in the debt limit, but Republicans contend the Democrats must approve it on their own.

Infrastructure vote remains a nail-biter: A group of moderate House Democrats continues to push for a Thursday vote on infrastructure, but a larger group of progressive Democrats contend they won’t vote for that bill without the $3.5 trillion social welfare package, too.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., set up the Thursday vote after her commitment to a Monday vote slipped. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill includes $550 billion in new funding. But in the narrowly divided House, if Republicans unite against the bill, the loss of four Democrats could reject it.