POLITICS
How long is the extension to avoid a partial government shutdown and what is the list of agencies that could close?
The latest extension passed by Congress on 29 February avoided a partial government shutdown and funded the government in two parts.
On the brink of a partial government shutdown, Congress finally came to an agreement, passing a two-part extension to keep the government running. This averted a potentially disruptive shutdown, but only temporarily. It’s the fourth short-term measure in recent months as tue fiscal year budget for last October has still not been agreed..
207 Democrats joined 113 Republicans in a 320-99 vote to approve the stopgap measure.
“When you take away Defense and Veterans Affairs, the rest of the agencies are going to be seeing spending cuts in many cases,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. “There are also some policy changes that we pushed through the House that will be in the final product. Of course, some of those are still being negotiated.”
The potential consequences of a government shutdown are significant. Essential services like national parks, passport processing, and certain scientific research could be disrupted. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of federal employees would be furloughed, impacting their income and further straining the economy.
What is the list of agencies that could close?
The first part of the extension funded a subset of agencies, including those related to Agriculture, Transportation, Interior and others until 8 March, just next week. The second part extended funding for other agencies, Pentagon, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the State Department through, until 22 March. This two-tiered approach reflects the ongoing negotiations over the full-year budget which has long been elusive.
“We are working in a divided government. That means to get anything done, we have to work together, in good faith to reach reasonable outcomes,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
While the recent extension provides temporary relief, Congress will have to negotitate federal funding again next week to stave off a shutdown.