Negotiations Continue, Agencies Release Shutdown Directives, and the Executive Branch Retaliates
The federal government officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, October 1, following the Senate’s failure to pass the House-approved continuing resolution (CR) [217 - 212]. The House remains in recess, leaving the Senate as the only chamber currently in session and capable of taking action to reopen the government.
State of the Shutdown: Updates We’ve Been Watching
The threat of a government shutdown continues to loom over Washington after a week of dueling proposals. The Republican stopgap was rejected by Democrats on a 48-44 vote after passing the House on Friday morning. Sen. Fetterman (PA) was the only Democrat to vote for the GOP proposal, while Sen. Murkowski (AK) and Sen. Paul (KY) voted against it. The Democratic counterproposal was also rejected in a 47-45 vote. These outcomes were expected, The GOP bill does not extend the ACA subsidies slated to expire Dec. 31, and Democratic leaders vowed to oppose any bill that doesn’t extend them.
Congress Passes Yet Another Stopgap Spending Bill
In a 314 to 108 vote on January 18, 2024,, the House of Representatives passed another stopgap spending bill sending it to President Biden’s desk and averting a government shutdown.