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Looming deadline threatens US Congress once again with a shutdown

By Yashasvini on Nov 30, 2021 | 02:30 AM IST

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• Democrats and Republicans continue to debate around the bill that would fund the government through late January or early February.

• In September, the deadline for the short-term appropriations bill extended the government’s functioning up to December 3

The U.S. Congress is once again racing against time to fund the government past the current December 3 deadline, raise the debt ceiling before the US defaults on its debt, and approve a new defense budget bill before the end of the year.

CNBC reported that, as of noon ET Monday, Democrats and Republicans appeared to be coalescing around a bill that would fund the government through late January or early February. The chief negotiators are confident they can reach a deal to avoid a shutdown before time runs out, another aide told CNBC.

Also Read: Congress passes government funding bill, hours before deadline

Senate Democrats also hope to advance President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act, after it passed the House in mid-November. The House also needs to pass a resolution on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual must-pass defense policy bill.

While the former face an uncertainty among modern Senate Democrats, the passage of the NDAA, which is historically bipartisan, may be relatively smooth sailing — albeit time-consuming — after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed this month to decouple it from the US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), reported Vox.

The Senate and House passed a short-term appropriations bill in September that would keep the government running through December 3, and managed to avert a partial government shutdown. The U.S. avoided a lapse in funding when President Joe Biden signed it into law.

Shutdowns often cause the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Education, Interior, Labor and Commerce to send home most of their workers until Congress approves a new funding bill.

Read more: Yellen warns U.S. may exhaust cash if Congress don't raise debt limit by Oct 18

(With inputs from CNBC and Vox)

Picture Credits: World Atlas

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