Less than a month left! Countdown to U.S. government "shutdown" ticking again

The US Congress will reconvene on Tuesday, leaving it with less than a month to fulfill one of its core functions—keeping federal agencies funded and avoiding a partial government shutdown. In recent years, this task has become increasingly difficult to accomplish.

In the first year of President Trump’s new administration, fierce partisan divisions in Congress have intensified. The Trump administration decided not to spend some of the funds previously approved under bipartisan agreements, and a tax cut bill passed in July further angered Democratic lawmakers. Nonpartisan analysts say the bill could result in more than 10 million low-income Americans losing health insurance.

The work of reaching consensus among lawmakers on about $1.8 trillion in discretionary spending within the $7 trillion federal budget will become even more complicated due to expected battles over the following issues: the release of information related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (a former friend of Trump), and the administration’s move to send more federal agents and National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.

Since 1981, the US has experienced 14 partial government shutdowns, most of which lasted only a day or two. The most recent occurred during Trump’s first term, lasting 34 days from December 2018 to January 2019.

Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority in the House of Representatives with 219 to 212 seats, and an advantage in the Senate with 53 to 47 seats. However, Senate rules require most bills to have 60 votes to pass, meaning that passing an appropriations bill will require the support of seven Democratic senators.

A preemptive “blame game” began this summer, with both sides arguing over which party should be held responsible if Congress fails and a partial government shutdown occurs.

Before Republicans approved Trump’s request to cut $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated in a July letter that, because Republicans had cut funding already approved by Congress, the majority should not expect Democrats to proceed with “business as usual” in the bipartisan appropriations process.

In March of this year, after Schumer provided enough votes for a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, he faced strong protests from some within his own party. He argued at the time that allowing a government shutdown would cause even greater harm.

The full Democratic strategy has not yet been determined, but Democratic leaders have requested meetings with their Republican counterparts to discuss the deadline issue. Some Democrats hope Republicans will guarantee that if the administration makes further demands, they will not unilaterally cut funding.

“I hope that as we approach the September deadline, this process can continue in a bipartisan manner,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a floor speech.

Some Democrats, including Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are betting that conservatives will be blamed and that the funding deadline should be used as leverage.

“By September, Republicans will need to pass a budget to keep the government open, and to do that, they will need some Democratic votes,” Warren said at a rally in Nebraska in August.

Speaking about the comprehensive tax cut bill, she added, “If you want my vote, and the votes of these other Democrats, then for God’s sake, you can restore health insurance for 10 million Americans!”

According to the Treasury Department, US federal debt stands at $37.25 trillion. Under both Republican and Democratic administrations, as Congress continues to authorize federal spending that exceeds its revenue, the debt keeps rising.