- A few hours before the deadline, the US Parliament agreed on a provisional solution to the budget dispute.
- The House of Representatives has passed a proposal that secures funding for government services for the next 45 days.
- Top Republican Kevin McCarthy introduced the proposal.
- Now the Senate still has to vote on it.
The Republicans have a narrow majority in the Congressional Chamber, but were dependent on votes from the Democrats due to a special rule. In the end, the result in the House of Representatives was 335 votes to 91 for the interim budget.
This means there is a chance that a standstill in government business can be prevented at the last moment. Ultimately, this would require approval from the second chamber of parliament, the Senate. US President Joe Biden’s Democrats have the majority there. If the new interim budget passes the Senate, the dispute over a federal budget will begin again in a few weeks.
No Ukraine aid planned
McCarthy’s interim budget provides money for disaster relief and border security. However, help for Ukraine, which is attacked by Russia, is not included in the draft.
Legend:
Under pressure: Top Republican Kevin McCarthy wants to make one last attempt to prevent the shutdown.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
The Republican chairman of the US House of Representatives surprisingly presented the transition financing on Saturday morning (local time), putting the Democrats under pressure. They were faced with the question: government standstill or no aid to Ukraine? McCarthy was pushed ahead of himself by the radicals in his faction.
After the vote, McCarthy had sharp words for his radical party colleagues. He doesn’t want to be part of a group that jeopardizes the financing of the military. “I want to be part of the conservative group that wants to achieve something,” said the Republican. With regard to Ukraine, he said: “I find what Russia has done appalling.” But he is worried about what will happen in the long term and doesn’t want to waste money.
Military personnel continue to work without pay
The term of the budget approved by the US Congress at the end of last year ends on Sunday night. By then, a new federal budget or a transitional budget would have to be decided in order to avert insolvency. A shutdown would mean that state funding for public services would no longer be secure. Hundreds of thousands of state employees could no longer work, authorities and other government offices remained closed.
Many ministries and authorities have emergency plans for this eventuality. So most military members continue to work – but for the time being without pay. How severe a shutdown affects everyday life and the economy in the USA depends on its length.