It was close. Last-minute decision saved US from shutdown
On Saturday, a few hours before a possible shutdown in the USA, which means the closure of government offices due to the failure to pass a budget for the new fiscal year, the House of Representatives passed a bill on temporary 45-day funding of government agencies.
Oct 1, 2023 | updated: 9:06 AM EDT, October 5, 2023
The adoption of the bill, presented Saturday morning by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, averts the threat of a shutdown in the country. The temporary solution for short-term expenses includes disaster relief, but not additional funds for Ukraine or border security - CNN notes.
McCarthy's proposal, who gave up looking for the support of the right wing of the Republicans, was backed by 335 members of the House of Representatives, including many Democrats; 91 deputies were against. The bill, which will now go to the Senate, required the support of two-thirds of the voters because it was introduced in an accelerated procedure.
A group of extreme right-wing congressmen, who are the most staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump, attempted to block the actions of Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Trump's supporters were reluctant to approve the provisional measure, unless it included deep cuts, funds to strengthen the border and, above all, the removal of aid for Ukraine from the project. These conditions were not acceptable to democrats controlling the Senate, or to a majority of Republican senators. House Republicans also rejected the senate's provisional measure, which proposed maintaining current spending levels.
Trump wants to suspend government operations
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, in his social network service Truth Social, called on Republicans in Congress to bring about a government shutdown.
The history of the United States has seen many instances of government shutdown, but usually this paralysis only lasted a few days. The longest period of such paralysis occurred during Trump's presidency in 2018 and lasted as long as 34 days.
