The White House is urging Congress to pass a temporary funding bill to extend current federal government spending until January 31 of next year, in order to avoid a partial shutdown starting from October 1.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated to the media on Tuesday (September 9) that the proposal from the White House is only a suggestion and that specific dates and timelines are yet to be determined.
According to the proposal, the temporary funding bill will continue current spending levels but may include an addition of an “emergency purposes” account, such as disaster relief for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Currently, federal government funding is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year on September 30. If Congress fails to pass a new funding bill, some federal agencies could face a shutdown due to funding interruptions.
So far, Congress has not reached a consensus on the 12 discretionary spending bills for the 2026 fiscal year. These expenditures amount to approximately $1.6 trillion, involving defense and government operations, excluding automatic funding items such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
According to data from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this represents only a small portion of the total federal budget of around $7 trillion. Currently, national debt interest has surpassed defense spending and has become one of the major sources of fiscal pressure, with the US national debt reaching $37.4 trillion, causing concern among financial experts.
House Appropriations Committee Democratic Chair Rosa DeLauro described the White House’s request as “extreme,” believing that it hinders bipartisan cooperation. She emphasized that any spending plan must uphold the Democratic Party’s policy priorities and Congress’s fiscal authority.
Moreover, DeLauro and fellow Democratic Senator Patty Murray cited data indicating that the Trump administration has frozen over $412 billion in approved congressional spending using executive powers, deepening the partisan divide.
Additionally, Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), announced in August that the government plans to reduce approximately 300,000 public servants this year through methods such as layoffs, early retirement, voluntary resignations, and acquisition schemes, a significant increase from the initial plan to cut about 12.5% of the federal workforce.
Currently, the Republican Party holds a 219-212 seat advantage in the House of Representatives and a 53-47 lead in the Senate. However, any temporary funding bill must pass through the Senate, requiring at least 7 Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote procedural threshold.
If Congress fails to pass a funding bill by September 30, the government will face a partial shutdown starting from October 1. Non-essential agencies will close, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be forced into unpaid furloughs, while essential personnel will work without pay, with salaries to be retroactively compensated.
Since 1981, the United States has experienced 14 partial government shutdowns, with the most recent occurring at the end of 2018 to the beginning of 2019, lasting 35 days and becoming the longest in US history.
(This article referenced reporting from Reuters)