The U.S. Senate has taken a step forward regarding a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown in just five days, while the House of Representatives is moving forward with conflicting actions supported only by Republicans. The Senate voted 77 to 19 in favor of starting discussions on a measure to fund the government until November 17, which includes about six billion dollars for disaster relief and nearly the same amount for aid to Ukraine.
However, the Republican-controlled House intends to continue with its partisan approach, which is unlikely to receive support in the Democrat-majority Senate. The House conducted a procedural vote to discuss four spending bills that reflect conservative priorities, but they have no chance of becoming law. Even if they were to become law, these measures would only fund a portion of government spending and would not prevent a shutdown.
**Fourth Shutdown in a Decade?**
The divide between the two chambers suggests that a federal government shutdown is highly likely this Sunday, marking the fourth such incident in ten years. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell aim to gain bipartisan approval for a short-term extension of federal funding at current levels.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters he would try to gain approval from the divided Republicans for a bill to temporarily fund the government. However, he plans to add stringent border and immigration restrictions that are unlikely to garner enough support from Democrats in both the House and Senate to become law.
Democratic President Joe Biden and McCarthy aimed to avoid a shutdown this year when they agreed in May on an estimated spending of 1.59 trillion dollars for the fiscal year starting October 1, following a confrontation over the federal debt ceiling. The White House has urged Republicans to honor this agreement.
Moody’s credit rating agency stated on Monday that a government shutdown would harm the U.S. sovereign rating, following a warning from Fitch last month that downgraded the U.S. rating by one notch amid the debt ceiling crisis.