2023-09-30 19:30:00
Now the Senate has to vote on the text and there is a chance that a standstill in government business can be prevented at the last moment.
On Saturday, the Chamber of Congress passed a bill for interim funding that would allow government operations to continue for another 45 days with a vote of 335 to 91. The Republicans have a narrow majority in the Congressional Chamber, but were dependent on votes from the Democrats due to a special rule. US President Joe Biden’s Democrats have the majority in the Senate.
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 means millions of government employees will no longer receive a salary. Most recently, the deeply divided Republicans in the House of Representatives had torn each other apart in the dispute over a new budget and in the process exposed the chairman of the chamber, Kevin McCarthy.
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Chaos among the Republicans: USA is heading for a shutdown
The Republican McCarthy surprisingly presented the transition financing on Saturday morning (local time) and put the Democrats under pressure. They were faced with the question: government standstill or no aid to Ukraine? With the so-called “stopgap measure” on Saturday, McCarthy also openly opposed his party’s hardliners. Around 20 ultra-conservative MPs have called for savings and blocked the adoption of a regular budget. If the new interim budget passes the Senate, the dispute over a federal budget will start all over once more in a few weeks.
The arch-conservatives had threatened to remove McCarthy from office. It was initially unclear whether they would carry out this threat. McCarthy’s election was unusually difficult, and a new appointment process might have a major impact on the chamber’s political work. The President of the House of Representatives – traditionally referred to as the “Speaker” in English – holds the third highest office in the state following the President and Vice President.
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Countdown to the possible “shutdown” is underway in the USA
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 think what Russia has done is appalling.” But he is worried regarding what will happen in the long term and doesn’t want to waste money.
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