As the weekend deadline for government funding approaches, the possibility of a federal government shutdown is becoming increasingly likely. House Republicans have indicated that they will

not consider a bipartisan Senate plan to fund the government beyond the deadline.

In response to the congressional standoff, the White House Office of Management and Budget has instructed federal agencies to prepare to inform their employees about the status of government funding. These notifications are set to take place on Thursday morning as part of the government's mandatory contingency process. Agencies will begin notifying employees this week about whether they will be furloughed, although the exact timing remains uncertain. Senior officials within the federal government have already begun discussions about which employees will be furloughed and who will continue working without pay.

On Capitol Hill, both the Senate and the House are pursuing separate paths to extend government funding. The Senate is working on a bill to maintain funding at current levels until mid-November, which also includes funding for President Biden's requests for U.S. aid to Ukraine and natural disaster relief. However, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has rejected this measure, stating that he will not bring the Senate bill to the floor in its current form.

At present, there are no ongoing negotiations between the House and Senate to craft a short-term spending bill that both chambers can agree upon. Instead, each chamber intends to pass its own legislation and challenge the other to either accept or reject it.

President Biden has voiced his concerns about the potential consequences of a government shutdown, describing it as "disastrous." He referenced a previous agreement made with McCarthy in June to suspend the U.S. debt ceiling and establish federal spending limits for the year, suggesting that this agreement is being disregarded by some.

In private meetings this week, McCarthy has proposed alternative plans for the GOP-controlled House to counter the Senate's bipartisan progress. One of his suggestions involves taking the Senate's short-term bill, removing provisions that House Republicans oppose (such as emergency aid for Ukraine and domestic disaster victims), and adding a House-passed border security bill before sending it back to the Senate. Photo by United States Senate, Wikimedia commons.