Chris Kleponis / EPA Pool
The US government will shut down this weekend unless Congress comes up with a plan and acts quickly.
The United States may enter into shutdown budget, or “budget suspension”, from midnight on Saturday, after Elon Musk and Donald Trump appealed to Congress to Republican lead of a bipartisan agreement which would extend federal administration funding.
The 116-page law released this Thursday would have financed the government until March 14th. It would also have extended the country’s debt limit until January 30, 2027.
The reduced package included millions of dollars in aid funds to catastrophes for recovery from hurricanes Helene and Milton, for construction projects and environmental cleanup, among a host of other goals.
On the social network, Musk described the proposal as “criminal” and will have given incorrect information about the documentensuring that this included an increase in congressmen’s remuneration by 40% when in fact it is no more than 3.8%, warns .
Donald Trump and JD Vance, elected US vice president, joined Musk in criticizing the proposal.
Federal funding expires at 00h01 on Saturday and, if Congress does nothing, payments to millions of public servants will be at stake.
Hundreds of thousands of public servants could be dismissed, which means they would temporarily stop going to work. During a 2013 shutdown, around 850,000 workers were laid off. But even those who must continue to perform essential functions would not be paid during the shutdown period. This includes, in particular, the Armed Forces.
Extending a government shutdown could also affect wait times at airports.
“While our people are prepared to handle high volumes of travelers and ensure safe travel, you need to be aware that a prolonged shutdown could mean longer waiting times at airports“, said the TSA administrator, responsible for security checks at airports, David Pekosketo the agency .
The agency expects to receive a record number of 40 million passengers during the holidays after hitting record highs during the Thanksgiving holiday in November.
What is a strike?
But what exactly is an American government shutdown?
A explains: the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, which means that almost all government funding decisions happen on Capitol Hill. Every year, Congress must pass spending bills before October 1, the start of a new fiscal year; otherwise, the government runs out of money to continue functioning.
If Congress does not act before that date, the House and Senate may also pass legislation designated as a continuing resolution to keep the government functioning fully for a short period of time. In September, Congress did just that and set the day December 20th as the new deadline.
Now, Congress must act before the end of the day on Friday or there will be a lapse in financing. At that time, all non-essential government functions must stop.
The longest shutdown in US history was also the most recent: The government closed for 34 days, from December 21, 2018, to January 25, 2019.
