Lawmakers battle to reach deal to avoid shutdown ahead of Oct. 1 deadline
Federal government shutdown looms
Another government shutdown is looms as Congress struggles to reach a deal before the Oct. 1 deadline.
WASHINGTON (FOX 9) - President Trump and top Democratic lawmakers are at odds over keeping the government funded. Trump is set to meet with Democratic leaders in the House and Senate Monday, but neither side is budging.
Government shutdown looms
What we know:
President Trump and GOP lawmakers want a short-term funding bill to keep the government open. Democrats are asking for an extension of subsidies for Obamacare. Also, they want to reverse cuts to Medicaid that were enacted by Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill." Political expert David Schultz believes they’ll struggle to come up with a deal.
"Right now it looks pretty likely we’re going to see a government shutdown, because the two sides are really very far apart, and they’re not talking very much in regards to negotiations at this point," said Schultz, Professor of Political Science at Hamline University.
What a partial shutdown could mean
What they're saying:
If the government shuts down, it would be a partial government shutdown. That means non-essential government workers will be furloughed, and some non-essential VA Medical Center staffers could be furloughed as well. As for government services, things like staffing at Federal Parks could be impacted. Also, it could have an impact in applying for Social Security. If the government shuts down, Schultz says there are worries about what could happen.
"If the government shuts down, Donald Trump is going to use that opportunity to try to lay off a lot of federal workers, maybe to cut the size of government. So these are really important issues going on and really important fight right now. It's, again, it's, it's power politics at its best or its worst," said Schultz.
What's next:
Trump and Democratic lawmakers have until Tuesday at midnight to make a deal. Seven Democratic senators would have to be on board. If a deal isn’t reached by then, we could have a partial government shutdown.