The White House asks Congress for a short-term budget measure to avoid a government shutdown

Washington — The White House said Thursday that Congress should pass a short-term funding measure to ensure the government keeps running. after the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

An Office of Management and Budget official said lawmakers will likely have to approve a temporary spending measure to prevent a partial shutdown. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal government plans.

Without legislative approval, parts of the federal government would have to shut down at the start of the new fiscal year on October 1st. This would jeopardize federal plans on which millions of households depend. The closure poses a risk due to differences over annual spending projects between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-majority Senate. Despite the differences, no one wants closure.

Republican lawmakers are demanding deep cuts to many programs, reopening a tense debate over government finances from months ago, when the White House and Congress reached a deal in June to extend the government’s borrowing authority through the end of the year. January 2025.

On Wednesday, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, had to answer questions about a closure during the daily press conference. Jean-Pierre said that he would not respond to the aspects “hypothetical” of a shutdown, although he tried to shift the blame for a shutdown onto Congress.

“There is no reason for Congress to shut down the government”, he said, “There isn’t. And this is a question that Congress must answer.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, told Fox News on Sunday that he would “actually like” a short-term funding measure because a shutdown “it hurts people”. He hinted that an extension would allow the House to approve its own spending plans and give him leverage to negotiate with the Senate.

The Washington Post was the first to report Thursday that the White House said Congress should approve a short-term budget measure.