The threat of a federal shutdown is resurfacing in the United States two months before the presidential election, after a budget vote scheduled for Wednesday, September 11 in Congress was postponed due to a lack of a sufficient majority among Republicans.
Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, failed to muster enough support within his ranks to approve, without the help of the Democratic opposition, this six-month extension of the government’s budget. He faces a revolt from elected officials in his own camp who want greater fiscal rigor. “We will work on this issue throughout the weekend”he declared, announcing the postponement of the vote.
The 2025 budget must be adopted by Congress by 1Ahem October – the end of the fiscal year – so that all services continue to be funded. Otherwise, there would be a shutdown: millions of civil servants on technical unemployment, some food aid suspended, air traffic interrupted, among other things.
No plan B
Another piece of legislation was added to the budget under pressure from Donald Trump. It would require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
“I will cause a government shutdown in the blink of an eye. (…) If they don’t put it on the invoice”had threatened the former president, who has immense influence over the “Grand Old Party” (GOP) group in the House of Representatives, and who continues to claim without evidence that he was the victim of electoral fraud in 2020.
The Biden administration opposes it, pointing out that voting by non-citizens is already illegal and that there is no evidence that undocumented immigrants participate in elections. Democrats overwhelmingly oppose the text and at least ten Republicans spoke out against the proposal presented on Wednesday. However, this majority only has room to dispense with the votes of four elected officials and approve a text without the votes of the opposition.
In the Senate, Democrats (who hold the majority) are considering issuing an ultimatum to House Republicans: adopt a text that would delay the deadline until the end of the year or trigger a shutdown. However, with less than two months to go before elections that will renew the entire House of Representatives, some Republicans on the ropes are worried that this unpopular prospect could threaten their chances of reelection.
Mike Johnson warned that he had no plan B in case of failure. He himself hopes to be re-elected in November and could therefore seek an exit rather than risk a failed vote.
