Why the US government might shut down and when it might happen
3 hours ago Share Save Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent and James FitzGerald Share Save
Anadolu via Getty Images
Funding for the US government will be cut off at the end of Tuesday unless President Donald Trump's Republican Party can agree with opposition Democrats on a way forward on a spending bill. That could bring some - but not all - US government services to a temporary halt. Although budget confrontations are common in US politics, this spending fight is especially tense because Trump has spent the last nine months drastically cutting the size of the national government.
Why might the US government shut down?
Simply put: any shutdown will be the result of an inability of the two parties to come together and pass a bill funding government services into October and beyond. The Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but in the Senate - or upper chamber - they are short of the 60 votes they need to pass a spending bill. Democrats, therefore, have some leverage in this case.
Continue Reading on BBC News
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.