US senators failed to pass a stopgap funding bill Friday as Republicans raced to avert a government shutdown and political challenge to President Donald Trump.
Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives had narrowly passed the measure, but it was shot down by Democrats in the Senate amid no sign of compromise with Trump's Republicans on the national budget.
With both chambers scheduled to be on recess next week and senators returning September 29, time is running out to keep the government funded after the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
A shutdown would see non-essential operations start to grind to a halt and hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily left without pay.
The Senate bill was rejected with only one Democrat voting in favor, well short of the ten that helped the Republicans back in March when they faced a previous funding deadline.
That vote sparked a furious reaction from many members of the Democratic Party, who accused centrist-minded senators of turning a blind eye to Trump's hard-right agenda.
The Republicans have a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress but, due to Senate rules, have to get some opposition support – in this case a minimum of seven Democratic votes.
House Republicans warned on Friday that their members will not return before the funding deadline – forcing the Senate to vote again and accept their proposal or force a shutdown.
The standoff gives Democrats a rare moment of leverage at a time when Trump and his ultra-loyal party are plowing ahead with implementation of a hard-right agenda.
If passed, the bill would be a temporary fix, however, funding federal agencies through November 21.
This would only delay far more complicated negotiations on the Trump government's future spending plan, which House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said "fails to meet the needs of the American people."
Last time Congress faced a shutdown – in March of this year – Republicans refused talks with Democrats over Trump's massive budget cuts and the layoff of thousands of federal employees.
AFP
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