Why Is The US Government At The Brink Of Shutdown? (Image @WhiteHouse)
Washington DC, US: The US government is on the brink of shutdown as a spending bill backed by President-elect Donald Trump failed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. Congress is left with no clear plan to avert a fast-approaching White House shutdown.
Reportedly, the members of Trump’s party’s right flank refused to support a package that would increase spending and clear the way for a plan that would add trillions more to the federal government’s $36 trillion in debt. 38 Republicans voted against the bill.
The bill resembled an earlier version that Elon Musk—Trump’s top ally—and Trump had rejected as a wasteful giveaway to Democrats. The bill would have extended government funding into March and provided $100 billion in disaster relief and suspended the debt.
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The US government funding is due to expire at midnight on Friday. If the lawmakers fail to extend the deadline, the government will begin a partial shutdown that would interrupt funding for everything in the country, from order enforcement to national parks. It will also cut off pay cheques for more than 2 million federal workers.
Democrats slammed the bill as a cover for a budget-filled tax cut that would highly benefit wealthy backers like Musk, who is dubbed as the world’s richest man. At the same time, the country would be sinking through trillions of dollars in additional debt.
Reportedly, even if the bill had passed the House, it would have faced long odds in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. The White House said President Joe Biden did not support the bill.
During the chaos, some of the Democrats and some Republicans called Musk the “president” after he led the charge against the bill. “President Musk” has been trending on Elon Musk’s social media platform X and other social media platforms.
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Senator Bernie Sanders’ reference to Elon Musk as “President Musk” underscored his profound concern regarding the growing influence of billionaires in shaping political decisions, particularly Musk’s perceived sway over the US government. Several other Senators and lawmakers called Musk, “President Musk.”
The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government.
Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected.
Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk?
This is oligarchy at work.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 19, 2024
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Given the festival season of Christmas approaching, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration warned that travellers are going to face long lines at airports. Carter Langston, a Transportation Security Administration spokesman, said that 59,000 of the agency’s 62,000 employees were considered “essential,” meaning they would continue working without pay during a shutdown.
The agency expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays, said a media report.
The shutdown will also cause enormous strain on furloughed government workers. Most of those who would work would do so without pay until funding is restored.
