Biden urges Congress to avoid a government shutdown with a short-team deal that includes

President Joe Biden on Thursday asked Congress to avoid a shutdown at the end of September by adopting a short-term measure to fund the federal government.

‘Although the crucial work continues to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills, it is clear that a short-term continuing resolution (CR) will be needed next month,’ a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said Thursday.

Unless Congress acts, the government will run out of money on Sept. 30 and a shutdown will cut off funds to critical programs that Americans rely on: entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security, nutrition programs and disaster relief. 

The move comes as a new poll shows that 90% of voters want to avoid a government shutdown.

The findings from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation poll show that 77% of voters believe a government shutdown harms the economy and 70% think it distracts from America’s larger fiscal challenges.

A stop-gap funding resolution would likely need to fund the government through November or even until the end of the year.  In recent years Congress has struggled to approve the 12 funding bills to keep most federal programs operating. 

Thus far, only one funding bill has been passed out of the dozen needing approval. 

The Washington Post first reported on the White House’s funding request. 

The last government shutdown, in 2019, shuttered museums and national parks, furloughed about 380,000 federal employees, and cost the American economy at least $11 billion.

Biden asked for a short-term solution to give both sides more time to work out permeant funding details. A continuing resolution – or CR – would fund the government at its present levels. 

There are a major disagreements between the two parties. Republicans, who control the House, are pushing for massive spending cuts.  

The administration has tied its call for a short-term solution with a request Congress fund several programs needing money, such as an additional $1.4 billion to prevent a potential disruption in nutritional aid for low-income families and $1.9 billion for the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

President Joe Biden paired his short-term funding request with an ask for more funds for government programs like nutritional aid

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2019 – it was closed during the government shutdown

Additionally the administration is asking for another $20.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine and $12 billion in disaster relief, which comes as Hurricane Idalia hit Florida and wildfires caused devastation on Maui. 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told a business group in Kentucky on Wednesday that a short term funding resolution would be needed.

‘I think we’re going to end up with a short-term congressional resolution, probably into December as we struggle to figure out exactly what the government’s spending level is going to be,’ he said.