The turn of a New Year can represent many things: A fresh outlook, healthier habits, and goals to work toward. But entering January also marks a threshold: The looming government shutdown is only a matter of weeks away.
In November, the U.S. government experienced its longest shutdown in history after Republicans and Democrats took 43 days to agree on new funding arrangements for the likes of SNAP food aid, the Department of Agriculture, Congress, and veterans affairs through September next year. Unfortunately, it didn’t get to the rest of government, where coffers will run dry come January 30.
When Congress broke for Christmas a fortnight ago, it had not come close to agreeing on a deal to fund the majority of its federal departments, as well as the imminent expiration of additional programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program Authorization and Medicare and health care extenders.
Optimists might argue that with four weeks to the day until the shutdown, a change of tone has already been observed. For example, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters before the holidays that he and Senate Majority Leader John Thune were going to “work through the process and get the appropriations bills done.”
