With less than a week until the US government runs out of funding and just days until Republican presidential candidates not named Donald Trump square off for their second primary debate, the White House and President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign are looking to capitalise on the dysfunction and spectacle in the House Republican Conference and the GOP primary field by blaming Republicans for the consequences of any shutdown and tying it to Mr Trump.
In the US political system, Congress is responsible for passing 12 annual spending bills to fund operations of government and countless social service programmes before the start of a new fiscal year on 1 October.
