Government Warns Workers Shutdown Is Imminent as House Republicans Scramble to Pass Stopgap Spending Bill

The federal government warned its employees a shutdown is imminent as the House passed three out of four Republican appropriations bills late Thursday evening with about 48 hours left to go until the government runs out of money.

In a series of late-night votes, House Republicans approved funding for the State Department, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security for the next fiscal year, although the agricultural spending bill failed to pass. The House previously passed an appropriations bill for military construction and veteran affairs in July, bringing the approved total to four out of 12 bills.

Congress must pass and the president must sign the remaining eight bills by Saturday at midnight before a government shutdown takes effect, unless the Senate and House agree to a continuing resolution, which can temporarily push back the looming deadline.

The House is expected to vote on such a resolution Friday after the Senate already passed its continuing resolution Thursday. However, it will likely meet opposition from conservative representatives considering the short-term stopgap measure includes $6 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Notably, the House voted to pass a standalone financial package to Ukraine worth $300 million on Thursday along with the three spending bills.

The continuing resolution, if passed by both chambers and signed by the president, would delay the funding deadline to November 17, but that outcome is looking less likely as many are bracing for a shutdown.

House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.), for one, is still drawing out a working solution, refusing to cooperate with the Senate’s spending legislation. Instead, he’s looking for an alternative way to keep the government running.

“I still got time. I’ve got time to do other things,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday at the Capitol. “At the end of the day, we’ll get it all done.”

McCarthy has particularly met fierce opposition from Representative Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, after Gaetz repeatedly threatened to oust him from the speakership if he didn’t concede to Republican demands on federal spending and legislation. Their combative relationship came to a head Thursday when Gaetz accused McCarthy of launching a social media campaign in Florida to smear his name.

Once the shutdown comes into effect, the federal government’s more than 2 million employees and 1.4 million active military-service members will stop receiving paychecks for the foreseeable future.

Most federal agencies will cease operations, but air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration at commercial airports will work without pay. Other affected government services include the National Park Service and Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service, law enforcement, and benefits from Medicare, Social Security, and Veterans Affairs benefits and services are not affected by the shutdown. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries will still receive food stamps through October, although a prolonged shutdown past next month could pause the payments.