Trump admits possibility of US government shutdown starting October 1st.
President warns of risk of shutdown if no agreement is reached between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
247 - US President Donald Trump admitted on Friday (20) that the federal government could face a shutdown starting October 1st if Republicans and Democrats fail to reach an agreement on the bill guaranteeing funding for the government. The statements were made at the White House and were reported by the agency. TASS.
“We’re going to keep talking to the Democrats, but I think the country could end up shutting down for a period of time,” Trump stated. The president added that, even in the event of a shutdown, programs considered essential would not be interrupted: “We’re going to take care of the military, we’re going to take care of Social Security, we’re going to take care of the things we need to take care of.”
Trump also took the opportunity to criticize the Democrats, saying that "many of the things they fight for, which in many cases are not very good, will not be able to be funded" during a shutdown. "We'll see how they handle this with their voters," he added.
According to the president, for the government to continue being funded, the bill already approved by the House of Representatives also needs to pass the Senate. "But in the Senate we have 53 Republicans in total and we need 60 votes. That means we need Democratic votes [in favor of the bill drafted by the Republicans]. And I don't know if it's possible to reach an agreement with these people," he stated.
Earlier, the Senate rejected two funding proposals: the one presented by Republicans received 48 votes, while the one by Democrats obtained 47. The impasse increases the risk of a shutdown, especially since Congress will go into recess next week.
In March, Trump signed a law extending government funding until September 30, averting a planned shutdown on March 15. If the current impasse is not resolved, several federal agencies and programs could be suspended, as well as the salaries of hundreds of thousands of civil servants, who would be placed on unpaid leave.
Since 1977, the United States has faced more than 20 government funding interruptions due to disputes between the White House and Congress. The longest occurred during Trump's first term, between December 22, 2018, and January 25, 2019, totaling 35 days of shutdown.
