The United States is bracing for a government shutdown, as members of Congress race to negotiate a last-minute budget deal that would keep federal services funded through the new year.Early on Friday, US media reported that the Office of Management and Budget, under outgoing President Joe Biden, had already signalled that federal agencies should prepare to shutter.
Government funding is set to expire just past midnight, on Saturday at 12:01am East Coast time (05:01 GMT).
But at a midday press briefing on Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre offered a note of optimism, saying a government shutdown might not occur if a bipartisan deal can be passed.
“There’s still time. We believe there’s still time for that to not happen,” Jean-Pierre said. “Our focus is keeping the government open. That’s what we want to see.”
A final Trump-Biden clash
However, as congressional negotiations continued throughout the day, Democrats and Republicans exchanged recriminations, with the budget bill shaping up to be a final battle royale between Biden and his successor, President-elect Donald Trump. Advertisement
Trump, a former Republican president who is set to take office again on January 20, was a key figure in scuttling a bipartisan bill on Wednesday to keep the government running through March.
He repeatedly indicated that, if a shutdown should occur, it should happen under Biden, his Democratic rival.
“If there is going t …
