The White House is set to notify federal agencies so that they can prepare for a potential government shutdown amid political tensions in Congress as lawmakers try to pass legislation to fund the government.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is expected to reach out to federal agencies and remind them to review plans for a potential government shutdown. However, according to the White House, this is a routine reminder.
"It’s just a reminder, we’re seven days out and we need to be prepared of course in any event of any contingencies, so we see this as a routine step, and one just to be prepared in any event of what could happen", said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the matter.
Psaki also outlined that public health agencies, such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are exempt from being shut down and will continue to operate.
"But large swaths of the federal government coming to a screeching halt would certainly not be beneficial to pandemic response", she noted.
According to Psaki, the administration is doing everything to avert a shutdown. Similar assurances were voiced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who vowed to overcome political opposition and pass a temporary funding bill.
A bill to raise the US debt ceiling is needed so that the government can keep working. On Tuesday, House Democrats approved temporary legislation to continue funding of the government into early December, but the bill faces opposition from Senate Republicans, who have slammed the proposed measure as a “reckless spending spree”.
In the event of the parties failing to reach a compromise by the beginning of October, the United States government will be shut down.