House Republican leaders, in a closed-door conference meeting on Friday, proposed a plan to extend government funding until March and raise the debt ceiling after Donald Trump’s inauguration and the GOP regains control of Congress, according to The Guardian report, citing Punchbowl News .
It remains uncertain whether this funding proposal can be implemented before midnight, when a government shutdown is set to begin, or if it will gain Trump’s approval.
Trump has demanded an increase in the debt ceiling while Joe Biden is still president.
According to the report, citing Punchbowl, House Republicans have put forward two options for funding the government over the next three months: one that could pass today but would require Democratic votes and excludes aid for farmers and disaster relief, or a second bill that includes both the aid and the spending but can only be voted on tomorrow under House rules.
On the debt ceiling, Republican leaders have reportedly agreed to increase it by $1.5 trillion in the first major piece of legislation Trump is expected to sign, alongside $2.5 trillion in spending cuts. These cuts would primarily target mandatory government spending, which includes Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and programs designed to combat poverty and assist with food security, added the report.
Meanwhile, the US government has begun warning its employees that a shutdown could happen, The Guardian quoted Karine Jean-Pierre as saying.
“We believe that there’s still time for Congress to prevent a partial shutdown. We believe that, but in the interest of prudent planning, we want to be prudent here, agencies did start notifying their employees for of their potential furlough today at noon,” the White House press secretary was quoted as saying.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/united-states/house-republicans-eye-funding-govt-till-march-raising-debt-limit-after-trump-inaugurated-report-13846419.html.
