Negotiations to avert a shutdown sputter as disputes over DOGE cuts persist
Congress is careening toward a government shutdown in just 11 days as the discord between the two parties over funding talks grows, with no clear path to reaching a deal.
WASHINGTON — Congress is careening toward a government shutdown in just 11 days as the discord between the two parties over funding talks grows, with no clear path to reach a deal.
The government is set to run out of money at the end of next Friday, March 14. Republicans control the House and the Senate, but they need Democratic support to pass a funding bill as it is subject to the Senate's 60-vote threshold.
Hopes of a full funding deal have faded, so President Donald Trump and congressional leaders are falling back on a short-term bill to keep the government open on autopilot, most likely through the end of the fiscal year. But even that is running into obstacles.
“I’m not optimistic. I don’t think we’re going to have a budget,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “My Democratic colleagues have been insistent that we include language limiting the involvement of the executive branch on spending decisions.”
Democrats have pushed to include constraints on Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk's attempts to close down or slash agencies without congressional approval. But Republicans say that's a nonstarter as they support the Department of Government Efficiency-led budget cuts, which they say are about rooting out waste.
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