MOSCOW, Feb 26 — US Congress has failed to reach an agreement over the weekend to continue federal government funding to avoid a shutdown in March, Democratic Party majority leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer said in a letter, reported Sputnik.
Last week, US Republican Party lawmakers in the House of Representatives said they expected a federal government shutdown in the absence of a decision on further funding.
“As we return this week, we will once again face the spectre of a harmful and unnecessary government shutdown caused by an extreme wing within the Republican Party… We are mere days away from a partial government shutdown on March 1… While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give ample time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out,” the letter dated Sunday read.
In January, US President Joe Biden signed into law a temporary extension of funding for the government, avoiding a federal government shutdown. Earlier, the corresponding temporary resolution was approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives. The document provides funding for the executive branch and state agencies ranging from March 1 to 8 for different authorities.
This is the fourth time in half-a-year that the US government faces a potential shutdown, with the other three in September, November and in January. The US government will face a partial shutdown if it does not pass a budget or a stopgap spending measure by March 1.
Meanwhile, the possibility of a total shutdown will become a reality if neither a budget nor spending stopgap is reached by March 8.
— Bernama
