Washington DC [United States], Feb 9 : The White House has instructed the federal agencies to prepare for a possible government shutdown as Congress moved closer to the midnight Thursday deadline without passing a funding bill.
Several media reports stated that the OMB (Office of Management) official noted that the office is preparing for funding to lapse as a Senate stalemate drags on with only hours until current funding expires.
Some government agencies will run out of money and have to furlough workers if Congress lets funding lapse. A shutdown would be the second in less than a month.
Congressional negotiators were scrambling earlier on Thursday to lock in enough votes in the House, on a two-year budget deal that would add $300 billion to the federal deficit. However, Sen. Rand Paul objected to moving toward passing the plan.
All senators needed to support the move to hold a vote on Thursday.
The Kentucky Republican is pushing for an amendment to maintain budget caps, but Senate sources say leaders have no plan to give Paul such a concession, meaning that he can continue to prevent a vote until after midnight, when government funding runs out, CNN reported.
The overall deal also does not address the immigration issue, a key sticking point for many Democrats; but it does increase spending caps by $300 billion for the Pentagon and domestic priorities.
