Just in case you haven't been following national politics lately, be advised: our federal government will more than likely shutdown Tuesday if Congress does not pass a spending bill by midnight Monday.
The deadline to pass a spending bill is Oct. 1 and without one, most of the functions of the government like paying military personnel, funding small business loans and processing social security checks will come to an abrupt halt, CNN reports.
Although passing a spending bill is a bipartisan procedural act, congressional Republicans and Democrats have been playing ping-pong over funding the government for weeks because GOP members attached a provision to the bill that would delay President Obama's health care law. As a result, the first government shutdown since 1996 will probably occur in just a few hours.
Since 2010, Republicans have tried to unsuccessfully gut the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," over 40 times. However, because their methods failed, the GOP took an unconventional step to pass a bill that averts a government shutdown only if the implementation of the Affordable Care Act is delayed and a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices to help pay for the health care law is repealed, reports USA Today.
On Monday, House Republicans remained firm in their stance despite the fact that the Democratic-led Senate and President Obama have warned that they would not concede and pass such a bill into law.
If and when the government shuts down, millions of federal employees will be forced to work without paychecks, national parks and libraries will be closed and neither passports nor visas will be processed. However, mail service will continue and taxes will still be collected.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
