Biden says he does not think US government shutdown is 'inevitable'

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden sought to downplay Wednesday the prospects for a looming shutdown that would bring much of the federal government to a halt.

Asked if he thought the closure is bound to happen early Sunday, Biden said: "I don't think anything is inevitable in politics."

"The American people need our Republican friends in the House of Representatives to do their job to fund the government," he said.

All eyes remain on the House where Speaker Kevin McCarthy is locked in a desperate effort to pass funding legislation before the current fiscal year ends Saturday. A core group of hardline Republicans have vowed to reject any spending measures that do not include the deep cuts they demand.

McCarthy can seldom afford any dissent within his caucus, holding an extremely narrow majority in the chamber.

There are four days remaining for lawmakers to act. Should the House be unable to pass at least a short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution that can also clear the Democratic-controlled Senate, much of the federal government will be forced to shutter.

Many of the federal government’s 4 million workers will be furloughed, or forced to remain home without a paycheck, while others deemed to be essential will work without pay.

That includes the 1.3 million active-duty service members as well as federal law enforcement and air traffic controllers.

The effects of a full government shutdown would be far-ranging and would be felt across many parts of daily American life. Beyond paychecks for the federal workers who live across the 50 US states, many critical government services would also come to a halt, including passport services, mortgage and farm loan processing and firearms permits.

In Congress, meanwhile, the Senate is pursuing its own short-term spending bill that would fund the government through mid-November to allow lawmakers time to broker a broader deal. The proposal saw overwhelmingly bipartisan support late Tuesday, and has received the White House's endorsement.

But McCarthy has so far balked at bringing it before the House, in part because it does not include the cuts his right flank is demanding. They have threatened to force a vote on removing him from his speakership if they are unable to slash the federal budget. It is unclear if any Democrats would line up behind McCarthy to prevent his ouster.

A simple majority is needed to remove him from the post.