Catastrophic Countdown
If by the stroke of midnight US Congress does not reach an agreement on thorny issues, US government non-essential services will cease. Senate Democrats may block a stopgap bill that passed the House to temporarily keep much of the government running.
So-called Senate leaders are pointing to domestic spending and immigration disputes that have been going on since way before the election. Congress has been unable to pass a long-term spending plan for government agencies since last year's budget ran out Sept. 30, instead opting for a series of weeks-long spending measures to keep the government open. The GOP has a narrow 51-49 Senate majority, but a spending bill needs 60 votes to pass.
This is yet another example of why every American citizen should be registered to vote. Taxpayers must now pay for the mess these people have presented to the US. The last government shutdown was back in 2013, it lasted over two weeks and cost an estimated $24 billion dollars.