US Democrats Show Opposition to Temporary Budget Bill... Government Fears 'Shutdown'

Republicans Pressure Democrats Ahead of the September 14 Deadline

As the deadline for budget approval approaches in the U.S. Congress, concerns about a federal government shutdown are emerging due to uncertainty over the passage of a temporary budget bill in the Senate. For the temporary budget bill to pass the Senate, it requires support not only from Republican senators but also from some Democratic senators, but the Democrats have expressed opposition to the bill's passage.

AFP Yonhap News

According to the New York Times (NYT) and NBC on the 12th (local time), Democratic senators in the U.S. Congress held a closed-door meeting to discuss budget approval ahead of the September 14 deadline.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, said regarding the Senate vote on the temporary budget bill passed by the House the previous day, "The Republicans have failed to secure the votes needed for approval." He stated that the Democrats are united in processing a separate 30-day temporary budget bill, adding, "This bill will keep the government running while giving Congress time to negotiate a bipartisan bill."

The Republicans passed a budget bill in the House the previous day to fund the government temporarily until September 30. This temporary budget bill, drafted solely by the Republicans, maintains the overall budget at last year's level but increases defense spending by about $6 billion while cutting non-defense spending by approximately $13 billion.

The Democrats opposed the bill in the House, citing concerns that, due to the nature of the temporary budget bill, President Donald Trump could arbitrarily decide on detailed adjustments such as cuts to non-defense spending.

For the Republicans to pass this budget bill in the Senate without a filibuster (a legal procedure to delay or block a vote through unlimited debate), they need 60 votes in favor. Of the 100 senators, Republicans hold 53 seats, but since Republican Senator Rand Paul has expressed opposition, NBC reported that eight Democratic senators would need to vote in favor.

If the Democrats oppose the bill overall in the Senate, a federal government shutdown will occur. Although the Senate can amend the temporary budget bill, it would then require approval again in the House. However, the NYT and others reported that Republican House members have recessed the House and deliberately left Washington, D.C. after passing the temporary budget bill.

Accordingly, U.S. media analyzed that Democratic senators face a difficult choice: either cooperate with the Republican temporary budget bill or force a shutdown of the Trump administration. Angus King, an independent senator with Democratic leanings, said, "It’s a matter of choosing between two terrible alternatives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.