House of Representatives Rejects Measure to Keep Government Open, Puts U.S. on Brink of Shutdown

The U.S. government is on the brink of a shutdown this weekend after the House of Representatives rejected a measure backed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep the government open for a month at reduced spending levels.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in an interview with NPR that President Joe Biden has no plans to talk to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ahead of the looming shutdown. Zients said that the White House remains in contact with people on Capitol Hill, but there is “no need” for a face-to-face meeting between Biden and McCarthy.

The measure was rejected by a group of hard-right Republicans, who have refused to vote on a continuing resolution to keep the government funded beyond September 30th. The inclusion of billions of dollars to bolster security at the U.S.-Mexico border, which McCarthy had hoped would attract their support, was not enough to sway the Republican holdouts.

The deadline to avoid a government shutdown is fast-approaching, and it remains to be seen if a bipartisan stopgap bill can be passed in time. The White House has urged Congress to pass a short-term deal to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown.