The US House of Representatives voted for a stopgap bill on Tuesday to avoid a government shutdown that would further deteriorate the economic chaos that has tarnished President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office.
The Republican-controlled chamber voted along party lines to finance the government until September 30, allowing Trump his summer to push his agenda of tax cuts, mass deportations, and increased energy production through Congress.
The drama next shifts to the Republican-controlled Senate, which must pass its own before this Friday evening’s deadline of midnight when the government would close.
House Speaker Mike Johnson hurled the gauntlet at the Senate minority, saying it’s time for Senate Democrats to hold a vote to keep funding the government or accept blame for its shutdown.
The threat of a weekend shutdown comes as Wall Street is rocked by Trump’s trade war and austerity cuts in federal spending that have already led to tens of thousands of lost jobs.
Investors first believed in the Republican billionaire winning, but mounting fears that his tariffs will unleash inflation and prompt a recession have prompted a three-week market sell-off.
In case the Senate does not learn from the House, the economy would suffer worse since the government comes to a standstill, with the possible outcome of tens of thousands of government officials facing furlow as federal offices close down.
