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Democrats in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday called for swift action to fund government programs through September and to avoid a partial government shutdown for lack of budget. But first they needed a signal of readiness from Republicans to negotiate.
Government funding for day-to-day programs expires on February 18th. Failure to secure an agreement could lead to a partial closure of the government. The blockade could have an impact on military and diplomatic operations, air transport, national parks, some health care programs and other activities.
With just over two weeks left until the end of the deadline, Congress may be forced to pass additional programs to fund the programs as negotiations continue. Two such measures were passed last year, keeping spending in line with levels during the presidency of Republican Donald Trump.
The government was last partially shut down from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, a record number of days, as President Trump faced Congress over securing funding to build the border wall with Mexico. Reaching a budget agreement, before the deadline, would mean one less issue for President Joe Binden as he seeks to secure the necessary Senate support to approve a new member of the Supreme Court and revive his package for infrastructure investments.
The Democratic bill for a budget of more than $ 1.5 trillion, which has already been offered to Republicans, marks an increase of over 8% compared to last fiscal year. “We are waiting for the Republican counter-offer,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.
The bills passed last summer by the House of Representatives would provide $ 755 billion for the military and $ 768 billion for non-defense programs. This does not include mandatory programs such as the pension fund and health care for the elderly, the poor and the disabled. But on the other hand, Republicans want balanced spending between defense and civilian programs./VOA
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