Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urges Congress to do what it must to avoid a government shutdown.
“The choice facing Congress is pretty straightforward," McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. "We can take the standard approach and fund the government for six weeks at the current rate of operations. Or we can shut the government down in exchange for zero meaningful progress on policy."
His comments come as Congress is far from a deal. Conservatives in the U.S. House pushed for deep spending cuts that will not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Senate released a plan to keep the government funded through Nov. 17 but it's unclear whether House Republicans will accept it.
“Shutting down the government isn’t an effective way to make a point. And keeping it open is the only way to make a difference on the most important issues we face.”
But what happens if they can't reach an agreement by Saturday night? The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and millions of federal workers and military servicemembers will lose their paychecks. Some essential workers, like TSA employees, will have to work without pay.
In 2019, a partial government shutdown lasted for more than a month. A makeshift food pantry was set up for the TSA employees at Blue Grass Airport.
A shutdown could also jeopardize food assistance for people in Kentucky. According to the White House, a shutdown would put WIC aid in danger for 24,169 women, 68,821 children and 26,894 infants in Kentucky.
