The threat of federal paralysis is resurfacing in the United States two months before the presidential election, after a vote scheduled for Wednesday in Congress was postponed due to a lack of a sufficient majority among the Republicans who are fighting over the issue.
He faces a revolt from elected officials in his own camp, who are worried about another delay in the budget cap and want more fiscal rigor.
Donald Trump’s influence
Congress must adopt the 2025 budget by the end of September (end of the fiscal year) to ensure that all services remain funded. Otherwise, it would be a “shutdown”: millions of civil servants on technical unemployment, some food aid suspended, air traffic interrupted, among other things.
Another piece of legislation was added to the budget under pressure from Donald Trump. It would require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
“I will cause a government ‘shutdown’ in the blink of an eye (…) if you don’t include it in the bill,” had threatened the former president, who has immense influence over the Republican group in the House and who continues to claim without evidence that he was deceived by electoral fraud in 2020.
The Biden administration opposes this, pointing out that voting by non-citizens is already illegal and that there is no evidence that undocumented immigrants participate in elections.
At least 10 Republicans voted against the bill, which was presented on Wednesday. However, this majority only has room to override the votes of four elected officials and approve a text without the votes of the opposition.
In the Senate, Democrats in power are considering issuing an ultimatum to House Republicans: adopt a text that would delay the deadline until the end of the year or trigger a “shutdown.” However, with less than two months to go before elections that will renew the entire House of Representatives, some Republicans on the ropes are worried that this unpopular prospect could threaten their chances of re-election.
Source: BFM TV
