White House prepares agencies for possible shutdown

 

White House prepares agencies for possible shutdown

Biden administration prepares to notify federal agencies Thursday to prepare for a possible government shutdown as the White House prepares to mitigate the effects on the pandemic response and other services.

The Office of Management and Budget is expected to remind agencies to review plans for a possible shutdown, which will happen if Congress does not fund the government before the end of the month.

He told reporters that reminding the Office of Management and Budget is standard practice.

"It's just a reminder, we're seven days out, and of course, we have to be prepared in any case for any emergency, so we see this as a routine step, and just a step to be prepared in any case for what could happen," Psaki said.

Psaki emphasized that the White House is taking steps to guard against the potential fallout from the pandemic, which could restrict government services and could hamper the country's economic recovery amid the pandemic.

Psaki said public health agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, generally will not shut down and operate.

"But large segments of the federal government that will blatantly shut down will certainly not be helpful for the pandemic response.

The House passed a legislative package on Tuesday to extend government funding through December 3 and provide emergency funds to resettle Afghan refugees and respond to a series of natural disasters across the United States on their own, and the package has broad bipartisan support.

But Democratic leaders have also added language to suspending the debt limit in the face of warnings that the Treasury will exhaust its borrowing power sometime next month. Economists of all stripes have warned that a government default would hurt the US economy and send repercussions worldwide.