CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Lawmakers have until midnight to approve a federal funding bill to avert an impending government shutdown.
This would be the first government shutdown since President Donald Trump’s first term, with the government remaining closed from December 2018 through January 2019.
Democrats are trying to use the budget bill to restore lost Medicaid funding. To avoid a shutdown, seven senate Democrats would need to flip to approve the Republican-backed bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the current bill is too partisan and doesn’t include Democrat influence.
Typically, during a shut down, federal employees are at risk of being furloughed; however, the Office of Budget Management said there could be permanent firings.
“This covers a lot of federal employees