Risk of federal government paralysis in the United States due to Republican division

As the November presidential election approaches, the United States could face a federal shutdown after elected officials failed to extend the government budget. On Wednesday, September 18, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal to extend the budget by six months, until March 2025, due to deep internal divisions within the Republican Party.

The budget for the 2025 fiscal year must be adopted before the end of September. Failure to do so could have serious consequences: millions of civil servants would be placed on technical unemployment, some food aid would be suspended, and air traffic could be severely disrupted.

Opposition within Republicans and pressure from Donald Trump

Despite a narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives, more than a dozen members of the party have joined with Democrats to block the budget extension. A key element of the disagreements is the addition of the “Save Act,” legislation pushed by Donald Trump that requires voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

Before the vote, Donald Trump had made it clear on his social network Truth Social that if Republicans did not obtain the full adoption of this law, they should not support the budget extension. He even threatened to encourage a "shutdown" in the absence of this measure, although the Biden administration has recalled that voting by non-citizens is already illegal in the United States.

The urgency of a compromise

Rosa DeLauro, the Democratic leader of the House Budget Committee, criticized Republicans for failing to accomplish a fundamental task. She said Congress has only days left to reach an agreement and avoid a government shutdown.

The outcome of this situation remains uncertain, as divisions within Republicans continue to block budget negotiations, increasingly threatening the stability of federal services as the November elections approach.