Fight over the interim budget: US Senate continues to debate!

Fight over the interim budget: US Senate continues to debate!

The US Senate took up the ongoing budget dispute again today. After almost 41 days of the shutdown, which has already reached historic proportions, negotiations are high on the political agenda. Radiowuppertal reports, that it is unclear when exactly a vote on a transitional budget will take place, as the debate could last until Tuesday night (local time). The fronts between Republicans and Democrats have hardened and an agreement still seems elusive.

In a late move Sunday night, however, there was an agreement between some Democrats and Republicans that cleared the way for today's debate. Under the pressure of the current situation and the associated consequences, such as thousands of canceled flights and families not receiving food aid, the pressure on political decision-makers is growing.

The path to agreement

Most Republicans, seven Democrats and one independent senator voted for the procedural step, which allows the Senate to consider an interim budget. NOZ reports of a proposed deal that provides for a transition budget until January 30, 2026. Nevertheless, the political debate remains heated and renewed conflicts could arise at any time, particularly regarding the required extension of financial subsidies for health insurance.

A painful reality of the shutdown is that many federal employees have not received pay since November 5th. The political dispute over budget resources has led to massive disruptions in regular government operations. In addition, surveys show that citizens are increasingly blaming President Trump and the Republicans for the situation.

The next steps

The next step for federal policy is that the Senate must introduce a package that will then be voted on in the House of Representatives. Radiowuppertal has discovered, that at least 60 votes are needed in the Senate to approve the interim budget. Republican Senator John Cornyn's short-term vote helped achieve the required number of votes.

Another key point in the negotiations is the future of the SNAP program, which is scheduled to be funded until the end of September 2026. While some senators are calling for an early end to the shutdown, others, like Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, emphasize that the aid must not only exist on paper.

A vote on extending the grants is scheduled for December, and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is making it clear that he will not support any legislation that would cause the grants to expire. The coming days will show whether the Senate and House of Representatives can find the necessary agreement to end the shutdown that has been ongoing since October.