US government will shut down on 1 October if Congress cannot reach a funding agreement. Here is what to know
The federal government is once again on the brink of a shutdown, unless Congress can reach a funding agreement before the start of the new fiscal year, on 1 October.
With the clock ticking and both Democrats and Republicans seemingly dug in, there is little time left to avoid a lapse in federal funding. And in a sharp escalation of how past shutdowns have worked, the White House has instructed agencies to make plans for permanent mass layoffs in programs poised to lose funding.
