Likelihood of Oct. 1 government shutdown rises after Senate rejects funding bills

Likelihood of Oct. 1 government shutdown rises after Senate rejects funding bills.

Trump wants US to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

To avoid a partial federal government shutdown on October 1, Congress must pass a bill to temporarily fund federal agencies to give appropriators more time to work on a comprehensive bill. House Republicans have passed what they called a “clean” continuing resolution to do just that. Since funding bills typically require 60 votes to pass in the Senate, they present one of the few opportunities when the minority party has any leverage in legislation. The Democrats have decided to use this leverage to push to reverse the cuts to Medicaid in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”. Polls have shown these cuts to Medicaid are deeply unpopular among both Democrat and Republican voters.

Both House and Senate Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats on this funding bill, apparently on orders from Trump. Instead, Senate Democrats proposed their own funding bill which restored funding to Medicaid and lifted a freeze on funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic bill came close to the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

Congress is now facing a showdown with the deadline fast approaching and Congress likely to recess next week for the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah. What happens next is unclear. The Democrats are under pressure to show some backbone against Trump and the Republicans. In March, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was heavily criticized by his fellow Democrats for voting to support a Republican funding bill, with some even calling for his resignation.

Meanwhile, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is considering adjourning the House. This would force the Senate Democrats to either support the Republican bill or face a government shutdown.

Trump wants US to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan

President Trump spoke this week about his desire for the US to retake control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Bagram, which was originally built by the Soviets, was the US’s largest airbase in Afghanistan during our 20-year military occupation of the country. Trump also ridiculed former President Biden for being “so stupid” as to abandon the base during the chaotic US military withdrawal in 2021. It was Trump himself who negotiated the end of US military presence in the country. That deal called for a full military withdrawal, but Trump now claims that he would have left ” a small force” in Bagram.

Trump’s primary reason for wanting control of the base was so that the US can better spy on China, claiming the base is “exactly one hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles”. He hinted that the US was negotiating with the Taliban, who “need things from us”.

One of those “things” Trump’s referring to may be the billions of dollars in Afghan sovereign funds that the US has been holding since 2021 as frozen assets. The seizure of these funds led to an immediate financial collapse in Afghanistan from which it has not recovered. Afghans still face high levels of hunger as a result.

An official at the Afghan Foreign Ministry rejected the return of any US military force to Afghanistan, saying “the Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history”. He did leave open the door to more economic and political cooperation with the US, “based on mutual respect and common interests”.

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Louisiana reports 5 have died from flesh eating bacteria in coastal waters this year. One man is believed to contracted his infection in Bay St. Louis, MS.

Judge dismisses Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times, calling it “improper and impermissible” and “tedious”. Trump’s attorneys have 28 days to amend their complaint.

NATO intercepts 3 Russian jets in Estonian airspace.

Sudan: scores killed in drone attack on mosque by rebel militia.