Next steps as Congress works through budget mess
As Congress confronts a potential federal shutdown Tuesday and a need by Oct. 17 to extend the government’s ability to borrow money, what to watch for.
• The Senate: Most senators left town after the Democratic-controlled Senate approved a bill Friday preventing a government shutdown Tuesday. It would provide money through Nov. 15. The Senate’s next session was scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT Monday – 10 hours before a shutdown would begin.
• The House: The Republican-led House approved an initial bill Sept. 20 preventing a shutdown, with money running through Dec. 15. The House was meeting Saturday and GOP leaders said they would pass legislation by day’s end incorporating their new demands: a one-year delay in the nation’s new health care law and permanent repeal of a tax on medical devices as the price for preventing a shutdown.
• The Senate: Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Senate would reject the new House plan, citing the health care provision.