The government is expected to shut down this weekend.

Boo

The Story

Happy almost October. The government is expected to shut down this weekend.

When?

When the clock strikes 12:01 am ET Sunday. That gives House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) less than 48 hours to get his party to agree to fund the government.

What’s the holdup?

Adding border security funding while cutting back on Ukraine aid. Some Republicans — especially the House Freedom Caucus — don’t want to cut a check until the US reins it in. Cue the infighting. Others also want stronger border security policies amid record migrant crossings. The biggest challenge: each party holds a slim majority in both chambers, which means lawmakers might have to focus on negotiating more than they'd like to. 

Where do we stand?

Last night, the House made some headway on funding the government and even approved $300 million in Ukraine funding after weeks of negotiations. Today, McCarthy is expected to bring additional spending bills to vote, but all of these still need to pass the Senate. Federal employees are already being warned they may not get paychecks next week.

What happens during a shutdown?

Four million federal employees won’t get paychecks until the shutdown ends. Hundreds of thousands of employees could be furloughed. In the meantime, national parks and museums will close, costing the US $1 billion per week. Congress, the military, and other essential services will keep their lights on.

theSkimm

The last government shutdown lasted 34 days, longer than any other shutdown in history. Now, 68% of Americans say their trust in the government would be affected if no deal is reached by this weekend’s deadline.

What else has the House GOP's attention…

President Biden’s impeachment inquiry. Yesterday, the Republican-led House Oversight Committee held its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry. The Republican chairs of three House committees are looking into whether Biden abused his power and benefited from Hunter Biden’s foreign business deals. Republicans brought in three witnesses. One of them, a law professor, said that while he believes the inquiry is “warranted,” there is not enough evidence to support articles of impeachment. To reach that level, he said there needs to be more evidence of Biden’s abuse of power and whether he knew of it and “encouraged it.” The White House has denied the allegations and called the inquiry politically motivated. One GOP aide called it an “unmitigated disaster.”

Where wages are going up…

California and New York. Yesterday, CA Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law that will raise the minimum wage for fast food workers up from an average of about $16 to $20 per hour starting next year. Meanwhile, in New York, Uber, DoorDash, and GrubHub delivery workers will get almost $20 an hour in 2025.

…Oh and Walmart is also stepping up for workers. Yesterday, the US’s biggest employer announced it’s removing a college degree requirement from hundreds of corporate job listings.

Who the Wizarding and Muggle worlds are mourning…

Dumbledore. This week, the world lost Sir Michael Gambon, the actor who played Albus in the last six “Harry Potter” movies. On Wednesday, the Irish-born actor died at age 82 years old after getting pneumonia. Now, many are quoting a scene in which Dumbledore addresses death. In a tribute, Daniel Radcliffe called Gambon “brilliant” and “effortless.” Emma Watson thanked Gambon for “showing us what it looks like to wear greatness lightly.”

Who’s getting physical…

Dua Lipa and Henry Cavill.

What might as well be located at the end of a rainbow…

Costco.

Who's officially over DVDs...

Netflix.