(Photo: Victoria Pickering / Flickr)The Senate is set to vote Friday on a resolution that could halt a federal government shutdown, according to a report from Politico, but the operation of the U.S. Department of Transportation would not be in jeopardy either way.
Though a government shutdown would likely affect the DOT, Politico reported Wednesday in its Morning Transportation newsletter that a shutdown would not impact funding for general operations and most DOT employees would not be furloughed.
The Senate’s vote is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. today.
Congress must pass and the president must sign by October 1 either a budget or spending bill to fund the government and avoid the shutdown. The key contention between the Republican-held House and President Barack Obama is funding for the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” major provisions of which are set to be implemented October 1.
Republicans want to remove funding for the bill in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. Obama and the Democratic-held Senate oppose the measure.
Today’s Senate vote, according to Politico, would remove the language that aims to defund Obamacare. It is set at a 60-vote threshold.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he doesn’t expect a government shutdown. Politico’s report adds that a one-week funding bill is an option and would allow Congress to continue to debate federal funding into October.
