Senate Republicans have thrown multiple wrenches into congressional efforts to keep the government funded and avoid a debt default, raising questions about how lawmakers will avert a fiscal catastrophe later this year.
Current funding is set to expire at the end of September, while the U.S. Treasury could default on its debts as soon as October. Democrats have been piecing together a plan to attach the two deadlines, aiming to pass a debt ceiling increase or suspension to a stopgap spending bill that Congress must pass by Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Republicans would not go along with that plan, however, explaining Democrats would be on their own to avoid default.
