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Many federal operations will pause and nonessential employees will be furloughed or fired if lawmakers can’t reach an agreement by the time the current fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

Congress moved closer to an Oct. 1 government shutdown as Senate Democrats and Republicans on Sept. 19 each blocked the other party’s rival plans to provide temporary funding.

With a Sept. 30 federal funding deadline fast approaching, lawmakers in the House and the Senate appear to be at an impasse over ways to avert a partial government shutdown.

House Republicans on March 11 passed legislation to keep the U.S. government open past a March 15 shutdown deadline, daring moderate Democrats in the Senate to block the measure.

Congressional Republican leaders in early March were focused on pursuing a short-term funding extension designed to avert a partial government shutdown this month.

The spending bill would keep the government open through March 14, provide disaster relief and give billions of dollars in economic aid to farmers. It will not suspend the national debt limit.

The drama left Johnson huddling with allies in his Capitol office to come up with a Plan B that would keep the government financed and avoid the political pain of a shutdown come Dec. 21.

Congress is working to clear for President Joe Biden fiscal 2025 legislation prior to this month’s deadline. A new session of Congress is scheduled to start in early January.

Congressional leaders kicked off negotiations to avert a federal government shutdown.

WASHINGTON — The House voted Nov. 14 to prevent a government shutdown after new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats.