US President Donald Trump has stated that there is a possibility of a federal government shutdown after the current funding expires on September 30.
This statement follows the House of Representatives' passage of a temporary budget resolution intended to extend government funding until early December. The document will now be submitted to the Senate for consideration. However, with both chambers heading into the August recess, time is running out for lawmakers to reach an agreement.
August recess limits time
The current funding period ends on September 30. Theoretically, Congress has approximately 50 working days to reach a new budget agreement. However, the August recess for both chambers hinders this timeline.
Members of the House of Representatives will be on recess from July 23 to August 31 and will only return to work at the end of August. Additionally, breaks are scheduled for September 7–11 due to Labor Day and the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Consequently, the House has only about 16 working days left before the funding period expires.
The Senate will begin its recess on August 7, and senators are scheduled to return to Washington on September 14.
Both chambers have only 11 working days together
The chances of passing the funding bill on time are narrowing. If the Senate amends the bill passed by the House, the document will have to be put to a vote in the House again. This would further reduce the available time.
Overall, after this week, the House of Representatives and the Senate will hold sessions simultaneously for a total of only 11 days until September 30.
Another government shutdown threat
The US public is already familiar with the consequences of a government shutdown. The current situation is reminiscent of last year's record-breaking 43-day government shutdown. That crisis began on October 1, 2025, because Congress failed to pass the funding bill on time.
Although it officially ended in mid-November, the partial shutdown of some government agencies continued until April. This situation caused serious problems, particularly for the Department of Homeland Security, leading to long delays and confusion at airports across the country.