Will we face another government shutdown? The latest from Rep. Tom Cole

With a new potential government shutdown taking effect in 3 weeks, Political Analysts Scott Mitchell and Alex Cameron break down the process and efforts from our Oklahoma delegation in the heart of our nation's capital.

Watch our full DC Debrief segment above, or follow along for the biggest takeaways:

Government Shutdown Deadline

1. Congress is nearing a potential government shutdown deadline, with only about seven working days left because of upcoming Jewish holidays.
2. Lawmakers will be in session next week, off for holidays, and then have just two working days (Sept. 29–30) before the funding deadline.

Appropriations Process

1. Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma is leading appropriations and is respected for his work.
2. Rep. Cole’s goal was to get all 12 appropriations bills out of committee before the August recess. He is now aiming to push the bills by the end of September.
3. Some progress has been made, but completing everything through both chambers and conference is unlikely this year.
4. Full budget passage through “regular order” has not happened in decades and is not expected this year either.

Continuing Resolution (CR)

1. Lawmakers may package several less controversial appropriations bills into a “mini-bus” (e.g., Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture).
2. A continuing resolution (CR) would be attached to cover remaining funding, possibly through November.
3. This approach gives time to resolve the rest of the appropriations bills while avoiding a shutdown.

Bipartisan Compromise

1. Senate will need at least 60 votes for any resolution, requiring bipartisan support.
2. Democrats and Republicans both claim the other side is unwilling to work together, though discussions are happening behind the scenes.
3. Key Democratic priority: extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.
4. Republicans may prefer a “clean” CR without extra provisions, but Democrats are unlikely to support that for more than a short term.
5. The compromise outcome will determine whether a shutdown is avoided.