The US Government Is Open Because Congress Chose To Keep It Open.

Congress passed a bill hours before funds ran out, which would have forced the closure of national museums, national parks, and security programs. The bill also provides funds to help hurricanes and Afghan refugees. A separate vote on President Biden's massive $1 trillion infrastructure bill has been postponed. Biden, who signed the law to prevent suspensions for several hours, said his adoption "reminds us that bipartisan work is possible."

The newly approved funding ensures that federal agencies don't have to close on Friday and hundreds of thousands of civil servants don't have to take unpaid leave. Given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the potential impact this could have on healthcare services is very worrying. For example, a plan created by the Department of Health and Welfare (HHS) found that it may have to repatriate up to 43% of its employees in the event of a breakdown.

On Wednesday night, Senate Republicans and Democrats agreed to keep the government open until December 3 through an interim budget known as a rolling resolution. It comes amid a week of other political hurdles, most notably the complicated negotiations over President Biden's economic agenda.

House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi initially said she would move on to voting on the infrastructure bill late Thursday - but this has been postponed until at least Friday due to the strong divide between the progressive and center wing of the Democratic Party.

Progressive refuses to pass the bill unless separate and broader laws on climate change and social welfare are agreed upon. Party leaders insisted the delay was a temporary obstacle. The infrastructure bill provides $550 billion for roads, bridges, the Internet, and other internal priorities.

Another pressing deadline for Congress is that the US government will reach its credit limit in a matter of weeks. This week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the United States would reach its debt ceiling -- the US government's borrowing limit -- by October 18. This has raised dire warnings of a catastrophic national debt default that could hit the United States and the global economy.

Failure to do so could, though unlikely, lead to an economic downturn and leave millions of Americans in need of wages or government aid without them.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted last week for a dual-action to keep the government open and end the debt ceiling. But Senate Republicans blocked the bill's progress, citing plans by the Biden administration to spend trillions of dollars in new spending as an excuse not to raise the debt ceiling.