Senate fails to advance bill to fund government and suspend debt ceiling

The Senate on Monday failed to advance a bill to fund the government at current levels and suspend the debt ceiling, leaving open the possibilities of a government shutdown early Friday morning and a catastrophic U.S. default that could take place some time in October if Congress fails to act.  Whose debt is it anyway? Partisan claims fly as lawmakers face off over the debt ceiling

A procedural vote on the bill, which needed 60 votes in the Senate to proceed, fell essentially along party lines, with all Republicans voting against the measure. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he changed his vote from "yes" to "no" for procedural reasons. The bill previously passed along party lines in the House. The bill's failure is no surprise, since Republicans had said they would not vote to raise the debt ceiling, insisting Democrats and President Biden are spending too much, and they alone should act to raise the debt ceiling. The bill would have funded the government through December 3 and raised the debt limit through December 22. 

If Congress doesn't pass funding by the end of September 30, the conclusion of the current fiscal year, large swaths of the government will stop operating. The last partial government shutdown took place under former President Trump from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019.