Congress avoids government shutdown but US could face another in 45 days. What that could mean for Florida
MIAMI — The U.S. Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown Saturday night. They passed a 45-day extension of the previous budget, but that only means Congress will have 6 more weeks to come to an agreement on the final budget. If they don't, we could be facing another government shutdown.
From not being able to visit the Florida Everglades to federal government employees missing out on a paycheck, millions in Florida would feel the effects if that were to happen.
Congress still needs to pass 12 spending bills to avoid a government shutdown in 45 days.
"The Senate has passed zero of those 12 bills," said Gregory Koger, a political science professor at the University of Miami.
If Congress doesn't finalize the budget in 45 days, all non-essential government operations will shut down.
"That includes national parks, that includes processing Visa applications, so that the immigration system will be slowed down tremendously, that probably affects a lot of people in Miami directly," Kroger said.
Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-Mccormick said if Congress does not come to an agreement in 45 days, the 1.5 million veterans in Florida will feel it.
"Our veterans, they're going to be suffering, especially the ones who are seeking care, not having access to check on medical, their casework or even having access to their medical," she said.
Active military members wouldn't get paid either, although they would get back pay when the government reopens.
Then there's the business sector, which she says would have issues getting federal licensing.
Republican Congresswomanman Maria Elvira Salazar said she's working with Democrats to make sure that doesn't happen in the near future.
"The extremes of both parties, leave them aside," she said. "We're a supermajority, the Dems, the moderate Dems and the moderate Republicans, were a supermajority in the United States House of Representatives."