Here we go again! Today the Senate rejected a bill just passed by the House that would have allowed the government to keep running and provide disaster aid to victims of Hurricane Irene. Bloomberg reports the House version of the bill including spending cuts that Senate Democrats didn't approve of.
The federal government's fiscal year ends at the end of September. But Congress has failed to act on 12 spending bills that would fund the government for the fiscal year that begins October 1st. The House bill rejected by the Senate today would have kept government agencies running until November 18, according to USA Today.
If the government screeches to a halt, so do military paychecks.
However, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced today after the vote he doesn't believe the government will shut down.
The Senate will vote on another measure to fund the federal government into the next fiscal year on September 26.
