Congress is facing a deadline of March 14 to approve a spending agreement in order to prevent a government shutdown. President Donald Trump recently delivered his first address of the term, highlighting cuts made under the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk. Democrats are concerned about potential shutdown as they push back against Republican proposals endorsed by Trump. The government narrowly avoided a shutdown in December, and Democrats are now using funding negotiations to prevent further cuts under DOGE and Musk. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has proposed a plan to maintain current funding levels through September to avoid a shutdown, but Democrats are opposing a long-term continuing resolution. In the event of a shutdown, federal workers would be classified as essential or nonessential, leading to furloughs for nonessential employees. During the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown in 2018 and 2019, about 800,000 federal employees went without pay. A shutdown would impact key agencies across the country. Congressional negotiations are ongoing as the deadline approaches, and the potential consequences of a government shutdown loom.
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