CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Congress has one more week before a possible government shutdown.
It’s another countdown to a potential government shutdown, the deadline now just days away. And despite finally filling the seat of the house speaker, chaos still continues on Capitol Hill.
U.S. Representative Jim McGovern, told 22News, “Republicans are fighting with themselves right now. They are not working with us on anything. There are no drafts out there. They are trying to figure out a way to ‘kick the can’ down the road for a few more months, and then we will be back in crisis mode. But as of right now it is unclear whether they can ‘kick that can’ down the road.”
According to political experts, if congress cannot reach an agreement to fund the government, it can have negative impacts, on the economy, federal programming, and even on federal employees. Here in western Massachusetts, its a cause for concern for areas like Westover Air Reserve Base, and Barnes Air National Guard.
Political Consultant Tony Cignoli, adding, “The economic impact of both of those air force bases, on our area, on our region, its hundreds of millions of dollars. Even a week or two of a shutdown can greatly impact the civilian workers there, the non-essential workers that are there. Certainly the F-35s will still be in the air, but a lot of folks would go home without a paycheck and that’s bad for western Mass.”
Cignoli adds a shutdown near the holiday season will also pack a punch on Americans, especially people who are contracted by the federal government. According to reports, it is predicted Congress will pass a short-term bill just in time.
The deadline for the government shutdown is November 17th.
Kristina D’Amours is a reporter who is a part of the evening 22News team. Follow Kristina on X @KristinaD_WWLP and view her bio to see more of her work.
