“We will not back down,” Neal says on spending bill as possible shutdown approaches

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Lawmakers in Washington have yet to reach a deal to avoid a government shutdown.

Government funding expires at the end of the day on Saturday, September 30th. If Congress fails to pass legislation to renew funding by then, the federal government will shut down at midnight.

22News spoke with U.S. Representative Richard Neal about the impending issue. He says Republican House Speaker McCarthy made a series of promises to the hard right and that the left won’t back down.

“We are not going to back down, we are going to defend the agreement that was reached with raising the debt ceiling,” said Neal.

He says that with about 400 members of Congress, they should be able to reach an agreement on the issue. If the shutdown happens, all federal workers will automatically qualify for back pay, thanks to legislation passed in 2019.