Update: President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline, the Associated Press reported.. The deal funds the government at current levels through March 14.
Army & Air Force Exchange Service stores worldwide will remain open for soldiers, airmen, guardians, military families, retirees and disabled Veterans if the federal government shuts down Dec. 21, the retailer said on Dec. 20.
The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the U.S. Department of Defense, with most of its operating budget coming from the sale of goods and services. The Dallas-based retailer operates more than 5,000 facilities, including post exchanges (PXs), base exchanges (BXs), Express convenience stores and gas stations, food courts, malls, theaters and more across the nation and in more than 30 countries.
Congress has until midnight on Dec. 20 to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home or stay on the job without pay—just ahead of the holidays, said an Associated Press report.
Republicans abandoned a bipartisan plan to prevent a shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk came out against it. Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson to renegotiate the deal days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Republicans did just that, putting together a revamped government funding proposal that would keep the government running for three more months and suspend the debt ceiling for two years, until Jan. 30, 2027. But the bill failed overwhelmingly in a House vote hours later, leaving next steps uncertain, the news agency said as of posting time on Dec. 20.
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