With Senate in recess and no bill passed, government shutdown will start at midnight

The U.S. Capitol at night.
(Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The Senate is in recess until 12:01 a.m. Friday, and because they failed to pass a spending bill, a government shutdown will start at midnight.

White House Office of Management and Budget spokesman John Czwartacki said federal agencies are "now being urged to review and prepare for a lapse" in spending after midnight. Congress was expected to vote Thursday on a two-year deal that includes a roughly $300 billion bump for military spending and domestic programs, as well as nearly $90 billion for disaster relief. This was stalled by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who refused to go along with his fellow senators to move to hold a vote, citing concerns about adding to the deficit.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.