众议院民主党人正在努力争取在周二就一项法案进行投票，该法案将资助政府到12月3日，提供数十亿美元的紧急救灾资金，以及数十亿美元支持阿富汗撤离人员，但预计该法案将被参议院共和党人阻止。
9月30日财政年度结束时，联邦政府面临着一场迫在眉睫的关闭，这使得议员们几乎没有时间就暂停债务限额达成妥协，民主党人已经将该限额附在了必须通过的支出法案中。
参议院共和党人表示，他们反对暂停债务限额，因为民主党正在制定额外的支出措施，尽管这样做会为之前的支出买单。但参议院民主党人在特朗普政府时期与共和党人合作，多次提高债务上限，并表示这是两党的责任。
财政部长珍妮特·耶伦表示，如果国会不采取行动提高债务限额，美国可能会在10月的某个时候违约，这可能会引发“经济灾难”
以参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)为首的共和党人几周来一直表示，他们将反对任何提高债务上限的措施，坚称鉴于民主党人对政府所有三个部门的控制权，他们可以单独采取行动。
“既然民主党人决定单干，他们就不会得到参议院共和党人在提高债务上限方面的帮助。两个多月来，我一直在清晰地解释这一点，”麦康奈尔周一在参议院说。
但民主党人正在努力推进，并对该法案的前景保持乐观，他们非常清楚自己在让共和党人加入方面面临的挑战。
众议院民主党党团主席哈基姆·杰弗里斯在周二的新闻发布会上说:“我们希望参议院共和党人也能做正确的事情，停止围绕债务限额玩弄政治。”。
杰弗里斯表示，至少有少数共和党人公开表示，他们最终将投票支持该法案。民主党需要参议院中至少10名共和党人支持该法案。
杰弗里斯说:“在前总统执政期间，众议院民主党人三次合作提高债务上限。
“现在突然之间，他们想把美国人民和美国经济以及我们的全部信仰和信用都堵死，因为他们在玩弄政治?”杰弗里斯这样评价参议院的共和党人。
杰弗里斯补充说:“参议院共和党人应该听取他们在大银行和大企业的朋友的意见，了解我们的债务违约对工业、商业、经济以及最重要的对美国人民将是多么灾难性的后果。”。
如果没有共和党的支持，尚不清楚民主党将如何计划单独解决提高或暂停债务上限的问题。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)上周末在给议员的一封信中写道:“债务限额是一项共同的责任，我敦促国会像过去一样，本着这种精神，在两党合作的基础上走到一起，保护美国的全部信仰和信用。
周二公布的短期资金法案将对所有重要联邦机构的资助延长至12月3日，包括卫生、住房、教育和公共安全项目。
众议院拨款委员会主席罗莎·德拉罗周二在一份声明中说:“国会迅速通过这项立法至关重要，以支持关键的教育、卫生、住房和公共安全项目，并为灾难幸存者和阿富汗撤离者提供紧急帮助。”。
该法案还包括286亿美元的紧急救灾资金，用于应对近期的自然灾害，包括2021年及之前几年的多次飓风和野火、严重干旱和冬季风暴。
另外63亿美元将用于支持阿富汗撤离人员，包括资助在美国设施和外国暂时安置撤离人员，提供必要的安全筛查，并最终在美国重新安置符合条件的撤离人员。该立法还包括向阿富汗人提供人道主义援助的资金难民在邻国。
该立法将债务限额暂停至2022年12月。
Democrats dare GOP to vote against government funding bill
House Democrats are plowing ahead to vote on a bill Tuesday that will fund the government through Dec. 3, provide billions in emergency disaster relief and billions more to support Afghan evacuees -- but it is expected to be blocked by Senate Republicans.
The federal government faces a looming shutdown at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, leaving lawmakers with little time to finagle a compromise over a suspension of the debt limit, which Democrats have attached to the must-pass spending bill.
Senate Republicans say they oppose suspending the debt limit because of additional spending measures Democrats are crafting -- even though doing so would pay for previous expenditures. But Senate Democrats worked with Republicans under the Trump administration to raise the debt limit on multiple occasions and say it's a bipartisan responsibility.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said if Congress does not act to raise the debt limit, the U.S. could default on its debt sometime in October, potentially triggering an "economic catastrophe."
Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said for weeks they will oppose any measure that raises the debt ceiling, insisting that Democrats can do it alone given their control over all three branches of government.
"Since Democrats decided to go it alone, they will not get Senate Republicans’ help with raising the debt limit. I’ve explained this clearly and consistently for over two months," McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor.
But Democrats are pressing ahead and remain optimistic about the bill’s prospects, knowing full well the challenge they face in getting Republicans on board.
"It is our hope that Senate Republicans will also do the right thing and stop playing politics around the debt limit," House Democratic caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference Tuesday.
Jeffries indicated that at least a handful of Republicans have publicly expressed they will end up voting for the bill. Democrats need at least 10 Republicans in the Senate to back the bill.
"Three times – during the administration of the former president – three times House Democrats cooperated in raising the debt ceiling," Jeffries said.
"Now all of a sudden, they want to jam up the American people and the American economy and our full faith and credit, because they're playing politics?" Jeffries said of Republicans in the Senate.
"Senate Republicans should be hearing from their friends in the big banks and big business, as to how catastrophic a default on our debt would be for industry, for commerce, for the economy and most importantly for the American people," Jeffries added.
Without GOP support, it’s unclear how Democrats will plan to tackle the issue of raising or suspending the debt limit alone.
"The debt limit is a shared responsibility, and I urge Congress to come together, in that spirit, on a bipartisan basis as it has in the past to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter to members over the weekend.
The short-term funding bill unveiled on Tuesday extends funding through Dec. 3 for all vital federal agencies, including health, housing, education and public safety programs.
"It is critical that Congress swiftly pass this legislation to support critical education, health, housing and public safety programs and provide emergency help for disaster survivors and Afghan evacuees," House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro said in a statement Tuesday.
The bill also includes $28.6 billion in emergency disaster relief to address recent natural disasters, including multiple hurricanes and wildfires, severe droughts and winter storms in 2021 and prior years.
Another $6.3 billion would support Afghan evacuees, including funding to temporarily house evacuees at American facilities and in foreign countries, provide necessary security screenings and ultimately resettle eligible evacuees in the United States. The legislation also includes funding to provide humanitarian assistance for Afghanrefugeesin neighboring countries.
The legislation suspends the debt limit through December 2022.
