White House tells agencies to begin preparing for potential government shutdown

The White House has started to tell government agencies to begin preparing for a potential government shutdown on Sept. 30. 

According to Fox News, the reminder is standard protocol seven days prior to the government’s funding running out. 

Congress continues to debate and pose alternative measure to keep the federal government fully operational into October, but the process has been slowed by disagreements among Democrats and by Republican vowing the make the Democrat-controlled House and Senate pass the measure, along with extended the debt limit, on its own.

"We are taking every step we can to mitigate the impacts of a potential shutdown," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing Thursday. "We're seven days out and we need to be prepared, of course, in any event of any contingency, so we see this as a routine step and one just to be prepared in any event of what could happen," she continued.