The US federal government has begun preparing for a possible shutdown, according to the White House.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday that “it was only prudent to begin such planning,” and lamented that this was “a process that we have unfortunately become all too familiar with.”
Congressional conservatives have for weeks indicated that they are willing to shut down the government over any funding measure that includes money for Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States.
Senate Democrats blocked a vote Tuesday on a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill would have changed current law, which allows women to legally obtain abortions through the 27th week of pregnancy, which is the end of the second trimester.
The federal government will shut down on October 1, if Congress fails to pass a spending bill for the fiscal year 2016.
While Republicans have vowed to oppose any spending measure that does not defund Planned Parenthood, their Democratic colleagues would block any bill that targets the organization.
Earnest urged members of Congress to overcome “budgetary brinkmanship on Capitol Hill.”