The White House will soon notify federal agencies to prepare for the possibility of a government shutdown, a move that press secretary Jen Psaki described as “a routine step,” to ensure that essential services continue, The Hill reports.
Congress has to pass a funding plan by Sept. 30 to prevent a shutdown.
"It’s just a reminder, we’re seven days out and we need to be prepared of course in any event of any contingencies, so we see this as a routine step, and one just to be prepared in any event of what could happen," Psaki told reporters on Thursday.
She also said the Biden Administration is particularly focused on protecting against any potential consequences from a shutdown, specifically when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s economic recovery. Psaki also noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health agencies should remain open, as they typically do during a government shutdown, should one occur.
"But large swaths of the federal government coming to a screeching halt would certainly not be beneficial to pandemic response," she said. "But we are doing everything we can to mitigate."