Fauci Warns Against US Government Shutdown During 'Worst Time in the World'

Earlier this week, the US House voted 220-211 to pass a measure that would temporarily fund the government in order to avoid a potential shutdown on 30 September and suspend the country's debt limit.

Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the US president, has warned of far-reaching consequences in the event of a possible government shutdown in America, a scenario that he said should not see the light of day.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Fauci argued that he thinks the issue is "so obvious to anybody who's looking at the situation".

"The worst time in the world we want to shut down the government is in the middle of a pandemic where we have 140,000 people a day getting infected and 2,000 people a day dying. That's the time when you want the government working full blast to address this", he pointed out.

America's top infectious diseases expert also cautioned that a potential government shutdown would have a "profound effect", stressing that it "should be avoided, if at all possible".

He spoke as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki assured reporters earlier this week that the Biden administration is doing its best to prevent the shutdown and to mitigate its impact (should it occur) amid the pressing issue of the federal debt ceiling.

"We are doing everything we can to prevent a government shutdown and planning to prevent the impact that we've seen in the past that has been quite devastating on different components of government", Psaki said.

She was echoed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who earlier pledged to overcome political opposition and pass a bill to raise the US debt ceiling so that the government can keep working.

Pelosi underlined that "it is essential that we keep the government open", warning that a shutdown would be "catastrophic" for American families.

On Tuesday, House Democrats approved temporary legislation to continue funding of the government into early December, but the document faces opposition from Senate Republicans, who described the proposed measure as a "reckless spending spree".

With the Senate scheduled to vote early next week, Republicans are reportedly promising they will block the bill from obtaining the 10 votes needed to break a filibuster.

The developments unfold as data compiled by Johns Hopkins University revealed that COVID-19 is now officially the most deadly outbreak in recent US history, surpassing the country's estimated fatalities from the 1918 influenza pandemic.

The nation's coronavirus death toll crossed 675,000 on Monday, and is soaring at an average of more than 1,900 fatalities per day, Johns Hopkins data indicated. The latest death tally stands at 687,106.

As for the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic, it killed an estimated 675,000 Americans, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.