Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass the appropriations bills necessary to keep the government running or there will be a government shutdown. Negotiations between House Republicans, the White House and Democrats in the Senate are underway but prospects for an easy resolution are not bright.

“I’m praying every night,” said U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee. “It’s so disruptive to the economy. It’s so disruptive to our families and communities and to individuals who needs services,” she said. Watson Coleman (D-12th) attributed the holdup in large part to the intent of Republicans in the House to pass appropriations bills that Democrats find unacceptable.

“We’re not going to agree on a funding bill that does not have support for Ukraine because that’s our national security. Let us not forget, this is about protecting America. And we are not going to sign onto a bill that has no disaster relief. We are not going to do that,” Watson Coleman said in interview with NJ Spotlight News.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been unable to win support from the more conservative members of the House Republican caucus, who don’t want the appropriations for the 2024 fiscal year to exceed $1.47 trillion, $120 billion less than McCarthy and President Joe Biden agreed to in May.