SUMMARY
Watch this first: News Wrap: McCarthy faces GOP criticism after funding deal averts shutdown (2 mins)
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are down to the wire with efforts to avoid a government shutdown at midnight. The House overwhelmingly passed a temporary spending bill Saturday after Speaker McCarthy turned to Democrats for help. But the Senate has to approve the bill too, and it’s not yet clear what they’re going to do. For a transcript of this story, click here.
News wrap alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM UP QUESTIONS
- Who are the individuals and groups involved in the government shutdown story?
- What does it mean for the government to shut down? Who is affected?
- Why are House Republicans upset with Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican, for averting the shutdown?
- When did the deal to avoid a government shutdown take place?
- How did lawmakers end up making a deal to prevent the government from shutting down?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What do you think is really at the heart of the government shutdown? What might the federal government nearly shutting down say about the state of American democracy?
News analysis: How can you find more background information on this subject?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?
FOR MORE
What students can do: Complete this lesson (or whichever parts you have time for) by social studies teacher Ryan Werenka on the history of government shutdowns and ways to avoid these types of debacles.
Link to lesson: https://bit.ly/PBSgovtshutdownlesson
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