Republicans push for US govt funding extension as shutdown looms

WASHINGTON: US Republicans say they are confident of averting a government "shutdown" that would see basic services come to a grinding halt as a Friday deadline for passing new funding measures looms.

"Look, there's not going to be a government shutdown. It's just not going to happen," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told ABC on Sunday.

Non-essential workers will have to stay at home if a spending bill isn't passed before Friday night, when federal funding is set to elapse.

The last time a shutdown occurred was in 2013 over a feud between Republicans and the administration of former Democratic president Barack Obama.

Republican lawmakers are pushing for a two-week extension that would fund the government until December 22, giving them time to thrash out funding for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, that is until September 30, 2018.

While Democratic senators form a minority in the Senate, they have enough votes to block the measures and could use these powers to try to win key concessions.

High on their list is the fate of so-called "Dreamers" who were brought to the US illegally as children and whose protected legal status is set to expire next March following President Donald Trump's repeal of an Obama-enacted program.

"I don't think the Democrats would be very smart to say they want to shut down the government over a non-emergency that we can address anytime between now and March," said McConnell.

Democrat leaders have not yet signaled their intentions, but have emphasized the responsibility for a shutdown would lie with Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress as well as the White House.