THIS week, leaders of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are trying to persuade a small group of right-wing rebels to support legislation that would provide short-term funding to the US federal government.

The current spending law expires on Saturday (Sep 30). So unless House Speaker Kevin McCarthy succeeds in defusing the demands of these Trumpist lawmakers – who seek to make aggressive spending cuts – the government will shut down at 12.01 am on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers set to be furloughed.

The current stand-off is part of another brinkmanship game that has become part of the Budget legislative process in Washington. The process is meant to determine how to allocate a certain amount of money, with this being stipulated by law or agreement between the parties.