The Morning Dispatch: Top Generals Go Before Congress

Happy Wednesday! President Joe Biden canceled his planned trip to Chicago today to continue negotiating with congressional leaders on infrastructure and reconciliation. Declan is considering canceling his planned trip to Chicago next weekend to avoid all the bad vibes emanating from the Bears.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• Senate Democrats signaled Tuesday they will decouple funding the government from suspending the debt limit, moving forward with a standalone bill as early as today to avert the government shutdown set to go into effect Thursday night. Senate Republicans remain opposed to helping Democrats raise the debt ceiling, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said a standalone funding bill would receive GOP votes.

• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen put a firmer timeline on the United States’ looming debt default on Tuesday, writing a letter to congressional leadership estimating the Treasury Department will exhaust its extraordinary measures by October 18 “if Congress has not acted to raise or suspend the debt limit.”

• Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Tuesday they had submitted clinical trial data to the Food and Drug Administration demonstrating their COVID-19 vaccine—with a slightly lower dosage—to be safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11. The companies plan to formally apply for an Emergency Use Authorization “in the coming weeks.”