If Congress does not agree on a new budget, the US federal government will face a shutdown on October 1. 

The White House has launched the countdown to a possible shutdown of the US federal government, which may take place within hours amid paramount discourse and disagreement in Congress.

If funding measures do not go into effect before October 1, federal agencies will be forced to halt nonessential work and paychecks until the shutdown is lifted, which also goes for the Small Business Administration, which is responsible for processing new business loans for small businesses.

This would have far-reaching consequences, affecting millions of federal workers, including over 1.3 million active-duty troops, as highlighted by the White House. Notably, the most recent government shutdown, which transpired from late 2018 to early 2019, extended for a record-setting 34-36 days.

"14 hours until Extreme House Republicans shut down the government. It's time for them to abide by the bipartisan budget deal two-thirds of them voted for a few months ago and keep the government open," the White House said on X on Saturday.

The remaining time is updated on the White House's account every hour with a new X post.

As the government shutdown in the US nears, the White House warned on Friday that small businesses could bear quite the brunt and fall short of over $100 million in critical financing daily this October, with "devastating" consequences.

"Each weekday the government is shut down, hundreds of small businesses would see their 7(a) and 504 loan applications fail to move forward. That means extreme House Republicans would deny more than $100 million in critical financing to American small businesses every day," the statement read.

The White House issued a stark warning this week regarding the potential consequences of a shutdown. The administration estimates that 10,000 children would lose access to Head Start programs (free learning and development services), air traffic controllers and transportation security officers would work without pay, causing travel delays, and food safety inspections by the Food and Drug Administration would also be delayed.

It urged House Republicans to prioritize the well-being of Americans over political games and ideological demands.