Hello from CNN, I'm Chris de Beau with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, September 20th.

The US national debt is rising and so are fears of a government shutdown.

Lawmakers have until the end of next week to power And so are fears of a government shutdown.

Lawmakers have until the end of next week

to pass a bill that funds the government before it runs out of money.

The White House warns if that doesn't happen,

federal law enforcement and troops won't be paid and disaster relief funds could run out,

blaming extreme far right House Republicans for the impasse.

At the moment there aren't enough votes in the House to pass a short-term spending bill that includes border security measures

because some conservatives want deeper spending cuts among other things.

Even if they could pass it, that's a version that the Democratic-led Senate won't go for.

A shutdown could deal a blow to an economy already dealing with high gas prices,

auto worker strikes, and elevated inflation, with some experts saying it could even

increase the possibility of a recession.

Meanwhile, the gross national debt has just passed 33 trillion dollars,

with $1 trillion added to it in the last three months alone.

I am not the president's lawyer.

That's what Attorney General Merrick Garland told the House Judiciary Committee today.

He's in the hot seat as Republicans accused the Justice Department

of Political bias under Garland's watch, pointing to how the probe into President

Joe Biden's son is gone. On the other hand, Democrats think the DOJ has been

too timid in going after former President

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