The federal government is nearly certain to partially shut down after Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding provisions for government agencies, benefits and plans. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’s not optimistic that Congress will reach an agreement anytime soon.
“Nothing is inevitable,” Trump told reporters, “but I would say it’s probably unlikely.”
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With a midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown, Republicans and Democrats sit at an impasse on federal budget appropriations. Republicans have proposed a bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21, The Associated Press reported, but it needed the support of at least seven Democrats to pass in the Senate. The bill passed in the House.
Three Democratic Caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Penn., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, voted in favor of at least one of the resolutions. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against the measures.
Democrats haven’t budged on their insistence on reversing Medicaid cuts approved in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and on extending tax credits to make health insurance premiums affordable for those buying coverage on the marketplace.
The stalemate intensified Tuesday as House Democrats returned to Capitol Hill to work on the budget while House Republicans were noticeably absent.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told CNN the chamber has “done its work.” But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said if a shutdown occurs, he and other Democratic leaders would stay in Washington, D.C., according to CNN.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized Johnson on the Senate floor for recessing his chamber, according to video of Senate proceedings from C-SPAN.
“There’s only one conclusion you can draw when the speaker sends the House home,” he said. “That he wants a shutdown. He doesn’t want to negotiate.”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said Democrats should vote for the temporary spending bill already approved by the House and negotiate over other issues later.
How will the shutdown affect Americans?
The shutdown’s effects depend largely on how long the process will be. Certain functions are required to remain operational.
The FBI and CIA will continue their work, Transportation Security Administration officers will continue to screen air travelers, air traffic control towers will remain open, and the U.S. Postal Service will still deliver the mail.
The Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture have informed Straight Arrow News that they have contingency plans in place for a potential shutdown.
Those contingencies include using emergency funds and furloughing thousands of employees — a common cost-saving measure used in previous shutdowns. However, in a departure from previous shutdowns, the White House has warned agencies to prepare for mass layoffs of furloughed workers, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget that Politico acquired.
The office instructed agencies to determine which programs, projects and activities would lapse in funding due to a shutdown, and to draft layoff notices for all affected employees. It also blamed Democrats for allowing funding to become this dire.
“We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” according to the memo. “The President supports enactment of a clean [continuing resolution] to ensure no discretionary spending lapse after September 30, 2025, and OMB hopes the Democrats will agree.”
