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() The threat of a government shutdown loomed Tuesday morning ahead of a midnight deadline to keep the government working and funded.
Republicans want Democrats to approve a plan to fund the federal government through most of November, but Democrats want to see provisions added, including the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies and the overturning of Medicaid cuts tied to Trump’s “big, beautiful” legislation.
Both sides have blamed the other for the stalemate.
Party leaders left a White House meeting with Trump on Monday without a deal on a spending bill. During the meeting, Republicans accused Democratic leadership of holding government funding hostage.
“Their bill has not one iota of Democratic input. That is never how we’ve done this before … so, it’s up to the Republicans whether they want to shut down or not,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.
Vice President JD Vance pointed the finger at Democrats: “We’re not going to let you take the people’s government hostage and then give you everything you want.”
House Democrats held an eleventh-hour strategy meeting late Monday in an attempt to unify the party and call Republicans back to negotiations, but it was unclear whether it would make a difference in Tuesday’s negotiations.
The Senate was expected to vote Tuesday on the Republican version of a spending bill that was passed in the House.
The last government shutdown came nearly seven years ago and lasted 35 days.
If a deal is not reached Tuesday, benefits for millions of low-income Americans could be delayed or suspended. Food safety inspections and outbreak monitoring may be slowed due to potential reduced staffing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
FEMA disaster aid could also be paused, while essential personnel, such as TSA agents, would work unpaid during a shutdown.
Programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would continue, but customer service could be delayed due to potential furloughs.