WASHINGTON (AP) — A vote to swiftly end the government shutdown failed Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party’s demands to fund health care subsidies that President Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to provide.
The tally showed cracks in the Democrats’ resolve on day one of the shutdown but offered no breakthrough. Blame was being cast on all sides. The White House and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep programs and services open, throwing the country into a new cycle of uncertainty.
Vice President JD Vance warned of firings of federal workers ahead.
“Let’s be honest, if this thing drags on for another few days or, God forbid, another few weeks, we are going to have to lay people off,” Vance said during a visit to the White House briefing room.
Roughly 750,000 federal workers were expected to be furloughed, with some potentially fired by Trump’s Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as the president vows to “do things that are irreversible” to punish Democrats. Trump’s deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.
“I certainly pray they will come to their senses,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said, flanked by GOP leaders at the Capitol.
This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse and the first since his return to the White House this year. His record underscores the polarizing divide over budget priorities in a political climate that rewards hard-line positions rather than more traditional compromises.
Plenty of blame being thrown around
The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president’s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, causing the insurance premiums to spike nationwide.
Republicans have refused to negotiate and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After convening a White House meeting this week with the Democratic leaders, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.
“President Trump’s behavior has become more erratic and unhinged,” Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement. “Instead of negotiating a bipartisan agreement in good faith, he is obsessively posting crazed deepfake videos.”
Asked about the images depicting Jeffries with a mustache and a sombrero, Vance dismissed it as “funny.”
What neither side has devised is an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the many services being thrown into turmoil.
Economic fallout expected to ripple nationwide
An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. The government is expected Friday to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered.
Wall Street veered toward losses before the opening bell Wednesday as the government shutdown went into effect just after midnight, but stocks drifted around their record highs later in the day.
Across the government, stoppages were getting underway. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans not just for furloughs, which are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings of federal workers. It’s part of the Trump administration’s mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the government.
What’s staying open and shutting down
The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.
