The US government is racing toward a potential shutdown after talks between President Donald Trump and top Democratic leaders hit a dead end. With no agreement in sight by Tuesday midnight, federal funding could dry up, halting several key services and sparking the first shutdown in seven years.
Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, met with Trump at the White House but walked away empty-handed. Schumer told reporters they spelled out the serious fallout from ongoing health care issues, and Trump’s reaction suggested he hadn’t fully grasped the details before. “We have very large differences on health care,” Schumer added, pointing to Democrats’ push to undo Medicaid cuts tucked into the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year.
On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance didn’t mince words outside the White House. “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vance said. “I hope they change their mind, but we’re going to see.” Republicans, who hold majorities in both the House and Senate, are digging in their heels. They refuse to meet Democrats’ demands and instead offer to stretch funding through November 21. But even with control of Congress, they face a hurdle: the funding bill needs 60 votes in the Senate to pass, and they’re short by seven.
This would mark the first US government shutdown since 2018, when one under Trump’s first term dragged on for a record 35 days. The current Trump administration has warned it might fire more federal workers if the impasse continues.
Not everything grinds to a stop in a shutdown. Essential operations like border protection, law enforcement, and air traffic control keep running. But programs for food assistance, government-funded pre-schools, food inspectors, and national parks could take a big hit. If the shutdown stretches on, air travel might suffer too—many workers would go unpaid and could skip shifts, leading to delays and disruptions.
Tensions between Republicans and Democrats over the funding bill and health care reforms like Medicaid cuts have put the nation’s federal services in jeopardy, and time is running out to avoid chaos.
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