The federal government will shut down for the first time since 2019 after the Senate on Tuesday failed to pass a government funding measure ahead of a midnight deadline.
Why it matters: Party leaders don't appear anywhere close to a compromise, and a path to reopening the government is unclear.
- The Senate on Tuesday evening rejected a seven-week extension of funding by a vote of 55-45, short of the 60 needed "yeses."
- Democrats have demanded that Republicans make concessions on health care and other issues. GOP leaders, including President Trump, have refused. The Senate also voted down that proposal Tuesday.
The big picture: Democratic leaders faced immense pressure from their base to withhold their votes and force a shutdown. Finding a way out could prove difficult.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) internally floated the idea of a 7-10 day stopgap funding measure, Axios scooped yesterday. He faced immediate blowback from the left, including from outside grassroots groups, and backed away from the proposal.
- Anything less than concrete concessions from Trump and Republicans is unlikely to be palatable to Democratic leaders. Chief among the Democratic demands is an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits.
- After a meeting between congressional leaders and Trump at the White House on Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Fox News that Democrats "wouldn't back off on any of these crazy demands."
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