Vance Warns U.S. Heading Toward Shutdown

After a White House meeting with congressional leaders, Vice President JD Vance warned the country is "headed into a shutdown," blaming Democrats for placing conditions that block a "clean" continuing resolution. Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, say their short-term CR would extend federal funding through Nov. 21 without policy riders and accused Democrats of seeking cuts to programs such as a proposed $50 billion rural hospitals fund and of holding up WIC. Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said they are fighting to protect Americans' health care, demanding extensions of ACA subsidies, protections against Medicaid cuts and other health provisions, and called the GOP bill partisan and harmful. Leaders left the roughly hour-long meeting with President Trump without a deal, and with a midnight Oct. 1 deadline to pass a funding extension, officials on both sides warned a partial government shutdown is increasingly likely. Republicans and the White House characterized earlier Democratic proposals as an expensive $1.5 trillion package that they say would prioritize noncitizens, charges Democrats reject.