Shutdown Looms After GOP Funding Bill Fails

The U.S. is headed for a federal government shutdown at midnight after a Republican short-term funding bill failed 55–45 in the Senate and White House talks produced no breakthrough. Democrats are pressing for extensions and reversals tied to Affordable Care Act subsidies and protections against Medicaid cuts while Republicans sought a short-term extension into November but lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be affected—CBO estimates as many as roughly 750,000 employees could be furloughed per day at an economic cost of about $400 million daily—with many “essential” staff required to work without pay. Local disruptions are being flagged in states including California, Minnesota and Pennsylvania and in San Antonio, threatening services from wildland firefighting and VA and Head Start operations to airport services and national parks. The administration has circulated partisan memos, directed agencies to prepare reduction‑in‑force notices, and President Trump has publicly threatened mass firings if a shutdown occurs, raising concerns about permanent job losses and politicization of the civil service. Lawmakers, unions and public‑service groups are urging bipartisan action to avert service interruptions and financial hardship while the budget fight continues to stall.