Senate Fails 55–45; Shutdown Looms

The Senate failed Tuesday night to pass stopgap funding, with Republicans' "clean" short-term measure falling 55–45 — short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster — and a Democratic alternative also failing, leaving federal funding expired and a shutdown imminent after midnight. Some GOP proposals would have funded the government only through Nov. 21, while Democrats demanded extensions of expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and other health-care priorities, producing the impasse. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies to execute orderly shutdown plans, and the White House blamed Senate Democrats while threatening program cuts and political retribution; Democrats blamed Republicans for refusing to negotiate. A shutdown would furlough or force to work without pay hundreds of thousands of federal employees and could disrupt airports, military pay and other services, lawmakers warned. Last‑ditch talks failed to break the stalemate as leaders traded blame and refused to yield.