Negotiations on the short-term spending bill at the White House between President Trump (Donald Trump) and congressional leaders, including top Democrats, have made little progress, with Vice President Pence stating that the US government is heading towards a shutdown. If the federal government shuts down after midnight on Tuesday, it will result in widespread service disruptions.
After the meeting on Monday, both sides have shifted responsibility for the failure to reach an agreement onto each other.
The Democrats insist that any agreement to extend the funding deadline must include the soon-to-expire healthcare benefits. The Republicans argue that healthcare benefits and government funding should be addressed as separate issues and not bundled together.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that there are “significant differences” between the two sides.
Vice President Pence said, “Some of their ideas are indeed reasonable; the President also agrees with some of their ideas. What is unreasonable is that they are using these ideas as bargaining chips, attempting to shut down the government.”
He added, “I believe we are heading towards a government shutdown.”
If Congress does not take action, tens of thousands of federal government employees, from NASA to national parks, may be forced to take unpaid leave, and many services will also be interrupted.
Budget standoffs between the two parties have become all too familiar over the past 15 years, often reaching compromises at the last minute. Since 1981, the government has shut down 14 times. The most recent one was during Trump’s first term, lasting 35 days due to disputes over immigration.
According to sources, the Democrats proposed a plan on Monday to extend the funding deadline by 7 to 10 days to allow more time for a lasting agreement. However, the Republicans support a funding deadline up to November 21.
Senate Republican leader John Thune plans to put pressure on the Democrats by scheduling a vote on the Republican temporary spending bill on Tuesday. This bill faced collective Democratic opposition in the Senate previously, as well as defections by several Republican senators, leading to its failure.
The focus of the parties’ differences lies on healthcare. If Congress does not extend the temporary tax cuts that expire at the end of 2025, around 24 million Americans who obtained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act will face rising medical costs.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that Congress needs to immediately make these tax cuts permanent as the new enrollment period for healthcare insurance begins on November 1, with healthcare premiums currently being determined.
Jeffries said, “We believe it is unacceptable to simply accept the Republicans’ ongoing attacks and cuts to healthcare.”
Republicans have indicated that they are willing to consider this issue but will not include it as part of the temporary spending plan.
The Democrats hope to energize voters before the 2026 midterm elections, with only a slim majority in the House compared to the Republicans. Advancing healthcare reform is one of their key policy directions.
However, according to Reuters, Democratic aides have privately expressed concerns that if the Democrats fail to effectively argue for their viewpoints and appear to only oppose Trump for the sake of opposition, a government shutdown could lead to strong public backlash.