The U.S. authorities shut down at midnight on Wednesday, starting funding stoppages which are anticipated to ripple via federal businesses, disrupting many authorities companies and placing maybe tens of 1000’s out of labor.
The closure got here amid an bitter deadlock between congressional Democrats and Republicans, who’re backed by President Donald Trump, over whether or not an extension of federal funding ought to embrace well being care provisions.
The Senate late on Tuesday rejected in a 55-45 vote a 7-week stopgap funding measure supported by Republicans that may have allowed the federal government to proceed operations. That was their second attempt of the evening, after voting on a invoice supported by Democrats. Hours later, the shutdown started.
As the federal government closed, rhetoric grew to become heightened from each side of the aisle, with every occasion and their allies pointing the blame at their counterparts — every claiming the opposing occasion “owns” the shutdown.
“Democrats have formally voted to CLOSE the federal government,” Home Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, mentioned on social media, following the Senate vote.
U.S. Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) depart after a press convention following a Senate vote, hours earlier than a partial authorities shutdown is ready to take impact on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 30, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Democratic Nationwide Committee Chair Ken Martin mentioned the shutdown amounted to “the clearest signal but that Republicans are inept, incompetent, and lack any respect for the American individuals.”
Democrats largely hung collectively to disclaim the votes essential to maintain the federal government funded as they proceed to say that any funding resolution should embrace well being care associated provisions. A number of Democrats crossed occasion strains and voted in favor of the clean-funding invoice.
The U.S. Capitol constructing is seen from the Washington Monument, which stays open to the general public, on Oct. 1, 2025 in Washington, United States.
Eric Lee/Getty Photographs
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the minority chief, mentioned after the vote and previous to the shutdown that Democrats wished to “sit down and negotiate, however the Republicans cannot do it of their partisan manner, the place they simply say it is our manner or the freeway.”
“It is the Republicans who will likely be driving us straight in direction of a shutdown tonight, and at midnight, the American individuals will blame them for bringing the Federal Authorities to a halt,” he added.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris in social media post mentioned, “Republicans are accountable for the White Home, Home, and Senate. That is their shutdown.”
Republican Nationwide Committee Chair Joe Gruters in the meantime pointed the blame at Democrats, saying they had been “solely accountable” for the shutdown.
“Democrats are holding up crucial funding for our veterans, seniors, regulation enforcement, and dealing households as a result of they need to go a far-left want checklist costing greater than $1 trillion,” he mentioned in a press release.
A spokesperson for the committee, Sonali Patel, echoed Gruters, saying the Domcrats within the Senate “caved to the far-left, performed partisan politics, and compelled this shutdown.”
“They personal it,” Patel mentioned.
U.S. Senate Majority Chief John Thune (R-SD), U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), and U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) maintain a press convention following a Senate vote, hours earlier than a partial authorities shutdown is ready to take impact on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Senate Majority Chief John Thune mentioned at a press convention after Tuesday’s failed votes that Republicans are actually within the hunt for just a few extra Democrats to help their clear, brief time period funding invoice after three Democrats defected throughout tonight’s vote.
Sens. John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto and Angus King — an impartial who caucuses with Democrats — had bucked their occasion chief and voted with Republicans on a short-term funding invoice geared toward maintaining the federal government open for 7 extra weeks.
Thune mentioned he intends to convey that invoice ahead for a vote once more tomorrow. And he believes extra Democrats may be prepared to help it.
“There are others on the market, I feel who do not need to shut down the govt. however who’re being put able by their management that ought to make them, must make all of them very uncomfortable,” Thune mentioned.
He added, “So we’ll see. I feel that tonight was proof that there was some motion there and can permit our democrat colleagues to have extra alternatives to vote on whether or not or to not maintain the federal government open, or within the case of tomorrow now most likely to open it again up.”
ABC Information’ Justin Gomez and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
