A government shutdown is officially underway for the first time in almost seven years. The White House directed federal agencies to begin executing shutdown plans on Tuesday evening after the Senate failed to pass a bill to keep the federal agencies funded beyond the midnight deadline. The Republican-led plan to extend current funding levels for seven weeks fell short of the 60 votes needed for passage. The vote was 55 to 45, with most Democrats opposed. “Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, non-partisan funding bill that’s in front of us.””They call it clean, we call it totally partisan. There was no input from Democrats,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. What’s left to negotiate? Democratic leaders are still demanding bipartisan negotiations to undo what they’re calling a “Republican health care crisis.” They want to roll back Medicaid cuts that were passed this summer. They also want to extend tax credits that have lowered monthly premiums for millions of Americans insured through the Affordable Care Act. The enhanced subsidies will expire at the end of the year without further action from Congress.It remains to be seen how long a shutdown will last. After Tuesday’s vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson told our Washington, D.C. Bureau, “There literally is nothing left to negotiate.” “I will tell you these health care matters are going to be subject to debate and discussion, and we’ll find consensus as we do on everything, but that is an issue for December,” Johnson said. Democrats argue immediate action is needed because Americans will soon start to receive notices about skyrocketing health care costs in the new year. What happens during a shutdown?Essential government services will continue, but others will be disrupted. Some federal employees will continue working without pay, while hundreds of thousands will be furloughed. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that some could be fired permanently. In a warning to Democrats, he said, “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”A group of labor unions filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Trump administration, claiming the president’s threat of mass firings during a shutdown is unlawful. As of Tuesday afternoon, federal workers like Jenna Norton were still waiting to learn their fate. Norton, a program director at the National Institutes of Health, said the threat of mass layoffs has been present since the beginning of the Trump administration. While she stands to miss paychecks during a government shutdown, she wants to see lawmakers take a stand.”I would say a shutdown is the lesser of two evils. I think that the hardship that we would experience during a shutdown, in many ways, we’re already experiencing,” Norton said.
A government shutdown is officially underway for the first time in almost seven years.
The White House directed federal agencies to begin executing shutdown plans on Tuesday evening after the Senate failed to pass a bill to keep the federal agencies funded beyond the midnight deadline.
The Republican-led plan to extend current funding levels for seven weeks fell short of the 60 votes needed for passage. The vote was 55 to 45, with most Democrats opposed.
“Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, non-partisan funding bill that’s in front of us.”
“They call it clean, we call it totally partisan. There was no input from Democrats,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
What’s left to negotiate?
Democratic leaders are still demanding bipartisan negotiations to undo what they’re calling a “Republican health care crisis.”
They want to roll back Medicaid cuts that were passed this summer. They also want to extend tax credits that have lowered monthly premiums for millions of Americans insured through the Affordable Care Act. The enhanced subsidies will expire at the end of the year without further action from Congress.
It remains to be seen how long a shutdown will last. After Tuesday’s vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson told our Washington, D.C. Bureau, “There literally is nothing left to negotiate.”
“I will tell you these health care matters are going to be subject to debate and discussion, and we’ll find consensus as we do on everything, but that is an issue for December,” Johnson said.
Democrats argue immediate action is needed because Americans will soon start to receive notices about skyrocketing health care costs in the new year.
What happens during a shutdown?
Essential government services will continue, but others will be disrupted.
Some federal employees will continue working without pay, while hundreds of thousands will be furloughed.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that some could be fired permanently. In a warning to Democrats, he said, “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
A group of labor unions filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Trump administration, claiming the president’s threat of mass firings during a shutdown is unlawful.
As of Tuesday afternoon, federal workers like Jenna Norton were still waiting to learn their fate. Norton, a program director at the National Institutes of Health, said the threat of mass layoffs has been present since the beginning of the Trump administration. While she stands to miss paychecks during a government shutdown, she wants to see lawmakers take a stand.
“I would say a shutdown is the lesser of two evils. I think that the hardship that we would experience during a shutdown, in many ways, we’re already experiencing,” Norton said.
