The United States federal government entered a shutdown at midnight Wednesday after negotiations between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders collapsed.
This marks the first federal government shutdown since December 2018, when a border wall funding dispute during Trump’s first term triggered a historic 35-day closure.
The Senate scheduled a vote on the twice-rejected funding bill for Wednesday morning.
Most House Republicans remained absent from Washington, making any timeline for resolution uncertain.
Democratic Party demands sit at the center of the impasse.
Democrats insist Republicans must agree to restore healthcare funding cuts enacted over the summer before any deal can move forward.
Hours before the shutdown began, Trump continued criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries over the failed talks.
The president posted a photograph to Truth Social late Tuesday showing all five leaders during their negotiations.
The image captured Trump, Schumer, Jeffries, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune in the Oval Office.
Trump had placed “Trump 2028” hats on the Resolute Desk directly in front of the Democratic leaders, alongside two Diet Cokes.
Punchbowl News reported the hats were offered as gifts to the Democratic leaders. Jeffries disputed this account during a CNN appearance Tuesday night, stating the hats simply appeared on the desk without explanation.
“He did not try to hand us the Trump 2028 hat. They just randomly appeared in the middle of the meeting on the desk. It was the strangest thing ever,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries asked JD Vance, who attended the meeting, about his thoughts on Trump seeking a third term.
The vice president responded with “No comment,” prompting laughter throughout the room.
Despite the apparently cordial atmosphere, Democrats blocked any agreement to maintain government operations.
The breakdown followed Trump’s controversial social media post from the previous night, which used AI to manipulate Schumer’s speech and photoshopped a sombrero and mustache onto Jeffries.
The funding lapse threatens hundreds of thousands of government workers with furloughs.
Millions of federal employees await word on whether they qualify as “essential” personnel required to work during the shutdown.
The 1.3 million U.S. military personnel will continue working without pay, per the Daily Mail.
Americans will see services like passport offices, federal loan offices, and food inspections halt during the shutdown.
Museums and National Parks will close as these functions are classified as non-essential.
Trump warned of severe consequences for Democratic priorities, showing minimal interest in compromise with the minority party.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible – that are bad for them and irreversible by them – by cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
The president later declared that “a lot of good can come from shutdowns.”
His stance suggests he views the crisis as an opportunity to advance his agenda.
Congress traditionally passes twelve separate appropriations bills to fund the government.
The Daily Mail further noted that this practice has been abandoned in recent years in favor of continuing resolutions that maintain previously established funding levels.
