A vote to end the government shutdown hours after it began failed on Wednesday, October 1, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party's demands to fund health care subsidies that President Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to provide.
The tally showed cracks in the Democrats' resolve, but offered no breakthrough. Blame was being cast on all sides on the first day of the shutdown. The White House and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep programs and services open, throwing the country into a new cycle of uncertainty.
Roughly 750,000 federal workers were expected to be furloughed, with some potentially fired by Trump's Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as the president vows to "do things that are irreversible" to punish Democrats. Trump's deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to have a ripple effect nationwide.
"I certainly pray they will come to their senses," House Speaker Mike Johnson said, flanked by Republican leaders at the Capitol.
This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse and the first since his return to the White House this year. His record underscores the polarizing divide over budget priorities in a political climate that rewards hard-line positions rather than more traditional compromises.
The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president's second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, causing the insurance premiums to spike nationwide.
Republicans have refused to negotiate and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After convening a White House meeting this week with the Democratic leaders, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.
"President Trump's behavior has become more erratic and unhinged," Democratic leaders Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement, calling for an "intervention" to get the country out of the shutdown. "Instead of negotiating a bipartisan agreement in good faith, he is obsessively posting crazed deepfake videos."
Vice President JD Vance said Republicans want to resolve the health care issues that concern Democrats but will not negotiate until the government reopens. "It's craziness, and people are going to suffer because of this," Vance said on Wednesday on Fox News.
What neither side has devised is an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the many services being thrown into turmoil.
An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. The government is expected Friday to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered. Wall Street veered toward losses before the opening bell on Wednesday as the government shutdown went into effect just after midnight.
Across the government, preparations have begun. Trump's Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans not just for furloughs, which are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings of federal workers. It's part of the Trump administration's mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the government.
The Medicare and Medicaid healthcare programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.
But Trump has warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, "cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like."
As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents urged the administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk.