The Senate held a vote early Tuesday evening on a measure designed to keep the government funded through November 21. H.R.5371, the "Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026," which the House passed on September 19, would have done so, but the measure failed to meet the 60-vote Senate threshold required to overcome the filibuster.
The final vote tally was 55-45 in favor, with all but two Democrats (Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV)) and Independent Sen. Angus King (I-ME) voting against the clean CR (continuing resolution). Republican Sen. Rand Paul (KY) also voted against the measure.
Barring something extraordinary between now and then, the government will shut down at midnight Eastern.
Democrats are jittery about how the likely shutdown will play out over the next several days after President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he would take “irreversible” actions to gut their priorities during a shutdown.
They're likely right to be jittery, as the Office of Management and Budget released a memo shortly after the vote outlining what the "Schumer Shutdown" will mean in practical terms and placing the blame for it squarely on the Democrats:
Signed by OMB Director Russ Vought, the memo reads:
Appropriations provided under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119-4) expire at 11:59 PM tonight. On September 19, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through November 21. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate due to Democrats' insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending.
President Trump supports passage of H.R. 5371, but it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59 PM tonight and force a government shutdown. As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.
It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should report to work for the next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We will issue another memorandum, indicating that government functions should resume once the President has signed a bill providing for operations.
Agencies should continue to closely monitor developments, and OMB will provide further guidance as appropriate. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and the work you and your agencies do on behalf of the American people.
SEE ALSO: Democrats Are Walking Into a Trap
Trump Cancels Meeting With Schumer and Jeffries, Orders Mass Firings in Case of Shutdown
Following the Senate vote, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke on the floor of the Senate and later held a press conference with fellow GOP senators.
We simply asked Democrats to extend existing funding levels to allow the Senate to continue bipartisan appropriations work. And Senate Democrats said no.
Why?
Because far-left interest groups – and far-left Democrat members – wanted a showdown with President Trump.
At the press conference, Thune invited Democrats to reconsider their vote.
Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow. All it takes is five Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, nonpartisan funding bill that's in front of us.
For now, it appears that the Schumer Shutdown is on.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!