The United States is hurtling toward a government shutdown on Tuesday night, as a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders collapsed without progress, deepening partisan divisions and hardening positions on both sides.
Vice President JD Vance emerged from the White House talks to blame Democrats for the looming crisis.
“I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing,” Vance told reporters. “You don’t put a gun to the American people’s head and say, ‘Unless you do exactly what Senate and House Democrats want you to do, we’re going to shut down your government.’”
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer was equally pessimistic, saying there remained “very large differences” between Congress and the administration.
Republicans are pushing for a short-term extension of current spending levels, effectively delaying negotiations while allowing the Trump administration to continue implementing unilateral budget cuts.
Democrats, however, insist that practice must end. They also want a binding deal to renew federal health-insurance subsidies for low-income Americans, which expire at year’s end something Republicans have resisted.
To Democrats, a temporary extension only delays a crisis while leaving millions at risk of losing affordable healthcare. For Republicans, it simply buys time without conceding to what they call Democratic “hostage tactics.”
Shutdown battles are as much about political leverage as about fiscal policy. Republicans believe Democrats will take most of the blame for triggering a closure, while Democrats see healthcare as a winning issue that highlights Republican resistance to protecting the vulnerable.
Yet some Republicans appear unfazed by the prospect of a prolonged shutdown. White House budget chief Russ Vought circulated a memo outlining how the administration could use the closure to permanently shutter “nonessential” programmes, advancing Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) cuts.
Schumer dismissed the move as intimidation.
“Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one not to govern, but to scare,” he said. “This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government.”
Democrats are under pressure from their base not to yield after facing criticism earlier this year for compromising with Republicans. Many believe a shutdown may be necessary to demonstrate resolve against Trump’s aggressive budget-slashing agenda.
But shutdowns are unpredictable and politically dangerous. The last one, in Trump’s first term, lasted 35 days, the longest in US history. It only ended after unpaid federal air traffic controllers staged a de facto protest by staying home, threatening nationwide travel chaos.
This time, both parties seem prepared for a fight but the consequences could be severe. Essential services for low-income Americans, federal employment rolls, and public confidence in government are all on the line.
As the shutdown deadline approaches, the standoff has become less about fiscal arithmetic and more about who can endure the political pain longer.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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