Government shutdown to last for days as White House warns of "imminent" layoffs
Washington DC - Efforts to swiftly end the US government shutdown collapsed Wednesday as Democrats in Congress went home without resolving an acrimonious funding stand-off with President Donald Trump and the White House threatened public sector jobs.
With the government out of money after Trump and lawmakers failed to agree on a deal to keep the lights on, federal departments have been closing since midnight, with the White House warning of "imminent" firings of public sector workers.
Senate Democrats – who are demanding extended healthcare subsidies for low-income families – refused to help the majority Republicans approve a House-passed bill that would have reopened the government for several weeks while negotiations continue.
With the Senate now adjourned until Friday, hopes for a quick resolution have been frustrated.
Around 750,000 federal employees are expected to be placed on furlough – a kind of enforced leave, with pay withheld until they return to work.
Essential workers such as the military and border agents may be forced to work without pay, and some will likely miss paychecks next week. Meanwhile, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association voiced fears for air safety as more than 2,300 members were sent home.
The crisis has higher stakes than previous shutdowns, with Trump racing to enact hard-right policies, including slashing government departments and threatening to turn many of the furloughs into mass firings.
His spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the White House was "working with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made... and we believe that layoffs are imminent."
Democrats and Republicans remain at odds after shutdown begins
Republicans in the House of Representatives have already passed a stopgap funding fix to keep federal functions running through late November while a longer-term plan is thrashed out.
But the 100-member Senate does not have the 60 votes required to send it to Trump's desk, and Democrats say they won't help unless Republicans compromise on their planned spending cuts – especially in healthcare.
Talks that have taken place so far have been unusually bitter, with Trump mocking top Democrats Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries on social media.
Senate Republican leaders, who have just one rebel in their own ranks, need eight Democrats to join the majority and rubber-stamp the House-passed bill.
They got three moderates to cross the aisle in an initial vote Tuesday and were hoping to peel off five more as the shutdown chaos starts to bite. But Wednesday's result went exactly the same way.
Congress is out Thursday for the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday but the Senate returns to work on Friday and may be in session through the weekend. The House is not due back until next week.
Cover photo: Brendan Smialowski / AFP