U.S. government shuts down

The latest attempts by lawmakers to reach an agreement on Tuesday ended without success, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has already sent instructions to federal agencies to implement shutdown plans.

Earlier, Senate Democrats opposed passing a resolution that would have temporarily extended government funding until November 21 at the level of the previous fiscal year.

At least 60 votes are required to pass such legislation in the 100-seat upper chamber of Congress. However, the initiative received support from only 55 senators, while 45 voted against it. Notably, two Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the measure, while one Republican senator voted against as well.

At the same time, the Senate also rejected an alternative bill proposed by the Democratic minority.

The disagreements between the two parties center on Democrats’ demand to continue healthcare subsidies for American citizens under the Affordable Care Act. These subsidies were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans have stated they are willing to negotiate on this issue.

According to an estimate published Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, about 750,000 federal employees will be furloughed during the shutdown.

As Ukrinform reported, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that in the event of a shutdown, the government could lay off many federal employees and cut social welfare programs. At the same time, he and Republicans are blaming Democrats for the potential consequences of the shutdown.