U.S. Senate rejected both Republican and Democratic funding bills, making a shutdown on September 30 almost certain

The Senate just rejected both short-term funding bills Friday, one from each party, with no new plan in sight. The government is now hurtling straight toward a shutdown at midnight on September 30.

Lawmakers are skipping town for over a week while the clock keeps ticking. There’s no plan to meet again until hours before the deadline.

Republicans in the Senate shut down a Democratic bill in a 47–45 vote. That bill would’ve kept the government running through October 31 and added limits on Trump’s power to hold back money already approved by Congress. It also included health care provisions, which Republicans wanted no part of.

Democrats kill GOP bill after House passes it earlier in the day

Democrats, in return, blocked the Republican plan in a 48–44 vote, even after it had passed in the House that same morning. Only one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, supported the GOP version.

That wasn’t close to the 10 Democrats who crossed party lines in March to avoid the last shutdown. This time, they stood their ground. Two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky, also voted against the GOP bill.

Chuck Schumer made it clear Friday that Democrats won’t back a funding bill that ignores Medicaid cuts or skips health insurance subsidies. He said:

“They’re voting like they think the status quo is good enough, even though they’ve heard from so many of their constituents the fear of hospitals closing, of health care being diminished, of premiums going way up.”

The Democratic plan tried to reverse those cuts from the July bill and protect coverage before subsidies expire later this year.

Democrats also slammed Republicans for refusing to meet. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had pushed for a bipartisan summit to work out a deal. That never happened.

Instead, Republicans leaned into the fight. One GOP memo warned members, “If Senate Democrats insist on a Schumer Shutdown of the federal government, Members should be prepared to return to DC.”

Trump encourages GOP to dig in, blames fall on Democrats

Trump told Republicans last week not to “even bother dealing” with Democrats at all. That message echoed through Congress, where his name is still doing all the heavy lifting. Schumer is under pressure after backing down in March.

Republicans are now betting he’ll fold again. Senator Eric Schmitt told reporters, “My guess is Chuck Schumer is too afraid of his own shadow and will vote to shut the government down on the 30th.”

Meanwhile, the House canceled its session days for September 29 and 30. That means even if the Senate magically reaches a deal, the House won’t be able to act fast enough. Democrats argue Republicans are dragging their feet because Trump wants the chaos. And even if a deal lands, there’s fear it’ll be ignored anyway.

Schumer asked on the Senate floor, “Why pass a budget if Russell Vought can unilaterally rescind it?” That’s the other problem. Trump’s former budget director could just block spending from behind the scenes if he disagrees with the content.

Republicans say they’re open to talks on extending the Biden-era health insurance subsidies that expire on December 31. But they’re annoyed that Democrats want to rush it now. Democrats argue Americans need clarity before open enrollment kicks in.

Patty Murray, the Senate’s top Democratic appropriator, pointed fingers at GOP leadership. “You want Democratic votes on a funding bill? A good place to start is actually trying to win those votes.”

Senator John Thune, the top Senate Republican, said this week that he’s open to talking. But even he admitted, “Looks to me like it’s this or a shutdown.” So that’s where things stand. No deal. No unity. Just Trump in the background, daring his party to burn it all down.

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