Congress is barreling towards the first full-government shutdown in roughly seven years as existing levels of government funding expire at midnight, Sept. 30.
On Sept. 19, prior to breaking for a week-long recess, the Senate failed to advance a House-passed short-term continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 5371) that would fund the government through Nov. 21. The Senate voted 44-48, failing to clear the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for passage.
The House advanced the measure earlier in the day by a 217-212 vote; Republican Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) voted against the bill, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) was the only Democrat to vote for the measure. The Senate also failed to advance a CR (S. 2882) backed by congressional Democrats. Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the measure; it would extend government funding through Oct. 31, permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credits (eAPTCs) that are set to expire at year-end and repeal the Medicaid provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) (H.R.1). The Senate voted against the measure, 47-45. Democrats remain united in their opposition to a clean CR and insist on a CR that, at a minimum, extends the ACA credits and ideally also restricts President Trump’s ability to rescind congressionally appropriated spending and repeals the Medicaid provisions included in H.R.1. Republican leadership is opposed to including ACA extensions in a short-term CR, though Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is willing to negotiate their potential inclusion in a later package.
On Sept. 29, President Trump met with the Big Four congressional leaders—Senate Majority Leader Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)—to discuss options to keep the government open. The meeting was a shift from last week when the president canceled plans to host Democratic leadership at the White House, but the conversation was ultimately unproductive, further increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown.
Each party blames the other for the impending shutdown, and the federal government is bracing for the expected impacts. On Sept. 24, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo, directing federal agencies to consider Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees in programs, projects or activities (PPAs) that satisfy the following conditions: (1) discretionary funding lapses on Oct. 1, 2025; (2) another source of funding, including H.R. 1 is not currently available; and (3) the PPA is not consistent with President Trump’s priorities. The memo also asserted that “federal programs whose funding would lapse and which are otherwise unfunded … are no longer statutorily required to be carried out.”
Click here to read more about how the shutdown would affect different areas and future outlook.
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