Deadlock deepens: Democrats, Republicans block funding plans; US heads toward first shutdown since 2019

The US federal government officially entered a shutdown after Democrats and Republicans failed again to pass competing funding plans in the Senate, deepening the partisan standoff over federal spending and health care. On a 55-45 vote, the GOP proposal to extend funding until November 21 fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, effectively guaranteeing a shutdown from 12:01 am (local time) on Wednesday. Republicans also blocked the Democrats’ version, which sought to extend funding until the end of October while adding over $1 trillion in health care spending, including maintaining Affordable Care Act subsidies and reversing recent Medicaid cuts. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo confirming that current federal funding levels “expire at 11:59