Fears of a federal government shutdown are rapidly rising. This is because Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending bill on the 19th to prevent a government shutdown. The House of Representatives passed a short-term spending bill that would maintain federal spending at current levels for seven weeks, through November 21st, by a vote of 217 to 212.
The bill was created to avoid a shutdown amid significant disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over the federal government budget for fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026).However, the bill, which passed the Republican-led House, was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 48.Republicans opposed the bill, including fiscal hawks like Rand Paul, who argued that it simply extended spending from the previous Biden administration, and Lisa Murkowski, who has expressed serious concerns about the Medicaid cuts signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
A Democratic alternative that included extending Obamacare subsidies while setting the shutdown deadline to October 31st was also voted on in the Senate, but it also failed. With the failure to pass a stopgap budget, the possibility of a federal government shutdown has grown even more likely. Congress entered a week-long recess that afternoon, and if the recess continues, there will be little time left to prevent a shutdown upon its return.
Democrats are pressuring Republicans to include a provision in the CR that extends Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire this year. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) countered that Republicans are refusing to negotiate despite needing Democratic votes to pass the CRC, and that any shutdown would be their responsibility.
Meanwhile, House Republican leaders have canceled votes scheduled for September 29th and 30th, ordering them not to return to Washington, D.C., until the budget deadline (September 30th).