Republicans erupt over shutdown chaos, accuse Dems of holding government ‘hostage’
Republicans and Democrats are trading barbs on Wednesday morning as the federal government settles into the first day of a shutdown. “Democrats made this choice, Democrats forced this crisis, and Democrats alone will answer to hardworking Americans now paying the price for their reckless agenda,” Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night. The government entered a shutdown just after midnight Wednesday after the Senate failed to advance a short-term federal funding bill called a continuing resolution (CR) hours earlier. The measure did not reach the necessary 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster — falling 55-45 — with just three Democrats joining the GOP on Tuesday night. Certain federal services will temporarily cease to function, and some government workers — including the military and air traffic controllers at airports — must continue to clock in under deferred pay. MAJORITY OF AMERICAN VOTERS WARN DEMS SHOULDN’T BACK GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN OVER THIS KEY ISSUE: POLL Veteran services and military operations will continue to be funded, and Social Security checks will continue to be sent out to Americans, among other essential services. But some federal workers could lose their jobs altogether, as indicated by a memo sent to federal agencies earlier this month by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought. Republicans are now blaming Democrats for plunging the government into a shutdown, while Democrats are accusing Republicans of refusing to negotiate on what’s traditionally a bipartisan exercise. “Virginia is home to tens of thousands of federal workers, contractors and service members who keep our country running. Tonight, they are once again being forced to wonder when they will get their next paycheck — not because they failed to do their jobs, but because lawmakers in Congress failed to do theirs,” Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., whose district includes the D.C. suburbs, said in a Tuesday night statement. “Trump and his rubber-stamp Republicans have chosen to hurt Virginia families instead of working across the aisle. It’s past time they come to the table so we can find real solutions, reopen the government, and deliver for the people we serve.” Meanwhile, Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, whose coal country district includes Youngstown, told Fox News Digital, “The current government shutdown is the culmination of months of the same tired and disruptive tactics used by the left against the American people.” “In November 2024, President Trump and the Republicans received an overwhelming mandate to govern. Yet, every time we try to implement the changes demanded by voters, we face fierce resistance — even on straightforward measures like a clean CR, which Congress approved 13 times before,” Rulli said. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., wrote on X, “FACT: Schumer led a shutdown to hold the government hostage for a $1.5 trillion liberal payout.” GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL His message came in reference to Democrats’ own CR proposal calling for a repeal of healthcare spending cuts made in the GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Their plan would have also restored funding to NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Meanwhile, Democrats have also demanded any CR include Obamacare subsidies, enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic but due to expire this year, in exchange for their votes. “Thousands of hard-working federal employees in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District woke up this morning to learn whether they were furloughed or required to work without pay,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., wrote on X. “This shutdown was entirely avoidable. Democrats in Washington remain ready, willing and able to negotiate a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open and lower healthcare costs for Americans everywhere.” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., similarly said in a statement, “Democrats have been clear for months: we will not support a budget that inflicts a healthcare crisis on the American people in order to fund Trump’s continued destruction of our democracy and out-of-control mass deportations.” First-term Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, countered that “Democrats created this crisis.” “Democrats in the Senate just voted to shut the government down. This will impact food assistance programs, veterans’ care, troops’ pay, TSA agents’ and air traffic controllers’ pay, and so much more. Their reason? They want to restore taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens and prop up liberal news outlets with your $$,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have also heaped blame on one another’s parties, with both expected to make their cases to Americans on Wednesday. The Senate is also expected to vote on the CR again on Wednesday.
Top insurance company in hot seat as blistering new ad campaign exposes ‘radical woke ideology’
FIRST ON FOX: A leading nonprofit dedicated to consumer information is launching a seven-figure ad campaign against what it is calling the “wokest insurance company” in the country. In a letter to the Department of Justice and Treasury Department, Consumers’ Research alleges that Chubb Insurance has “ongoing practices” which go against the Trump administration’s agenda but “very likely the Civil Rights Act and other federal anti-discrimination laws.” “Chubb Insurance is all-in on pushing radical woke ideology. CEO Evan Greenberg openly opposes basic protections for women’s spaces, attacks democratic laws, continues to embrace DEI, and props up groups that expose kids to dangerous transgender activism,” Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumers’ Research, said in a statement exclusively to Fox News Digital. “On climate, Chubb has a history of weaponizing insurance coverage to hurt America’s energy industry, cutting support for coal and natural gas to chase leftist climate fantasies. Woke corporations like Chubb are going to extremes and ordinary Americans are paying the price,” Hild continues. DEMOCRATS TARGET VULNERABLE HOUSE REPUBLICANS AS THEY SLAM TRUMP’S ‘ATTACKS ON FREE SPEECH’ Consumers’ Research is highlighting several past comments from leaders at the insurance company, including Executive Vice President and General Counsel Joseph Wayland saying in a LEADERS Magazine interview in 2021 that “Diversity, equity and inclusion are the foundation of our Chubb culture.” “I am concerned about my country’s America First brand of nationalism and its impact on our image and leadership in both trade and geopolitics in the short and potentially longer term,” Evan Greenberg, CEO and Chairman of Chubb Insurance, wrote in a letter in a 2017 report, according to Carrier Management. HOUSE OVERSIGHT PROBES WHETHER AMERICAN RETIREES’ PENSION FUNDS ARE BEING WEAPONIZED: ‘PROGRESSIVE PLAYBOOK’ Greenberg also criticized Trump’s America First platform in an interview with Carrier Management in 2021 and criticized the president’s trade policies. When it comes to the company’s business practices, NPR reported in 2019 that the insurance company would not underwrite coal facilities anymore. As recently as March 2025, the company put forth strict guidelines in order for it to underwrite in the oil and gas industry. On its website, Chubb said it will not “underwrite the construction and operation of new coal-fired plants or new risks for companies that generate more than 30% of their revenues from coal mining or energy production from coal” and began ending coverage for “existing coal plant risks” that go above the 30% mark as of 2022. “Chubb recognizes the reality of climate change and the substantial impact of human activity on our planet,” Greenberg stated, according to the company’s website. “Making the transition to a low-carbon economy involves planning and action by policymakers, investors, businesses and citizens alike. The policy we are implementing today reflects Chubb’s commitment to do our part as a steward of the Earth.” CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST SLAMS CRACKER BARREL; COMPANY LEFT REELING AFTER LOGO REDESIGN On its webpage, Chubb discusses “Advancing Racial Justice,” where the company touts its support of an organization called Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), which openly supported convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. According to that same webpage, the company believes “racial justice and equity is both an individual journey and collective duty.” “We believe in being anti-racist because a rejection of racism alone is insufficient,” the website states. The company also says on that web page that it has curated a series of programs for employees instructing them how to “combat racism.” As for the advertisements themselves, there will be a national television ad in addition to mobile billboards outside their offices in Washington D.C., New York City and New Jersey, as well as Capitol Hill. The campaign will also live on the website WokeChubb.com. “Dear conservatives, Chubb Insurance is for: DEI in Everything They Do, Radical Climate Ideology, Trans Activism,” one ad states. “Chubb Insurance is against: The American First Agenda, U.S. Energy Producers, 2nd Amendment Advocates.” Chubb’s business spans across 54 countries and territories, all 50 states, and employees over 40,000 people worldwide. The company, based out of Zurich with a U.S. headquarters in New York City, did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Federal judge rules public charter school violated church’s First Amendment rights
A federal judge in Idaho ruled that a public charter school violated a church’s First Amendment rights when it canceled a lease that allowed the church to hold Sunday services inside its gymnasium. The decision from Chief U.S. District Court Judge David Nye came in response to a lawsuit centering on a lease agreement between Truth Family Bible Church and Sage International, a charter school with a campus in Middleton, according to Idaho Education News. The website reported that when the lease was canceled last year, Sage International was applying for around $15 million in bonds to finance building upgrades through the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA). Attorneys for the state’s bonding authority then flagged the church’s lease as a potential breach of Idaho’s Blaine Amendment, which blocks religious organizations from receiving taxpayer money, it added. Nye reportedly wrote in his ruling that the concern was a “lapse in judgment,” as Truth Family Bible Church would have “only incidentally benefited from the bond-improved facilities,” with no funds being given directly to them. FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN MINNESOTA LAW BARRING RELIGIOUS COLLEGES FROM STATE PROGRAM “IHFA and Sage’s motivations for terminating Truth Family’s lease, whether reasonable or not, were still a violation of Truth Family’s constitutional rights,” Nye also said, according to Idaho Education News. The website said an attorney representing the church argued that using the Blaine Amendment to terminate the lease ran afoul of the First Amendment’s Free Exercise, Establishment and Free Speech clauses. Nye agreed with each of the First Amendment claims, writing in his ruling that the move to cancel the church’s lease “effectively stifled” its religious speech, Idaho Education News reported. “We’re pleased with this outcome,” Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, whose office intervened in the case, told Idaho Education News through a spokesperson. “Government agencies cannot discriminate against religious organizations simply because they’re religious. Truth Family Bible Church deserved the same treatment as any secular group, and we’re glad the court recognized this.” VERMONT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL REINSTATED AFTER BEING BANNED OVER TRANSGENDER ATHLETE CONTROVERSY A spokesperson for IHFA told Idaho Education News that, “We welcome the legal clarity the court’s ruling provides, helping to ensure that this type of issue doesn’t arise in the future.” On its website, Truth Family Bible Church describes itself as a “new church plant in Middleton, Idaho.” “It began as a home Bible Study that met for several years. As we began to grow, the Lord led us to begin talking about planting a new church since most of those in attendance were parts of various churches in Ada County,” the church said. “Our goal is to faithfully minister the Word of God as a light to our community and the world, declaring that Christ is Lord of all.” At the moment, the church is holding its Sunday services at another school’s gym.
Trump taunts Democrat leaders with ‘Trump 2028’ hats in Oval Office as shutdown approaches
President Donald Trump shared photos on Truth Social on Tuesday showing red “Trump 2028” hats strategically displayed on the Resolute Desk during an Oval Office meeting with Democrat leaders Monday in hopes of fending off a government shutdown. Trump’s post came late Tuesday, hours before Washington grappled with its first shutdown since 2018-19. “The Trump administration wants a straightforward and clean CR [continuing resolution] to continue funding the government – the exact same proposal that Democrats supported just 6 months ago, 13 times under the Biden Administration,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “But radical Democrats are shutting the government down because they want a nearly $1.5 trillion wish list of demands, including free health care for illegal aliens. The Democrat’s radical agenda was rejected by the American people less than a year ago at the ballot box, now they’re shutting down the government and hold the American people hostage over it.” JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS Vice President JD Vance warned, “I think we’re headed to a shutdown” after Monday’s meeting. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at the time the sides “have very large differences.” Late Tuesday, the Senate failed a last-ditch vote on extending funding and barreled toward a shutdown as the clock struck midnight on Oct. 1. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS Trump posted the photos late Tuesday, a few hours before the shutdown was slated to begin. His campaign has sold “Trump 2028” hats since earlier this year. Democrat leaders downplayed the stunt. Schumer said Trump “can avoid a shutdown if he chooses to,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., added, “we will not back down” in defending healthcare and spending priorities.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump presided over a 35-day government shutdown in 2018–19, the longest in American history, during his first term in office.
HUD accuses the ‘Radical Left’ of driving government shutdown, vows to ‘support our most vulnerable’
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) accused congressional Democrats on Tuesday of forcing a government shutdown, warning that the “Radical Left” is putting vulnerable families at risk while pledging to keep critical housing services operating. “The Far Left is barreling our country toward a shutdown, which will hurt all Americans,” a HUD spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “At HUD, we are working to keep critical services online and support our most vulnerable. Why is the media more focused on a banner than reporting on the impact of a shutdown on the American people?” HUD is led by Secretary Scott Turner, a former NFL player and member of the Texas legislature. HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING PROPOSAL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES WITH SHUTDOWN DEADLINE IN HOURS In a memorandum circulated to all federal agencies late Tuesday, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought confirmed that government funding expires at 11:59 p.m. and instructed departments to execute their plans for an orderly shutdown. “President Trump supports passage of H.R. 5371, but it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59 p.m. tonight and force a government shutdown,” Vought wrote. The OMB director said Democrats were blocking the House-passed measure over “insane policy demands,” including $1 trillion in new spending, and warned that the length of the shutdown is “difficult to predict.” Employees were told to report for duty to begin shutdown activities until a new appropriations bill is signed into law. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS HUD’s official website displayed a pop-up message on Tuesday stating, “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.” Reuters also reported on the banner earlier in the day, which prompted pushback from Democrats. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, said, “We should not be putting political messages on government webpages. I have never seen that kind of message. I don’t think that would be acceptable with any other prior administration.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said, “Unfortunately, it’s become normal under the Trump administration, but it’s a radical departure from American history, and it is the use of public taxpayer funds for overtly political and polemical reasons.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP At midnight, parts of the federal government will shutter after Democrats rejected the Republican-backed seven-week continuing resolution that passed the House of Representatives Sept. 19.
Dems ‘sacrificed the American people,’ Thune says as government barrels toward midnight shutdown
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., railed against Senate Democrats’ move to block the GOP’s short-term funding extension as Congress gears up for a government shutdown. Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted to block Republicans’ continuing resolution (CR) for a second time just hours ahead of the deadline to fund the government. It’s unlikely that a deal will be struck in the waning hours of fiscal year (FY) 2025, and neither side is ready to blink. Thune said there would be more votes to come on the same bill but noted that if Schumer wanted to talk, he knows where to find him. He also said there are Democrats who “are very unhappy with the situation that they are in.” GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RISK GROWS AFTER DEMS BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED EXTENSION FOR A 2ND TIME “We didn’t ask Democrats to swallow any new Republican policies. We didn’t add partisan riders,” Thune said. “We simply asked Democrats to extend existing funding levels to allow the Senate to continue the bipartisan appropriations work that we started.” “And Senate Democrats said no,” he continued. “Why? Because far left interest groups and far left Democrat members wanted a showdown with the president. And so, Senate Democrats have sacrificed the American people to Democrats’ partisan interests.” Republicans tried and failed to again advance their CR, which would have extended government funding until Nov. 21 with the main goal of giving lawmakers more time to pass the dozen spending bills needed to fund the government, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since the 1990s. HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING PROPOSAL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES WITH SHUTDOWN DEADLINE IN HOURS Despite an impending shutdown, Thune and Senate Republicans found a bright spot in the failed vote: more Democrats crossed the aisle than the previous test earlier this month. “The cracks in the Democrats are already showing,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. “When we had a vote on our proposal to keep the government open, the clean CR right before the recess, we had one Democrat vote. Tonight we had three.” Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, all crossed the aisle to support the bill. GOP ACCUSES DEMS OF RISKING SHUTDOWN TO RESTORE ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE’ Meanwhile, Schumer signaled that he was not ready to budge from his position and instead pointed the finger at the GOP and President Donald Trump for “plunging America into a shutdown, rejecting bipartisan talks, pushing a partisan bill, and risking America’s health care.” Senate Democrats pushed for an extension to expiring Obamacare tax credits, among other things, that Republicans argued were not provisions that should be tacked onto a short-term funding extension. Still, Schumer was resolute that Thune and the GOP needed to come to the negotiating table to solve that issue and craft a bipartisan CR. “We hope they sit down with us and talk. Otherwise, it’s the Republicans who will be driving us straight towards a shutdown tonight, and at midnight,” Schumer said. “And the American people will blame them for bringing the federal government to a halt.”
Yelling match breaks out in Senate hearing with former Biden official over ‘two spirit’ safe spaces
A yelling match between Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and a former Biden administration official broke out in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over the need for “two spirit” safe spaces to combat gun violence. Hawley challenged Gregory Jackson Jr., who served as deputy director of the Biden White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention and, more recently, as the head of Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF), over the organization’s policies on creating safe spaces for “two spirit” individuals. Hawley was grilling Jackson over a CJAF report published while he led the group, titled “A Policymakers’ Playbook to Reduce Gun Violence Without Policing Communities,” which he said “advocated for defunding the police” and instead investing in “programs that acknowledge the need for safe space initiatives led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, trans and gender-nonconforming people.” “What’s two spirit?” Hawley asked. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MULLS RESTRICTING TRANSGENDER PEOPLE FROM BUYING GUNS In response, Jackson said, “Well, I don’t know exactly.” Jackson went on to say, “If you look at the report, the focus is on investing in violence intervention, outreach workers, victims’ services.” “You say that we shouldn’t invest in the police, but we ought to invest in two spirit community programs that acknowledge two spirit individuals. What is that?” Hawley shot back. “I just want to know. I don’t know what that is. I have no idea what that is.” After Hawley repeated the question, Jackson admitted, “I’m not completely aware of the language. I feel like I’m looking at a two-faced individual because you talk about reducing violence but also speak out against violence reduction programs.” “Oh no, sir, you’re looking at somebody who’s reading you your own words, and I’d like to hear an answer,” retorted Hawley. FOLLOWING KIRK’S ASSASSINATION, LAWMAKERS REACT TO LETHAL POLITICAL CLIMATE: ‘VIOLENT WORDS PRECEDE VIOLENT ACTIONS’ “Here’s the answer,” Hawley added. “The answer is you don’t have any solutions. You want to invest in gobbledygook and take away money from police officers who actually keep our community safe, and when you’re called on the record, you deny it. It’s all there in black and white, and your record is there in black and white, and it’s a disgrace.” Raising his voice, Jackson, who was seriously injured in a Washington, D.C., shooting in 2013, answered, “As somebody who’s been shot and nearly killed, I take offense that you would think that the last 13 years were not focused on reducing violence.” Hawley shouted back, “I take offense that you do not answer my questions, that you deny your own words and that you are leading this committee astray. And, frankly, sir, your policies are absurd, they’re absurd.” EXCLUSIVE: UNEARTHED BIDEN NOTE CARDS REVEAL HE HAD BIOS, PHOTO REMINDERS ON HILLARY CLINTON, SCHUMER After this exchange, Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, slammed his gavel, saying, “I don’t think we’re getting any place.” “Oh, I think we’ve gone a long way, senator,” Hawley answered.
White House declares imminent government shutdown after Senate fails to pass funding bill
The White House has officially declared an imminent government shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a GOP-backed spending bill to keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21. A memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said current federal funding levels “expire at 11:59 p.m. tonight.” “Unfortunately, Democrat senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate due to Democrats’ insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending,” the memo said. The memo went on to say that President Donald Trump is supportive of the GOP-led funding bill, which is a short-term extension of current federal spending levels called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at keeping the government funded for seven weeks as lawmakers work on a deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026 priorities. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “But it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59 p.m. tonight and force a government shutdown. As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown,” the memo said. “It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities.” OMB said a follow-up memo would be issued when a spending bill is passed and signed into law by Trump, resuming full federal operations. The GOP-led CR was tanked in the Senate on Tuesday evening, failing to reach the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster and proceed with debate on the bill. The vote fell 55–45, with three members of the Democratic caucus crossing the aisle and voting with Republicans. One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against the measure. Democratic lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., banded together to vote against the GOP’s CR, a move that marked the second time Democrats impeded the legislation’s progress this month. Democrats also tried to advance their own counter-proposal, but that bill was similarly blocked by Senate Republicans. “All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, nonpartisan funding bill that’s in front of us,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after the vote failed. “And I hope, I really hope that some of them will join us to reopen the government, resume bipartisan appropriations work, and get back to the business of the American people.” JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS Thune said there would be more votes on the same bill in the coming days. When asked if Schumer would guarantee that the GOP’s CR wouldn’t get 60 votes, he said, “Look, the bottom line is, as I said, our guarantee is to the American people that we’re going to fight as hard as we can for their health care. Plain and simple.“ The Democrat-led CR would have kept the government open and funded through Oct. 31, while also including a host of priorities that Republicans deemed hyper-partisan. Democrats’ funding plan would have repealed the Medicaid rollbacks made in Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill, while restoring funding for NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Trump and his administration have wide discretion over what changes occur during a shutdown. However, it’s likely that thousands of government employees get furloughed, while others are made to work without paychecks until funding is re-instituted. A host of federal agencies and services could also be shuttered. Some federal workers could lose their jobs permanently as well, with OMB Director Russ Vought issuing guidance earlier this month warning offices to consider plans for mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown. The move comes after the top two Democrats and top two Republicans in the House and Senate all met with Trump at the White House to discuss a path forward on federal funding, but that meeting ended with no deal in sight.
Dems in hot seat after DHS warns their frontline workers will go without pay if shutdown hits
As the federal government heads toward a potential shutdown starting Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security assured that immigration and border operations will continue but said frontline employees could be working without pay. DHS noted in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration will continue their “critical functions,” including ICE being able to “arrest and deport violent criminal aliens” and CBP being able to “screen goods and people” entering the U.S. The agency also noted that the officer hiring processes will still continue, including for recruitment. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “While these critical operations continue, Democrats are forcing many of our nearly 200,000 frontline officers, emergency responders and employees to continue secur[ing] the Homeland without pay,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Far-left politicians demonize our employees every day, which has led to a 1,000% increase in assault[s] on our law enforcement. Now they are holding hostage their family’s finances and jeopardizing their welfare. This is unacceptable.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE As of Tuesday afternoon, a government shutdown seems likely and would be the first since the end of 2018 and entering 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term. There were also lengthy shutdowns during the Obama and Clinton administrations. USER’S MANUAL TO A LIKELY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TONIGHT “The Trump administration wants a straightforward and clean CR to continue funding the government – the exact same proposal that Democrats supported just six months ago, 13 times under the Biden administration. But radical Democrats are threatening to shut the government down if they don’t get their nearly $1.5 trillion wish list of demands, including free health care for illegal aliens,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated. “The Democrat’s radical agenda was rejected by the American people less than a year ago at the ballot box. Now they’re trying to shut down the government and hold the American people hostage over it.” Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have said Republicans should bear the blame for the shutdown. BORDER PATROL UNION WARNS: ‘LIFE AND DEATH’ MISSION AT RISK IN SHUTDOWN FIGHT “Republicans would rather shut down the government than protect the Affordable Care Act. A shutdown puts ACA tax credits at risk—and in Texas, premiums could jump 289%, costing families $459 more each year,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, posted to X Tuesday. “They passed up multiple chances to extend them in the Big Beautiful Bill; they chose not to. Families shouldn’t have to pay the price for their political games.”
Government shutdown risk grows after Dems block Trump-backed extension for a 2nd time
Senate Democrats again blocked Republicans’ short-term funding extension Tuesday afternoon, further increasing the odds of a partial government shutdown and thousands of federal workers going without paychecks. Democratic lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., banded together to vote against the GOP’s continuing resolution (CR), a move that marked the second time Democrats impeded the legislation’s progress this month. Congress has until midnight Wednesday to pass a CR or else the government will shut down. However, the possibility of that happening became increasingly unlikely throughout the day as Republicans and Democrats huddled behind closed doors in separate meetings hours before the vote. The bill, which was passed by the House GOP earlier this month, failed on a largely party-line vote, 55-45. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the lone Republican to vote against the bill, while Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, crossed the aisle to vote for the funding extension. JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS Democrats also tried to advance their own counter-proposal, but that bill was similarly blocked by Senate Republicans. There is still time to avert a partial shutdown, but the window is closing fast. If Schumer and Thune are unable to find a path forward, it would mark the third shutdown under President Donald Trump. When asked if he believed a shutdown was inevitable, Trump said, “Nothing is inevitable.” “But I would say it’s probably likely, because they want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants, which will destroy healthcare for everybody else in our country,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “And I didn’t see them bend even a little bit when I said we can’t do that.” Shortly after the vote, however, the Office of Management and Budget released a memo that the appropriations for Fiscal Year 2025 would run out at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, making a shutdown official. “It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” the memo read. Republicans want to pass a “clean” short-term extension until Nov. 21 that would give appropriators time to finish spending bills, while Democrats want to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, among multiple other demands. But the chances of a deal materializing, particularly one that meets Democrats’ demands, are slim. Both Senate leaders traded barbs throughout the day, first on the Senate floor and then in back-to-back press conferences. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS Thune panned Democrats’ push for an extension to the expiring tax credits, which aren’t set to sunset until the end of this year, as well as their other demands to repeal the healthcare portion of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and clawback canceled funding for NPR and PBS. Republicans argue that reversing the cuts from Trump’s megabill and undoing the public broadcasting rescission would amount to $1.5 trillion in spending tacked onto their short-term funding extension. “These are things that they’re demanding as part of their so-called negotiation,” Thune said. “Ladies and gentlemen, there isn’t anything here to negotiate.” Schumer, however, countered that the decision to shut the government down was “in their court” and charged that Democrats were working to solve the GOP’s “healthcare crisis.” SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS FACE HEAT FOR SHIFTING STANCE ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREAT Still, despite scoring a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and congressional Republican leaders, in addition to public guarantees from Thune and Republicans that Obamacare tax credits could be discussed after a shutdown was averted, Schumer demanded that Democrats be cut in on negotiations to craft a bipartisan bill. Earlier in the day, the top Senate Democrat commandeered a floor chart from Thune that showed how many times Democrats supported CRs under former President Joe Biden. He said that each time, Republicans were involved in the process. “As leader, I sat down with the Republicans every one of those years and created a bipartisan bill. Their bill is partisan. They call it clean. We call it partisan. It has no Democratic input,” Schumer said. “Thune never talked to me.”