Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2025
|
by AMAC Newsline
|
0 Comments
|
The federal government is set to shut down at midnight on September 30 after Democrat leaders rejected a clean “Continuing Resolution” (CR) funding bill under pressure from progressives.
President Donald Trump held a good-faith meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the White House on Monday in a last-ditch effort to hammer out a deal. But both men refused to budge on Democrats’ outrageous demands that Republicans resume welfare payments for illegal aliens and reverse large portions of the GOP tax cut bill passed earlier this year as a price for keeping the government open.
On September 19, the House approved a CR by a vote of 217–212. The measure would extend funding at current levels until November 21, 2025, providing additional time for both parties to negotiate a longer-term agreement.
The bill mirrored the CR passed earlier this year with bipartisan support, including votes from Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats. Republicans also notably voted for CRs no less than 13 times under the Biden administration to avoid a shutdown.
Despite that precedent, Senate Democrats have blocked the legislation. Because of the Senate filibuster rule, CRs must have at least 60 votes to pass.
Democrat demands include a permanent extension of expanded Obamacare subsidies (which were supposed to be a COVID-19 relief measure), the elimination of Medicaid reforms enacted in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill – such as modest work requirements for able-bodied adults and measures to ensure illegal immigrants are not enrolled – and new limits on the president’s authority to reduce wasteful federal spending.
Republicans argue those demands are unrelated to the immediate task of keeping the government open and instead represent an attempt to force a reversal of policies that voters endorsed in the 2024 elections. Trump said the White House meeting with Schumer and Jeffries was intended to offer Democrats one last chance to accept a short-term extension without conditions, but no agreement was reached.
If the Senate does not pass the House bill before midnight, funding will lapse, and federal operations will begin shutting down at 12:01 AM on Wednesday. That could mean disruptions to a wide range of services, including military pay, veterans’ programs, air traffic control, TSA operations, disaster relief, rental assistance, small business loans, rural health clinics, and food assistance for low-income women and children.
Republican leaders stress that these impacts can be avoided simply by passing the CR already on the table. “A vote against this bill is a vote against supporting our military, against veterans’ care, against disaster relief and critical community programs,” one House GOP aide said. “It is the Democrats’ refusal to move that is driving us toward a shutdown.”
Outside groups have echoed that warning. AMAC Action urged lawmakers to prevent a shutdown by passing the clean CR. AMAC Action Senior Vice President Andy Mangione said in a statement that “a government shutdown would jeopardize critical services that seniors rely on, from Social Security offices and Medicare assistance to veterans’ benefits and health programs. The confusion, backlogs, and service disruptions that accompany a shutdown create needless anxiety and hardship for older Americans living on fixed incomes.”
He added that AMAC members support Trump and congressional Republicans in rejecting the Democrats’ demands, calling them “unpopular and unreasonable requests.”
The stalemate now hinges on Senate Democrats. Without at least seven Democrats breaking ranks, the resolution cannot advance. Republicans note that the measure Democrats are rejecting is nearly identical to the one they themselves approved in March. Since then, Schumer has faced intense pressure from the progressive wing of his party not to compromise again, and the conditions Democrats have attached to their support reflect that pressure.
The White House has said President Trump remains open to negotiating broader policy issues, but only after government funding is secured. Republican lawmakers say agreeing to Democrats’ terms now would effectively nullify the outcome of the last election by forcing the GOP to abandon its legislative wins. Democrats, meanwhile, have shown no willingness to decouple their policy priorities from the funding debate.
With less than 24 hours remaining, the likelihood of a shutdown appears high. Unless Senate Democrats change course and allow a vote on the House bill, large portions of the federal government will close tonight. Republicans insist they have already compromised by accepting current spending levels rather than seeking cuts, while Democrats continue to demand significant policy reversals as their price for keeping the government open.
For now, the path forward remains uncertain – but all the pressure is on Senate Democrats to see reason and reach a deal.
Read full article here