With just hours left to go before government funding lapses at midnight, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, instructed federal agencies to begin preparations for a shutdown.
Cites Democrats’ $1 Trillion ‘Insane Policy Demands’
In a memo sent on Tuesday evening to agency leaders, Vought said the deadlock was driven by “Democrats' insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending.” He added that, as a result, “affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”
Vought warned that “it is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict.”
The directive leaves thousands of federal employees facing furloughs and threatens disruptions to government benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to a report by The Hill.
Vought told federal employees to report for their next shift to carry out shutdown procedures. “We will issue another memorandum indicating the government functions should resume once the President has signed a bill providing for appropriations,” he said.
Trump Threatens Layoffs, Cuts To Democrat-Backed Programs
President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, threatened to lay off federal workers and cut Democratic-backed programs if Congress fails to approve new funding.
“We may do a lot,” he said, while adding that it was all “because of the Democrats,” according to a report by The Washington Post.
Senate Democrats late Tuesday blocked a House-passed Republican measure that would have funded the government through Nov. 21. Only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), along with Sen. Angus King (I-ME), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, supported the bill.
Democrats countered with a proposal to extend funding until Oct. 31. That plan included a permanent extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies set to expire in three months and the reversal of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. It, however, failed to clear the 60-vote threshold.
Voters Blame Republicans For Shutdown
According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult, voters are more likely to blame Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, with 45% saying they are at fault, and 32% blaming the Democrats.
This can be attributed to the Republicans having a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and while they still require support from the Democrats to pass the bill, it leads to the perception that they are more at fault in the case of a shutdown.
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