As Trump counts down govt shutdown, Congress leaders blame one another for fund deadlock

Congressional leaders are facing mounting political pressure and real-world consequences as a spending standoff threatens a government shutdown in just days.

Republicans and Democrats in Washington remain at odds over how to fund the government and avoid a shutdown by October 1, 2025. A White House meeting on Monday produced little progress.

Vice President JD Vance said after the meeting, “I think we’re headed to a shutdown.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, acknowledged “very large differences” between the two sides. Democrats are pushing to extend health care subsidies, while Republicans want to maintain current funding levels for seven weeks.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Schumer and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “refuse to acknowledge the simple facts.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Democrats of “hostage-taking” and “hijacking” the appropriations process, urging Democratic senators to support a House-passed funding bill.

With a shutdown set to begin at 12 am on Wednesday, options to avert it remain limited. The Senate plans to hold another vote on the House bill on Tuesday.

For Senator Thune, Republican of South Dakota, this is his first major spending showdown as majority leader. Speaker Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, is trying to maintain his narrow House majority, aware that past spending deals with Democrats cost previous leaders their positions.

For Schumer and Jeffries, both Democrats from New York, the fight is an opportunity to show their base they are willing to take on President Trump.

The four leaders are scheduled to meet Trump in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon. Without a swift agreement to extend funding and pass it through Congress, federal operations could halt after midnight on Tuesday.