November 7, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — A vote to swiftly end the government shutdown failed Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party’s demands to fund health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act.
“I certainly pray they will come to their senses,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said, flanked by GOP leaders at the Capitol.
“We don’t want it to shut down,” President Donald Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed.
Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said Republicans want to resolve the health care issues that concern Democrats, but will not negotiate until the government reopens.
Until then, he stressed, people and federal workers will be affected in a variety of ways, and, as examples, he cited people on federal food assistance programs, potential flight delays for air travelers, and service members not getting paid while they report for duty.
“It's craziness, and people are going to suffer because of this,” Vance said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
What neither side has devised is an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts, and the various services being thrown into turmoil.
An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. On Friday, the government is expected to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered.
Across the government, preparations have been underway. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans for not just furloughs, as are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings of federal workers. It’s part of the Trump administration’s mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the federal government.
The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.
As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents urged the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk.
Ahead of Wednesday’s start of the fiscal year, House Republicans had approved a temporary funding bill that would keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21, over opposition from Democrats, while broader negotiations continue.
But that bill has failed repeatedly in the Senate, including Wednesday, on a 55-45 vote. It takes a 60-vote threshold for approval, which requires cooperation between the two parties. A Democratic bill also failed. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Democrats are leveraging their votes to demand negotiation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans are happy to discuss the health care issue with Democrats — but not as part of talks to keep the government open. More votes are expected Wednesday.
The standoff is a political test for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who has drawn scorn from a restive base of left-flank voters pushing the party to hold firm in its demands for health care funding.
“Americans are hurting with higher costs,” Schumer said after the failed vote Tuesday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home nearly two weeks ago after having passed the GOP bill, blaming Democrats for the shutdown.
“They want to fight Trump,” Johnson said Tuesday on CNBC. “A lot of good people are going to be hurt because of this.”
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Updated to include failure of spending bill to pass on latest vote.
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