Washington,USA – September 29, 2025
Impasse in Congress Makes US Government Shutdown Likely at Midnight Deadline; President Trump Meets Leaders in Last-Ditch Effort
The U.S. Federal Government is poised for a shutdown at the midnight deadline tonight (12:01 AM ET, October 1st) after high-stakes, last-minute negotiations between President Donald Trump and top congressional leaders failed to yield a funding agreement on Monday. With the Fiscal Year 2025 set to expire, a political impasse over a Continuing Resolution (CR) has paralyzed Washington, risking the closure of non-essential government services and the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
The breakdown in the Oval Office meeting underscores the entrenched positions of the two parties. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) are pushing for a straightforward, short-term funding extension to allow more time to negotiate the 12 full-year appropriations bills. Conversely, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) are leveraging the critical deadline to demand the inclusion of key healthcare provisions, specifically the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies and the reversal of recent Medicaid cuts.
After the meeting, Democratic leaders stated that major differences remain, accusing Republicans of refusing to seriously engage on their healthcare demands. Though the President reportedly acknowledged that presidents usually get blamed for shutdowns, the Republican leadership remains resolute, arguing that policy negotiations should not be tied to the essential funding of the government.
Headline Points of the Shutdown Threat
* Midnight Deadline:
Current government funding expires at 12:01 AM ET, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, triggering a shutdown without immediate Congressional action.
* Failed Talks:
A White House meeting between President Trump and the “Big Four” congressional leaders concluded without a deal, with both sides trading blame.
* Core Disagreement:
The primary sticking point is the Democrats’ demand for an extension of healthcare funding and policy reversals as part of any stopgap measure, which Republicans reject as unacceptable policy riders.
* Contingency Plans:
Federal agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), have instructed departments to finalize contingency plans, preparing for furloughs and the halting of non-essential services.
* Impending Impact:
A shutdown would affect National Parks, the processing of new applications, and require hundreds of thousands of non-essential federal employees to be furloughed without pay.
The Looming Consequences of a Shutdown
Should Congress fail to act, the impact would be immediate and widespread. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees would be sent home without pay, while others deemed essential—such as Border Patrol agents, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, and active-duty military personnel—would be required to work without compensation.
While mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare payments will largely continue, a shutdown would disrupt many
government operations:
* National Parks and Museums: Many national parks would close, and Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., would likely cease operations.
* Government Services:
Non-essential services, including processing applications for some visas, loans, and government reports, would be delayed.
* Economic Uncertainty:
The lapse in government funding adds a layer of economic uncertainty as the nation moves into the new fiscal year.
With the deadline mere hours away, the House and Senate are expected to return to session today in a final attempt to find a breakthrough, but the strong partisan divide makes a shutdown on October 1st a highly probable outcome.
