Partisan Standoff Leaves Millions of Federal Workers and Services in Limbo

September 30, 2025

WASHINGTON — The United States government is barreling toward a midnight shutdown after two partisan spending bills collapsed in the Senate on Tuesday, escalating a bitter partisan feud that threatens to disrupt federal services for millions of Americans.

With less than 12 hours until funding expires at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, October 1, lawmakers from both parties expressed pessimism about reaching a last-minute deal. President Donald Trump, whose administration would bear much of the immediate fallout, issued a stark warning to congressional Democrats, vowing "irreversible" actions if the impasse persists.

"This is on the Democrats—they're holding the American people hostage with their radical demands," Trump said in a statement from the White House, where an official "Government Shutdown Clock" website has been launched to highlight the ticking deadline. The site criticizes Democrats for risking "federal services for millions," underscoring the administration's strategy to pin blame on the opposition.

The crisis stems from the failure of Congress to pass the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund much of the federal government. Two separate bills—one passed by the Republican-controlled House and another Democratic alternative—were rejected in the Senate earlier today, leaving negotiators with no clear path forward.

Democrats, who control the Senate, accused Republicans of attaching unrelated policy riders to the funding measure, including demands for stricter immigration enforcement and cuts to health care programs. "This isn't about funding; it's about extremism," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a floor speech, vowing to block any bill that doesn't protect key social services.

The potential shutdown would furlough hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay, halt non-essential services, and delay payments across agencies. National parks could close to visitors, IRS tax refunds might be postponed, and air traffic control could face staffing shortages, though essential operations like military and border security would continue.

Immigration advocates raised alarms about the broader ripple effects, warning that a funding lapse could grind the U.S. immigration system to a halt, delaying asylum claims and visa processing for thousands. "With weeks of failed negotiations, families are already suffering— a shutdown would be catastrophic," said an official with the American Immigration Council.

On the state level, California Governor Gavin Newsom lambasted the Trump administration and Republican congressional leaders, claiming the shutdown would spike monthly health care costs by hundreds of dollars for low-income residents. "Trump to Americans: 'Go F*ck Yourself'—that's the message as he shuts down the government," Newsom said in a fiery statement from Sacramento.

The White House remains defiant, with aides signaling that the president is prepared to use executive authority to mitigate some impacts, though details on those "irreversible" steps remain vague. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson urged a return to the negotiating table, but with the midnight deadline looming, optimism is in short supply.

This marks the latest in a series of high-stakes fiscal battles since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year, testing the limits of divided government. As the clock winds down, all eyes are on Capitol Hill for any sign of breakthrough—or breakdown.