4 days ago
The White House has officially declared an imminent government shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a GOP-backed spending bill to keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21.
A memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said current federal funding levels "expire at 11:59 p.m. tonight."
"Unfortunately, Democrat senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate due to Democrats' insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending," the memo said.
The memo went on to say that President Donald Trump is supportive of the GOP-led funding bill, which is a short-term extension of current federal spending levels called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at keeping the government funded for seven weeks as lawmakers work on a deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026 priorities.
"But it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59 p.m. tonight and force a government shutdown. As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown," the memo said.
"It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities."
OMB said a follow-up memo would be issued when a spending bill is passed and signed into law by Trump, resuming full federal operations.
The GOP-led CR was tanked in the Senate on Tuesday evening, failing to reach the chamber's 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster and proceed with debate on the bill. The vote fell 55–45, with three members of the Democratic caucus crossing the aisle and voting with Republicans.
One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against the measure.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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