Efforts to end the ongoing federal government shutdown have stalled in the US Senate for a fourth time, ensuring the impasse will extend into next week.
Two distinct spending proposals, one put forth by Democrats and the other by Republicans, both failed to garner the necessary 60 votes for passage.
Faced with the continued deadlock, the White House stated Friday that it would be forced to undertake the “unenviable task” of implementing mass layoffs to maintain essential government services. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described this measure as a matter of “fiscal sanity”.
The precise scope of these potential layoffs remains unclear, but the White House has reportedly been in discussions with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties have remained firm on their key point of contention: healthcare. Democrats have sought to leverage the current stalemate to protect health insurance subsidies for low-income individuals and to reverse cuts to the Medicaid health programme enacted by the Trump administration.
Republicans, conversely, have repeatedly accused Democrats of instigating the government shutdown in an effort to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants – an allegation Democratic leaders have refuted.
A total of 54 Senators voted in favour of the Republican-backed proposal to fund the government, while 44 voted against it, and two abstained.
A separate proposal led by Democrats also failed to pass, receiving 45 votes in favour and 52 against.
Both parties have continued to place blame on the other for the shutdown, with little indication of progress in ongoing negotiations.
“We can vote and vote and vote,” Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri told the BBC. “But it’s up to basically five people.”
During a White House news briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of holding Americans “hostage over their demands.”
“The economic consequences of this shut down are piling up every day,” she added, noting the potential loss of $15bn (£11.1bn) in GDP each week as unemployment rises.
White House officials have repeatedly stated their intent to lay off federal workers should the shutdown persist. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump indicated he would meet with Russell Vought, the head of OMB, to identify “which of the many Democrat agencies” should be subject to cuts.
The White House has not provided specific details regarding the scope or timeline for potential layoffs or agency cuts. Leavitt stated that the majority of these cuts would affect agencies that “do not align with this administration’s values of putting our country first.”
As part of the federal government’s response to the shutdown, Vought announced Friday the suspension of $2.1bn in federal infrastructure funding for Chicago, adding to the previous freezing of $18bn in infrastructure spending in New York City and the cancellation of approximately $8bn in funding for federal energy projects in several Democratic-led states.
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Democrats are prioritizing the healthcare issue “because we know Americans want this.”
“And we know many of my Republican colleagues want this as well,” he continued. “But failure to act would be devastating, and Republicans know it.”
Several Democrats, including Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, have expressed a desire to hear directly from the president regarding the ongoing impasse.
Citing a bipartisan border bill that the president ultimately rejected last year, they voiced concerns that any negotiations with Senate Republicans could ultimately be undermined by Trump.
Early polling suggests that Americans are deeply divided on the shutdown. A Washington Post poll conducted on 1 October found that 47% of US adults place blame on Republicans, while 30% attribute it to Democrats.
An additional 23% expressed uncertainty.
(With additional reporting from Cai Pigliucci on Capitol Hill)
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