Trump says US government will 'probably' shut down

Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned that the United States government is likely to face its first shutdown in over six years, with federal funding set to expire at midnight amid deadlocked negotiations between Democrats and Republicans.

"We'll probably have a shutdown," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office just hours before the funding deadline. "Nothing is inevitable but I would say it's probably likely."

The president’s grim prediction followed a last-ditch meeting at the White House on Monday that ended without progress. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged persistent “large differences” between the two parties, with no breakthrough in sight.

Trump placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the stalled talks and threatened to use the shutdown as leverage by targeting progressive priorities and forcing significant public sector job cuts.

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible that are bad for them... like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like,” he warned.

With Democrats in the minority in both chambers of Congress, the impasse continues amid mounting tensions eight months into Trump’s second term, during which several government agencies have been dismantled.

The Senate requires a supermajority of 60 votes to pass funding bills, but Republicans control fewer seats, making compromise difficult. A vote on a short-term funding extension, already passed by the House of Representatives, was expected but had little chance of success.

If a shutdown occurs, nonessential government operations would halt, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed without pay and disrupting the delivery of many social welfare benefits.

Government shutdowns remain deeply unpopular, and both parties typically seek to avoid them—while blaming each other if a closure occurs.

Republicans have proposed extending current funding until late November to allow time for negotiations on a longer-term budget plan. Democrats, however, insist on restoring hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare spending for low-income households, which the Trump administration seeks to cut.

The House passed a seven-week stop-gap funding measure, but Republican Speaker Mike Johnson declined to recall the Senate this week, aiming to pressure Senate Democrats. Many Democrats have already returned to Washington, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticising Republicans for being “on vacation” as the shutdown looms.

“We're not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people—not now, not ever,” Jeffries said.

The ongoing budget stalemate is familiar territory. Earlier this year in March, Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over budget cuts and potential federal layoffs, leading to a standoff that only ended after Senate Democrats reluctantly agreed to support a funding bill, angering their base.

The most prolonged shutdown in U.S. history—and the last to date—occurred during Trump’s first term, lasting 35 days from December 2018.