What to know about the government shutdown:
- The government began to shut down overnight after Democrats and Republicans failed to come to an agreement to extend government funding ahead of the Oct. 1, 2025, deadline.
- A House-passed measure that would have extended funding for seven weeks fell short Tuesday in the Senate, where Republicans needed support from Democrats on the measure. But Democrats drew a red line for their support, seeking an extension of expiring health insurance tax credits.
- The lapse in funding forces federal agencies to halt non-essential functions, beginning to implement shutdown procedures on Wednesday morning to keep or send hundreds of thousands of workers home on furlough. Essential employees and those whose duties are funded through other means will stay on the job. Almost no federal workers, whether they are furloughed or not, will be paid until Congress reaches a deal, at which point they'll receive back pay.
- The Senate is reconvening Wednesday and is expected to vote again on the House-passed measure to fund the government, as Republicans look to peel off support from Democrats.
Senate GOP looks to peel of support from Dems with repeat votes on failed funding measure
The Senate will reconvene Wednesday morning and is expected to again vote on measures to keep the government funded, as GOP leaders aim to peel off Democratic support for a House-passed bill to fund the government until Nov. 21
The Senate first voted on the measure on Sept. 19, when all but one Democrat opposed the continuing resolution, while supporting a competing proposal. Then, with hours to fund the government on Tuesday night, the measure again fell short, though Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, joined Democratic Sen. John Fetterman to support the Republican-led measure.
Republicans have 53 seats in the Senate, a majority. But most legislation requires 60 votes to advance, making support from Democrats necessary to fund the government.
With additional opportunities to vote on the measure this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, called on Democrats to break with their party to support the GOP bill. He indicated late Tuesday that "some conversations" were happening with "some Democrats" who are "very unhappy with the situation that they're in," He pointed to the Democrats who voted in favor of the GOP bill Tuesday, saying, "tonight was evidence that there was some movement there."
Senate GOP leaders are expected to continue to offer the measure to fund the government in the days ahead, though the Senate is expected to observe the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, on Thursday.
Why is the government shut down? Here's what's behind the funding lapse
The federal government began shutting down at 12 a.m. on Wednesday after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to extend government funding.
Republicans and Democrats have been at odds over how to fund the government as Democrats have pushed for negotiations over health care tax credits to be included in a funding measure. Without an extension or approval of another funding bill, spending authority expired, sending the federal government into a shutdown.
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Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
