The United States is dangerously close to a budget deadlock after negotiations between the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress failed. Vice President JD Vance warned that on Tuesday at midnight, the country could face a „shutdown,” a situation that would paralyze federal government operations and affect millions of Americans.
At the end of a meeting at the White House between Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress, the American executive’s number two denounced in front of the press the fact that, in his opinion, the Democrats are „putting a gun to the heads of Americans” with their demands to avoid a „shutdown” (the federal institutions’ inability to pay – ed.).
„They come here to say, ‘If you don’t give us everything we want, we will stop the state,'” declared the Republican vice president, referring to the two main Democratic leaders in Congress, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, received by President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon.
„We consider it grotesque, we consider it totally unacceptable,” JD Vance insisted, adding that the Democrats are „putting a gun to the heads of Americans” with their positions.
Before this, the Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, had stated that there are „considerable and significant differences” between the two sides to avoid federal government paralysis.
What does it mean for the US to be in a „shutdown”
On Tuesday night into Wednesday, at midnight (Wednesday morning, 7:00 AM Romanian time), without the adoption of a budget text, even temporarily, the United States will be in a „shutdown” situation, leading to the halt of most federal services.
Hundreds of thousands of public servants will then be on furlough, air traffic could be affected, and the payment of many social benefits could be severely disrupted.
It is a very unpopular situation that both Democrats and Republicans traditionally try to avoid, shifting responsibility onto the rival camp, especially in light of the midterm legislative elections in November 2026, when the congressional presidential majority will be at stake.
The Failure of Trump-Democrats Negotiations
With just over 24 hours before the deadline, each side remains entrenched. On one hand, Republicans propose an extension of the current budget until the end of November. On the other hand, Democrats want to restore hundreds of billions of dollars earmarked for healthcare spending, particularly for the „Obamacare” health insurance program for lower-income households, which the Trump administration planned to eliminate through the budget law adopted in July.
Although Republicans hold the majority in both chambers of Congress, the Senate rules require a budget text to be adopted with 60 out of 100 votes, thus necessitating seven Democratic votes.
„We will not support a partisan Republican bill that continues to dismantle the healthcare system of ordinary Americans. Period,” stated Hakeem Jeffries after the meeting with Donald Trump.
But the White House seems unwilling to give an inch to the opposition. Even before the meeting, Donald Trump scolded the Democrats, stating that they „will have to do something because their ideas are not very good.” And in an attempt to make them yield, the White House Budget Office director, Russell Vought, recently threatened to make the temporary suspension of public servants during the „shutdown” permanent.
Hakeem Jeffries labeled Russell Vought as a „malevolent politician” and vowed on X: „We will not be intimidated.”
In March, when the threat of a „shutdown” loomed, Republicans refused to initiate dialogue on massive budget cuts and the dismissal of thousands of public servants. Ten Democratic senators, including Chuck Schumer, reluctantly decided to vote in favor of the Republicans’ text to avoid federal paralysis. Their choice sparked strong debates within the Democratic camp, with numerous activists and supporters accusing them of capitulating to Donald Trump and his perceived radical agenda. This time, the septuagenarian senator seems determined to confront the Republican president.