Trump Warns "Probably" Facing US Government Shutdown as Funding Deadline Approaches

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States government would likely experience its first shutdown in over six years.

Speaking from Washington, Trump informed reporters in the Oval Office just hours before the funding deadline that a government shutdown appeared imminent. "We'll probably have a shutdown," Trump stated. "Nothing is inevitable, but I would say it's probably likely."

This prediction followed an unsuccessful last-minute meeting at the White House on Monday, after which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted that "large differences" continued to separate the negotiating parties.

The negotiations have been characterized by unusual hostility, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly criticizing Trump over what he described as a "racist and fake" AI-generated video the president shared after their meeting.

"Mr President, the next time you have something to say about me, don't cop out through a racist and fake AI video," Jeffries declared during a Tuesday news conference. "When I'm back in the Oval Office, say it to my face."

The controversial video mockingly depicted Schumer and Jeffries announcing plans to provide benefits to undocumented immigrants, with Jeffries falsely shown wearing a sombrero and mustache with mariachi music playing in the background.

Trump countered by placing blame on Democrats for the stalled negotiations and threatened to take measures during any shutdown that would target Democratic priorities, including potential mass public sector layoffs.

"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," Trump warned.

Such actions would compound the impact on government workers following significant personnel cuts earlier this year orchestrated by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

Despite being in the minority in both congressional chambers, Democrats have attempted to leverage their position eight months into Trump's second presidency, which has seen the dismantling of various government agencies.

The Senate requires 60 votes to pass government funding legislation—seven more than Republicans currently control—creating a legislative hurdle.

With compromise appearing unlikely, the Senate was expected to vote on a short-term funding extension already approved by the House of Representatives, though prospects for passage remained dim.

A government shutdown would halt nonessential operations, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees temporarily unpaid and potentially disrupting various social safety-net benefits.

Government shutdowns historically prove unpopular with the American public, with both political parties typically trying to avoid such scenarios while assigning blame to their opponents.

Republicans have proposed extending current funding until late November while negotiating a longer-term spending plan.

Democrats are seeking restoration of hundreds of billions in healthcare funding for low-income households, which the Trump administration appears likely to eliminate.

While the House has already passed a seven-week stopgap funding measure, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has attempted to pressure Senate Democrats by not recalling House members to Washington this week.

In response, many Democrats have returned to the capital, with Jeffries gathering numerous party members in front of the Capitol to criticize Republicans for being "on vacation" as the shutdown deadline approaches.

Congress regularly faces deadlines for spending agreements. Earlier this year, with another shutdown threatening, Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over substantial budget cuts and thousands of federal employee layoffs.

Senate Democrats reluctantly provided the necessary votes to resolve that impasse, though the decision frustrated many within their party base.

The most recent and longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred during Trump's first term, lasting 35 days beginning in December 2018.