Trump says US government will ‘probably’ shut down

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on Sept 30 that the US government would probably see its first shutdown in more than six years, with funding expiring at midnight and no breakthrough in sight in acrimonious negotiations between Democrats and Republicans.

“We’ll probably have a shutdown,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, just hours before the deadline for a deal.

“Nothing is inevitable, but I would say it’s probably likely.”

Mr Trump’s assessment came after a last-gasp meeting at the White House on Sept 29 yielded no deal, with top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer saying afterwards that “large differences” remained between the sides.

Beyond the lack of progress, the negotiations have been unusually caustic and bitter, with top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries berating Mr Trump over a “racist and fake” artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video the President posted after the meeting.

“Mr President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video,” Mr Jeffries told a news conference on Sept 30.

“When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.”

The video mocked Mr Schumer and Mr Jeffries in vulgar terms, falsely depicting them announcing plans to entice illegal immigrants with benefits, while showing Mr Jeffries wearing a sombrero and bushy moustache as mariachi music plays.

Mr Trump in turn blamed Democrats over the stalled talks and threatened to punish the party and its voters during any stoppage by targeting progressive priorities and forcing mass 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.

The move would add to the pain of government workers after large-scale firings orchestrated by tycoon Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency earlier in 2025.

Democrats, in the minority in both Chambers of Congress, have been seeking to flex rare leverage over the federal government, eight months into Mr Trump’s barnstorming second presidency that has seen entire government agencies dismantled.

The 100-member Senate requires 60 votes to pass government funding Bills – seven more than the Republicans control.

With no sign of compromise, an afternoon Senate vote was expected on a short-term funding extension already passed by the House of Representatives, although there was little hope it would succeed.

A shutdown would see non-essential operations grind to a halt,

leaving hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily without pay, and payment of many social safety-net benefits potentially disrupted.

‘On vacation’

US government shutdowns are deeply unpopular, and Democrats and Republicans alike try to avoid the scenario – while blaming the other camp in the event of a closure.

Republicans have proposed to extend current funding until late November, pending negotiations on a longer-term spending plan.

Democrats want to see hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare spending for low-income households restored, which the Trump administration is likely to eliminate.

The House has already passed a seven-week stopgap funding measure, and Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has sought to force Senate Democrats’ hands by not bringing his Chamber back to Washington this week.

But many Democrats have shown up and Mr Jeffries assembled dozens of his members in front of the US Capitol to berate Republicans for being “on vacation” as the shutdown looms.

The gridlocked Congress regularly runs into deadlines to agree on spending plans.

In March 2025, with the threat of another shutdown looming, Republicans refused to engage in dialogue with Democrats over massive budget cuts and the layoffs of thousands of federal employees.

Senate Democrats reluctantly provided the votes to end the stand-off, but the decision angered the party base.

The longest shutdown in history – and the latest – came during Mr Trump’s first term, when government functions were halted for 35 days from December 2018. AFP