The United States government is on the brink of its first shutdown in six years, as funding expired at midnight on Tuesday following a heated standoff between Democrats and Republicans. Despite intense negotiations in Congress, no agreement was reached to extend government funding beyond the fiscal year’s end. Senate Republicans attempted to pass a temporary funding measure approved by the House but fell short of the necessary Democratic support to send it to President Donald Trump’s desk. Trump, anticipating the shutdown, told reporters in the Oval Office, “We’ll probably have a shutdown.” This prediction followed a failed last-minute meeting at the White House on Monday, where Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer noted “large differences” remained between the parties. The negotiations were further strained by a controversial AI-generated video posted by Trump, which House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned as “racist and fake.” The video mocked Schumer and Jeffries, falsely depicting them as promoting benefits for illegal immigrants. Trump blamed Democrats for the impasse and threatened to target progressive priorities and implement mass public sector job cuts during the shutdown. He suggested that a shutdown could be an opportunity to eliminate Democratic policies. This potential shutdown comes amid ongoing tensions in Congress, where Democrats, despite being in the minority, are leveraging their influence to push for restored healthcare spending for low-income households. The House Republicans have proposed a stopgap measure to extend funding until late November, but Democrats are demanding significant healthcare investments. Government shutdowns, which halt nonessential operations and leave hundreds of thousands of civil servants without pay, are deeply unpopular. The longest shutdown in US history occurred during Trump’s first term, lasting 35 days from December 2018.