Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued a memo on Tuesday evening directing government agencies to begin executing their plans “for an orderly shutdown.”
Vought wrote to agency leaders with just hours to go until government funding lapses at midnight. The OMB director blamed the impending shutdown on “Democrats’ insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending.”
“As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown,” Vought wrote.
Many government agencies have released contingency plans in the event of a shutdown, which will lead to thousands of federal workers being furloughed and could affect the distribution of certain government benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
President Trump has also threatened to lay off federal workers in the event of a shutdown and cut certain programs favored by Democrats.
“It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” Vought wrote in Tuesday’s memo.
“Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities,” he continued. “We will issue another memorandum indicating the government functions should resume once the President has signed a bill providing for appropriations.”
Senate Democrats on Tuesday night voted almost unanimously to defeat a House-passed bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. Senate Democrats had previously rejected the same House GOP-backed bill on Sept. 19.
Centrist Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) were the only Democrats to vote for the Republican-drafted measure, as did Sen. Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Democrats in the Senate had offered an alternative that would have funded the government until Oct. 31, permanently extended enhanced health insurance premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire in three months and restored nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. That measure also failed.
Any funding measure requires 60 votes to pass the Senate, meaning Republicans would need the support of at least seven Democrats.
