Democrats FLEE Washington as America plunged into shutdown chaos: Live updates

Industry experts have warned that the government shutdown will cause chaos across America’s airports.

Although air traffic controllers and TSA agents will continue to work, they will not be paid until the shutdown ends, according to the Transportation Department.

Nearly a quarter of the people who work at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are expected to be furloughed, and the shutdown could cause massive delays to repairs and construction on airports.

The shutdown will also force the FAA to suspend hiring and training and delay safety initiatives, according to experts.

The US Travel Association, a non-profit that represents all components of the industry, warned that a government shutdown could cost $1 billion a week and create ‘unnecessary strain on an already overextended federal travel workforce.’

‘The consequences of inaction are immediate and severe. A shutdown exacerbates staffing shortages among Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers, threatening longer airport security lines, flight delays, and cancellations,’ the group said in a letter to Congressional leaders.

As of 4pm ET on Wednesday, 1,741 flights within, into, or out of the United States have been delayed and 37 have been cancelled, according to FlightAware.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service will not be disrupted by the federal shutdown, according to the Commerce department.

The US Department of Commerce said in a blog that ‘weather, water, climate observations, prediction, forecasting, warning, and related support,’ along with fishery management, would continue during the shutdown, while less-critical NOAA research activities would cease.

The agencies provide life-saving forecasting as the country braces for hurricane season.

ICE said that immigration laws and enforcement will not be impacted during the federal government shutdown.

‘DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: There is NO CHANGE to U.S. immigration laws or border enforcement,’ the agency said.

‘Rumors that a U.S. government shutdown will allow illegal immigrants to enter the United States are FALSE. U.S. immigration laws and enforcement efforts remain unchanged.

‘Border security and enforcement efforts remain strict, and crossing the border without authorization remains a crime.’

White House Press Secretary said it is ‘very likely’ that ‘layoffs are imminent.’

She said that the Office of Management and Budget is ‘looking over the receipts and looking over the budget of the entire federal bureaucracy… determining what needs to continue to go out the door and what can we continue to keep running and what, unfortunately, is going to have to come to an end.’

‘Unfortunately, layoffs are very likely, as the vice president just said, going to be a part of that. We believe that layoffs are imminent.’

Washington’s National Women’s Soccer League team, the Washington Spirit, is offering free tickets for federal employees to their game on Sunday.

‘During these uncertain times, we know many of you feel the weight of furloughs and others are coping with painful layoffs,’ the announcement said.

‘The halls of government may fall silent, but your service and sacrifice echo louder than ever in this region.’

The team is offering free tickets to the first 200 federal employees who claim a voucher.

Various federally funded attractions across the US are closed due to the government shutdown.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston is closed.

In San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge Fort Point National Historic Site is closed.

The Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park & Preservation District in Atlanta is closed.

The White House displayed an AI video of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a sombrero in the briefing room.

Hakeem has called the video racist, but VP JD Vance defended the clip, calling it funny.

Donald Trump called out California Congresswoman Maxine Waters in his latest Truth Social post about the government shutdown.

‘Maxine Waters admitted that she is demanding Healthcare for Illegal Aliens, and it’s going to be Top of the Line, taking American Taxpayers’ Healthcare away from them!’ he said.

An email sent out by the Department of Veterans Affairs blamed Democrats for their role in the government shutdown, NBC News reported.

‘President Trump opposes a lapse in appropriations, and on September 19, the House of Representatives passed, with the Trump Administration’s support, a clean continuing resolution to fund the government through November 21,’ the message said.

‘Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands.’

During a government shutdown, veteran health care will continue. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.

A 2023 report from the National Airspace System Safety Review Team found that federal government shutdowns ‘undermines’ the FAA’s ability to perform ‘safety-critical’ measures.

‘This stop-and-start process in Congress has resulted in the disruption of critical activities, notably including the hiring and training of air traffic controllers,’ the report said.

‘It has also slowed down the implementation of key technology modernization programs, delayed thousands of flights, and held up billions of dollars of airport infrastructure investments.’

The report noted that government shutdowns make it ‘extremely difficult for the FAA to effectively conduct long-term business planning and execution.’

‘The efficient use of tax dollars and the preservation of benchmarked schedules are nearly impossible when the budgetary appropriation for a program is not known until mid-way through the budget year.’

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the Sen. Chuck Schumer hasn’t been able to hold his party together after several Dems voted with Republicans to pass a spending bill.

‘Sen. Schumer was not expecting three moderates to break with him last night,’ Leavitt said.

‘In fact, last night, you heard Sen. Schumer say he can’t guarantee that he will be able to hold his caucus together.’

The press secretary encouraged other Senate Democrats to buck the party.

‘And so again, we encourage Democrats to have the courage to do the right thing, do what you have done 13 times previously, and vote for this clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded,’ Leavitt said.

Vice President JD Vance continued to blame Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the government shutdown.

‘Chuck Schumer is terrified he’s going to get a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,’ Vance said at the press briefing.

‘The reason why the American people’s government is shut down is because Chuck Schumer is listening to the far-left radicals in his own party because he’s terrified of a primary challenge.

‘So I’d invite Chuck Schumer to join the moderate Democrats and 52 Senate Republicans, do the right thing, open up the people’s government, and then let’s fix healthcare policy for the American people.’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacted to the government shutdown on X.

‘Congressional Democrats made the choice to shut down the government,’ he said.

‘Their partisan actions are undermining America on the world stage and jeopardizing our national security.’

The betting site Polymarket on Wednesday found that most users weren’t as optimistic about the length of the government shutdown.

The fewest number of people betting the shutdown would only last a few days, and more than a third betting it would stretch longer than October 15.

The next Senate vote isn’t expected until Friday, due to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, so the government shutdown will at least stretch until the end of the work week.

Paul Donovan, the global chief economist for Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), warned that a lack of official data could let rumor and unreliable surveys sway markets — potentially sparking volatility that hits retirement savings and investment portfolios.

The US Labor and Commerce Departments said on Monday that if there’s a shutdown, they will stop releasing key economic data.

This includes the vitally important September jobs report, construction spending, and possibly August trade data. These reports guide decisions by the Federal Reserve, businesses, and investors — meaning their absence could leave markets lurching on speculation.

Vice President JD Vance predicted on Wednesday that the federal government shutdown would be quick because moderate Democrats were already ‘cracking.’

He was asked if the shutdown would be lengthy due to Republicans claiming that Democrats want to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants and Democrats saying the Republicans are lying.

‘I can’t predict what congressional Democrats are going to do,’ Vance said before answering, ‘I actually don’t think it’s going to be that long of a shutdown.’

‘This is a pure guess from the Vice President of the United States because I think you already saw some evidence that moderate Democrats are cracking a little bit,’ he added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed Republicans are enjoying the government shutdown.

‘Republicans are delighted to have shut down the government. Why? Because they want to continue to hurt everyday Americans,’ he said a press conference.

‘And certainly they want to continue to hurt civil servants who in many cases have served this country well, including in uniform, for decades. And the Trump administration and Mike Johnson and Donald Trump could care less because cruelty is the point for them.’

Despite airports remaining operational, 60 percent of Americans have indicated they would ‘cancel or avoid trips by air’ in the event of a shutdown, according to a recent survey cited by the US Travel Association.

An influx in cancellations could be detrimental to the Vegas economy, which is heavily fueled by travel and tourism.

The Senate is set to take a break from voting on a government funding bill on Thursday for Yom Kippur, reported CNN.

Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill on Friday for voting.

It is unclear how long the government shutdown will last, but if legislation is not passed by Friday, it is expected that they will vote on Saturday.

Legislators will have Sunday off and then return for the week on Monday.

White House budget director Russ Vought announced on Wednesday that there will be massive cuts to green energy projects.

‘Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,’ he said.

‘The projects are in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA.’

Vice President JD Vance told reporters he doesn’t think the shutdown will last much longer.

‘I actually don’t think it’s going to be that long of a shutdown,’ he said at the White House press briefing.

‘This is a pure guess from the Vice President of the United States because I think you already saw some evidence that moderate Democrats are cracking a little bit. They understand the fundamental illogic of this.’

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are expected to be furloughed during the government shutdown.

A furlough is an unpaid temporary leave of absence taken as a cost saving measure.

Now that a lapse in funding has occurred, the law requires agencies to furlough their ‘non-excepted’ employees.

Excepted employees, which include those who work to protect life and property, stay on the job but don’t get paid until after the shutdown ends.

Various federally funded buildings and attractions were impacted by the government shutdown on Wednesday.

In Los Angeles, people queued to enter the Federal Building where services are experiencing significant disruptions.

Visitors drove past unstaffed entrance stations at Acadia National Park in Maine.

In Philadelphia, tourist tried to sneak a peak at the Liberty Bell, which was closed due to the shutdown.

New numbers obtained by Senator Joni Ernst’s office from the Congressional Budget Office reveal the true costs of keeping the federal government closed.

The report reveals that it will cost taxpayers $400 million per day during the shutdown to pay roughly 750,000 furloughed federal employees not to work.

A delay in federal workers seeing paychecks was also noted by the CBO to have knock-on economic effects.

CBO specifically notes that in the past, ‘stalled federal spending on goods and services led to a loss of private-sector income.’

The CBO’s report also shows that the previous shutdown cost $3 billion in GDP and was never recovered.

Government shutdowns occur when there is a lapse in federal funding because Congress fails to pass funding legislation.

Since 1981, there have been 10 shutdowns lasting three days or less, and four that have lasted 15 days or more.

The most recent shutdown started on December 21, 2018, under President Trump and lasted 35 days.

Democrat Senator John Fetterman, who voted with Republicans to keep the government open, told NBC News if the shutdown is being used for ‘entertainment,’ then ‘this is really a s**t show.’

‘I am frustrated. Why are we shutting the government down?’ Fetterman asked. ‘You know, we should have a conversation. Why can’t we agree?’

Speaking at the White House press briefing, Vice President JD Vance hinted that moderate Democrats might already be ‘cracking.’

Fetterman, as well as Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, voted in favor of the GOP proposal that failed to pass on Wednesday, mirroring a vote they took on Tuesday evening in an attempt to avoid the shutdown.

Members of Congress get paid during a shutdown, but at least one Senator will donate the money he receives during the closure.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina announced on Wednesday that his offices are open during the federal government shutdown and are providing services.

Graham also shared that he would be donating his salary to the Upstate Warrior Solution, a non-profit providing ‘community-based solutions’ to warriors and their families in South Carolina.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt left a fiery message on the White House comment line voicemail amid the government shutdown.

‘Democrats in Congress have shut down the federal government because they care more about funding health care for illegal immigrants than they care about serving you, the American people,’ Leavitt said on the recording.

‘Until Democrats vote for the clean Republican-backed Continuing Resolution to reopen the government, the White House is unable to answer your call or respond to your questions.’

Additionally, an automated response from the White House Press Office email also blames Democrats for their inability to respond.

‘Due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown, the typical 24/7 monitoring of this press inbox may experience delays. We ask for your patience as our staff work to field your requests in a timely manner,’ the email said.

‘As you await a response, please remember this could have been avoided if the Democrats voted for the clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government open.’

The Kennedy Center confirmed that the center is still open amid the government shutdown.

‘The shows are still on, and our doors remain open,’ the performing arts center said on X.

‘The Kennedy Center will continue all performances during a government shutdown.’

Three senators sided with Republicans in an attempt to move their funding bills forward as the measure failed in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon.

Democratic Senators Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Cortez-Masto of Nevada, as well as Independent Angus King of Maine, voted in favor of the GOP proposal, mirroring a vote they took on Tuesday evening in an attempt to avoid the shutdown.

Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul split from the rest of his party to oppose their funding proposal.

The vote tally was 55-45, and 60 votes are needed to pass the funding package.

Tourists were left wondering around Washington, DC as major hubs closed Wednesday morning due to the government shutdown.

During their weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, House Democratic Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu spoke to reporters on Wednesday to share their views on the root causes of the government shutdown.

‘It should come as no surprise to Republicans that we wouldn’t support their agenda that dismantles health care, makes it more expensive, and puts it out of reach for hard-working families. That’s why we’ve done everything in our power to give Republicans the opportunity to do the right thing, to join with us, to work, to collaborate, to have conversations, to have bipartisan funding bills that look out for the economic well-being of the country,’ Aguilar said at the press conference.

Lieu took an even harsher tone, calling out his House Republicans for not being present in Washington, DC, during the shutdown, as the House was planned to be out of session this week.

‘They are on vacation. We are asking Speaker Johnson to bring back House Republicans right now so we can work together to not have this government shutdown,’ Lieu stated.

The official government website for the Department of Housing and Urban Development has a banner blaming the ‘Radical Left’ for the shutdown.

‘The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need,’ the pop-up banner states.

Some ethics lawyers told CNN the banner may violate federal ethics rules that bar the use of government agency operations for partisan politics.

‘I know HUD is claiming the term “Radical Left” isn’t partisan politics,’ said DC-based attorney Kevin Owen, who represents federal workers. ‘That’s not plausible.’

Special Report host Baier pushed back, saying the situation was actually ‘kind of simple’. He claimed Democrats should hold the blame due to not making enough concessions.

Senators were not able to move the Democrat funding proposal for the federal government forward on the first day of the 2025 government shutdown.

The vote to advance the Democrat Continuing Resolution failed on a party-line vote of 47 to 53 just before noon on Wednesday.

A White House official told ABC News that construction of the White House ballroom will continue through the government shutdown.

‘There will not be a stoppage of ballroom work when the shutdown occurs,’ the official said.

‘Work will continue to be performed as the funds currently supporting are not tied to a FY26 enacted appropriation.’

The White House has previously stated that construction of the ballroom is funded by private donations.

Last week, the White House Office of Management and Budget noted in a memo that projects not funded by the government will continue amid the shutdown.

Donald Trump is dangling a jobs bloodbath over the federal workforce as a sword of Damocles if the Democrats fail to agree a deal to end the government shut down.

Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is meeting with House Republicans at 1pm to discuss the DOGE-style cuts.

Vought, a Trump appointee, is responsible for some 3 million workers as head of the OMB which decides during shut downs who continues working, who is furloughed and which services must continue.

Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the House will return to Washington next week amid the government shutdown.

‘Yes, the House will be returning next week, and they would be here this week, except that we did our work,’ he said.

‘There is nothing truly that we can do much on the floor while the lights are almost literally out here. We have to open the government.’

Experts are warning that customer service at the Social Security Administration (SSA) may be disrupted — making it more difficult for beneficiaries to get in touch about certain queries.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) put her tour guide hat on Wednesday to make sure students got to walk the halls of the U.S. Capitol.

The tour was canceled due to the federal government shutdown going into effect on October 1, 2025.

So the New York progressive stepped in to make sure the kids got the full experience.

Federal workers told the BBC that the government shutdown is messing with their livelihoods.

‘The last shutdown was brutal,’ one anonymous worker said. He claimed that in 2018, the last shutdown ‘forced me to withdraw money from my retirement plan just to cover my bills.’

‘I voted for Trump, but I did not vote for his abuses against us.’

Another worker said, ‘Shutting down the government really does make life more complicated for us.’

‘There are human lives that we take care of daily, and we go in whether there’s a shutdown or not. Holding onto our pay until they come up with a compromise is toying with millions of lives, on both sides of the law.’

Speaking on the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Republican claims the government shutdown is over immigrant health care is false.

‘That is a damn lie. Not one dollar of Medicare, Medicaid or ACA is allowed to go to undocumented immigrants,’ he said.

‘It’s a lie so lazy and so outlandish it’s easy to rebut. But again, let me be clear, undocumented people cannot and will not receive premium tax credit by law.’

Daily Mail’s Jon Raasch explains the US government shutdown.

Daily Mail’s Nikki Schwab reports that the White House is playing a clip of Democrats previous remarks on government shutdowns on a loop inside the briefing room.

“The first, the simplest, the most important job of Congress is keeping the government working for the people,’ Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning.

‘All the Democrats have always said that until this week,’ Johnson also added.

Johnson also framed Democrats as the party squarely responsible for the shutdown, because he believes that his party has delivered a clean continuing resolution, only 24 pages long.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune also shared Johnson’s sentiments, adding that, ‘unfortunately, we are here, this morning, in a government shutdown that Democrats wanted.’

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced on Wednesday that several massive NYC infrastructure projects have been placed on hold.

‘Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,’ he said on X.

Later adding, ‘Specifically, the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway.’

The funding freeze targets the districts of Democrat lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries who are leading the obstruction against Trump’s agenda.

The strike of midnight on Wednesday ushered in the first federal government shutdown since December 2018, when a standoff over border wall funding during President Trump’s first term led to a historic 35-day stoppage.

It was the longest shutdown in more than 40 years and started on December 22, 2018 and went until January 25, 2019.

The Congressional Budget Office said it cost the US an estimated $3 billion in lost GDP

During that time, 340,000 employees were furloughed, according to data from the Government Accountability Office.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for forcing a government shutdown.

Hours before her press briefing on Wednesday, Leavitt posted to X an image of the U.S. Capitol laden in a white sheet with the caption: ‘Democrats have shut down the government.’

She also posted an image of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with two thumbs up during an MSNBC interview, claiming the New York Senator was celebrating the ‘Democrat Shutdown.’

Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a deal before the midnight deadline that would fund the federal government.

The Labor Department said on Monday that all data releases would be suspended during a shutdown.

Employees in the federal government, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, will stop working.

‘BLS will suspend all operations,’ a memo from the department said. ‘Economic data that are scheduled to be released during the lapse will not be released.’

The plans include a pause on all upcoming federal economic reports, including the monthly nonfarm payrolls data that was set for an all-important release on Friday.

FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints keep working. So do members of the Armed Forces.

Those programs that rely on mandatory spending generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.

Veteran health care also continues during a shutdown. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer denied that Democrats are to blame for the government down, claiming it is House Speaker Mike Johnson’s fault during an interview on MSNBC.

‘There are Republicans on the Senate side who are saying, “Let’s sit down and negotiate.” We should, and it has to, by the way, it’s not just Thune. It has to include Johnson,’ Schumer said.

‘Johnson has been the real bad guy in this. If you want to know who wanted a shutdown, there’s one sentence that proves it, Johnson had the Congress, the House, not even be in session when the shutdown occurs. How do you negotiate like that?’

A notice from the National Park Service was placed outside the Washington Monument Wednesday morning.

‘Due to the government shutdown, the Washington Monument will remain closed until further notice,’ the flier said.

‘We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

‘Please check the National Mall and Memorial Parks website for any updates.’

The Daily Mail breaks down the federal government shutdown and its impact on Americans.

Economically, the shutdown is expected to impose temporary disruptions, but its long-term effects are expected to be limited, according to many analysts.

Layoffs could dampen consumer spending and slow services such as health inspections, veterans’ assistance and Social Security inquiries.

The shutdown will also force the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend hiring and training and delay safety initiatives, according to experts.

Essential operations, including border security, law enforcement and medical care will continue.

The government shutdown will not impact the US Postal Service, and it will remain open.

The postal service is an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of products and services, rather than through tax dollars.

Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that Democrats have taken the government hostage over a policy disagreement.

‘You will not shut down the government because you disagree about a funding program that does not expire for a few months,’ he said.

‘You can’t reward this hostage taking, what we would be doing if we allow it to be conditional on Democrats’ policy disagreement. We will negotiate, we want to lower healthcare costs for the American people

‘We care a lot, but we’re not going to negotiate with hostage takers, and that is what Democrats have done.’

Vice President JD Vance blamed Sen. Chuck Schumer for the government shutdown and warned Americans that their flights could be delayed.

‘This is basically Chuck Schumer, he is worried he will get a primary challenge from AOC, and so he is shutting down the people’s government to give in to the left-wing coalition… People are going to suffer because of it,’ he said on Fox News.

People who benefit from the low-income food program will suffer. If you are flying today, I hope you arrive safely and on time, but you may not arrive on time because the TSA and the air traffic controllers are not getting paid today. Our military is not getting paid today.’

The Department of Education stated that many of its core operations will continue during the shutdown, but some services will be affected.

Investigations into civil rights complaints will halt, and the department will not issue new federal grants. The department also expects about 87 percent of its workforce will be furloughed.

However, it will still issue federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and federal loans, and borrowers will still be required to make their payments.

The department will also continue to process the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Vice President JD Vance blasted Democrats for shutting down the government over healthcare concerns.

‘It is important for American people to realize far left faction of senate Democrats shut down government because we wouldn’t give them hundreds of billions of dollars for healthcare benefits for illegal aliens,’ he told Fox News Wednesday morning.

‘Now they say they want Americans to have low cost healthcare. I agree, of course we want Americans to have low cost healthcare. Let’s work together on that.

‘You don’t shut the government down, you don’t take the government as a hostage, because you want to engage in a negotiation about healthcare costs.’

The federal government shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a deal and missed the deadline for funding the government.

Republicans supported a short-term measure to fund the government generally at current levels through November 21

However, Democrats blocked it, demanding that the legislation reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s massive bill passed this summer and extend tax credits that make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people who purchase coverage through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act.

Neither party appears willing to budge, leaving the government shutdown in place until they can reach a resolution.

Wednesday marks the first federal government shutdown since December 2018, when a standoff over border wall funding during President Trump’s first term led to a historic 35-day closure that ended in 2019.

The lapse in funding could result in hundreds of thousands of government workers getting furloughed, while millions of federal employees will be on edge as they await to know whether or not they are deemed ‘essential’ and need to work during the shutdown. The 1.3 million U.S. military personnel will go without pay as well.

For everyday Americans, services like passport offices, federal loan offices and food inspections will come to a grinding halt, as these services are deemed non-essential. Museums and National Parks will close, too.

Donald Trump continued to mock House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries just hours before the government shut down.

The president shared a clip of Jeffries condemning his earlier posts trolling the Democrats and edited to put a mariachi hat and mustache on the minority leader while a band of Trumps plays.

America has officially shut down after Donald Trump shared a behind-the-scenes photo from his failed negotiations with Democrats.

The strike of midnight on Wednesday ushered in the first federal government shutdown since December 2018, when a standoff over border wall funding during President Trump’s first term led to a historic 35-day stoppage.

The Senate plans to vote on the twice-failed funding bill again on Wednesday morning, but most House Republicans are not even in Washington, leaving a timeline for a resolution an open question.

At the heart of the standoff is Democratic Party demands that Republicans agree to restoring cuts to healthcare that were enacted over the summer.

The shut down came just hours after the president continued to mock Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House counterpart Hakeem Jeffries over the breakdown in talks.