White House Commences Shutdown Plans as Democrats Block Funding

The US government hurtled toward a Wednesday shutdown as Democrats blocked a Republican stopgap funding package that didn’t address their demands, the latest sign that neither party was likely to fold in the final hours before a federal funding deadline.

With no more votes planned in the Senate before a midnight deadline, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget instructed government agencies to “execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”