The federal government entered its first shutdown in nearly seven years on Wednesday after a bitterly divided Congress failed to pass more funding by a midnight deadline.
Lawmakers remained deadlocked over Democratic demands to extend expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Hours earlier, the Senate failed to overcome a 60-vote filibuster and approve a short-term funding proposal passed by the House that did not address the health insurance tax credits.
FEDERAL AGENCIES RELEASE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CLOSURE PLANS: WHAT TO KNOW
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In a sign of growing division among Democrats, caucus members Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Angus King (I-ME) joined Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) in siding with Republicans, all of whom voted in favor of the GOP stopgap funding bill, except for libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
A dueling Democratic proposal with progressive policy
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