A partial shutdown of the U.S. government commenced early Saturday after a funding bill was blocked in the Senate. Spending authority expired at midnight Washington time, triggering a halt of non-essential functions.
Senators resume debate Saturday afternoon on a temporary spending bill that would fund the government through February 8. Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, however, objects to the continuing series of temporary spending bills, saying it "simply kicks the can down the road and fails to get the job done for the American people."
On Friday, a handful of Republicans joined all but a few Democrats in opposing the funding bill, which needed three-fifths backing to advance in the 100-member chamber.
The outcome set off furious discussions among senators on and off the chamber floor, seeking a last-gasp bipartisan deal to restart the flow of federal funding.
The White House responded immediately to the failure to reach a funding agreement. It said in a statement that the Senate Democrats are "obstructionist losers" and blamed them for what it called the "Schumer Shutdown," accusing legislators of valuing illegal immigrants ahead of lawful Americans. The statement said "When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform."
为美国联邦政府拨款的临时预算法案星期五未能在参议院通过，美国政府从星期六凌晨开始部分关闭。预算权限于华盛顿时间星期五午夜到期，非必要部门随即关闭。
参议员星期六下午将继续就一项临时预算法案进行辩论。这项法案将为联邦政府提供运作到2月8号的资金。民主党参议员鲍德恩反对不断通过临时预算法案的做法。他说，“这样做只会把问题向后推，而不能为美国人民解决问题”。
星期五，为数不多的共和党参议员和绝大多数民主党参议员一起，投票反对通过拨款法案。通过这项法案需要总共有100个席位的参议院的五分之三多数通过。
表决之后很多参议员在会场内外继续进行激烈讨论，希望争取两党达成一致，通过继续向联邦政府拨款的议案。
白宫对参议院未能通过拨款法案立即做出反应，指责参议院的民主党人促成了它所说的“舒默式关闭”，并批评参议员对非法移民的关心胜于对合法的美国公民。白宫声明说：“民主党人开始向我们的军队和急救人员支付工资时，我们才会重新谈判移民改革。”