What we covered
• Shutdown standoff: A possible government shutdown is days away, with President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers locked in a funding standoff with Democrats. Here’s what to expect if Congress doesn’t strike a deal before Wednesday.
• Trump’s stance: Sources say the president will meet with top congressional leaders from both parties tomorrow. He canceled an earlier sit-down with Democrats and has called their demands, which center primarily on health care policy, “totally unreasonable.”
• Meanwhile: The president says he’ll send troops to Portland to guard ICE facilities as he continues his law enforcement and immigration crackdowns. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House tomorrow as Trump voices optimism on a potential deal to end the war in Gaza.
We’ve wrapped up our live coverage. Read more about the looming government shutdown here.
The Education Department will furlough most employees if the government shuts down
Only a few Department of Education employees would continue working if the federal government shuts down on Wednesday, according to the agency’s updated contingency plan, released Sunday.
Nearly 1,500 of the department’s 1,700 workers would be furloughed, along with nearly 650 of its 750 staffers in the Office of Federal Student Aid, according to the plan. (The department’s figure does not include the student aid staffers.) Most of the workers deemed essential would be retained to perform duties implied necessary by law.
The agency would continue to dole out Pell Grants and federal student loans and would keep making Title I and IDEA grant funding available. States, schools and others could still access the billions of dollars in awards the department made over the summer.
Also, employees working on activities related to provisions in the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act would remain on the job.
But the agency would stop issuing any new grants, though it doesn’t expect that to have much of an impact.
“The majority of the Department’s grant programs typically make awards over the summer and therefore there would be limited impact on the Department’s grantmaking,” the agency wrote in its plan. “Grantees will continue to be able to drawdown funds from these awards, and therefore, the impacts on schools and students should be minimal.”
Also, the agency’s Office for Civil Rights would halt reviews of complaints.
If the shutdown lasts longer than a week, then the department would adjust the plan. Some employees would be called to work on a partial or rotating basis.
The Trump administration has slashed the agency’s workforce and vowed to dismantle it completely.
DOD, DHS outline their shutdown plans
The departments of Defense and Homeland Security are among the first agencies to post updated plans explaining how they’ll function if the government shuts down on Wednesday.
Department of Defense: Nearly 224,000 of the more than 741,000 civilian employees at DOD will be retained to protect life and property, along with nearly 2.1 million military personnel, according to the contingency plan.
The department considers its highest priorities to be securing the southern border, Middle East operations, the Golden Dome missile defense system, depot maintenance, shipbuilding and critical munitions.
The plan notes that travel and participation in conferences supporting military operations against al-Qaeda and countering the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and other terrorist groups can continue. But planned visits by foreign dignitaries should be canceled unless they support essential national security operations or the president’s conduct of foreign relations.
Department of Homeland Security: Only 14,000 employees out of the nearly 272,000 workers at the agency will be furloughed if funding lapses.
Most employees in Customs and Border Patrol will be retained, as well those who work for Immigration and Customers Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service, Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
DHS said it will continue immigration and drug-related enforcement, passenger processing and cargo inspection at ports of entry, the US Secret Service, counter-terrorism watches, the Disaster Relief Fund and fee-funded programs.
Democratic Sen. Fetterman breaks with colleagues on shutdown: "It's wrong"
Sen. John Fetterman is striking a different tone from his Democratic colleagues when it comes to the potential for a government shutdown.
“I have a hard rule. Don’t shut the government down. It’s wrong,” Fetterman told Fox News on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”
The Pennsylvania senator has consistently argued against shutdowns, which have far-reaching consequences across the federal government. In March, he was one of just 10 in his caucus to pave the way for Republicans to stave off a lapse in funding.
“It is always, always wrong to shut our government down. That is a core responsibility. I’m always going to vote against those things,” Fetterman said. “And if it’s the Republican side or now that it’s our side, I’m going to condemn it as well too.”
Although Republicans control Capitol Hill and the White House, they need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to join them to pass a spending package under the chamber’s rules. But Democratic leaders have continued to draw a hard line, saying those votes won’t come without a deal to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Fetterman said he disagrees his Democratic colleagues’ approach.
“Especially with the kinds of chaos that we are facing after (the assassination of Charlie Kirk), and now there’s a Cat 5 storm that might hit our nation too, and you’re willing to threaten a shutdown?” Fetterman said.
Senate Majority Whip blames looming shutdown on Schumer, Democrats
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso criticized Democrats on Sunday, describing their disputes over a government spending bill as a “ransom.”
“In spite of a meeting coming up at the White House, and in spite of the damage it’s going to do to the country, Chuck Schumer is trying to save his own hide. He’s given us a trillion-dollar ransom note, where he wants for the government just to stay open for the next four weeks,” Barrasso told Fox News.
Barrasso said the solution to prevent a government shutdown is for Democrats to help pass a continuing resolution.
“We need to continue for the next seven weeks doing the budgets and make sure that we move forward as a country,” Barrasso said.
“It costs a lot of money to shut down the government, and it costs even more money to open the government again,” he continued.
Barrasso went on to say Senate Minority Leader Schumer is “bowing” to more left-wing members of his party. And when asked whether Americans might shift blame of potential mass firings and a shutdown on the Republican party, Barrasso said it’s clear this would be a “Schumer shutdown.”
“Right now, the Democrats are really in free fall. This is going to hurt them more than Republicans,” said Barrasso. “The key issue is we need to keep the government open and functioning. It’s the right thing to do for our country, and we’ve done it 13 times when Joe Biden was in the White House.”
Sen. Kaine pushes Trump to negotiate health care funding ahead of potential shutdown
Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine criticized President Donald Trump on Sunday for what he says is a lack of negotiating across the aisle, ahead of a looming government shutdown.
“The only thing about the President’s threat to fire more people is he’s already doing it, and instead of threatening he should just be meeting to negotiate,” Kaine said on CBS’s “Face The Nation.”
“We came near shut down deadlines during the Biden administration, but we never shut government down because the president would sit down with congressional leaders in both parties and would find a path forward,” Kaine continued.
Trump is set to meet with congressional leaders on Monday, where Kaine hopes the president will listen to concerns brought by Democrats.
Like his Democratic colleagues, Kaine is pushing for an agreement on healthcare funding — including an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.
“We’re asking to fix a problem that even Republicans want to fix,” Kaine said. “I don’t think we have to have every detail pinned down with all the eyes dotted and T’s crossed in order to do a short-term extension, but I do want to see that Republicans are saying, ‘You’re right. We can fix this, and here’s the path to finding a fix.’”
He added that any deal Congress reaches must be respected by the president and not overruled via executive action.
Sen. Paul decrying both Democratic and GOP approaches to looming government shutdown
Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul expressed a disdain Sunday for both his party’s and the Democratic Party’s approaches to the looming government shutdown.
“The Republican proposal adds about $2 trillion in debt over the next year, so it’ll be short $2 trillion, so I oppose the Republican plan because it adds debt,” Paul said on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “The Democrat plan would add $3 trillion in debt. So really, both plans are laden with deficit spending.”
Paul had introduced the Government Shutdown Prevention Act in January, which would entail a gradual decrease in then-current government funding by the start of the new fiscal year every 90 days until new funding is agreed upon rather than an umbrella shutdown of government agencies and services, although it failed to pass the Senate.
The comments come as President Donald Trump is expected to meet top Congressional leaders at the White House on Monday with the goal of devising a potential compromise to avert a government shutdown on Wednesday.
House speaker won't say whether Trump is willing to negotiate during White House meeting tomorrow
We reported earlier that President Donald Trump will meet with top congressional leaders from both parties tomorrow.
House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed that sit-down a short time ago on CNN, declining to say whether he and Trump will negotiate terms with Democratic leadership.
“I’m not going to get in front of the president and tell you what he will do, but I, I talked with him, you know, a couple of times, even yesterday, and I’m telling you where his head is. He wants to bring in the leaders, to come in and act like leaders and do the right thing for the American people,” the speaker told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
Johnson said Trump’s priority is preventing disruption to military pay.
He accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats of leveraging the funding standoff for partisan gain and to show that they are “fighting” against Trump. He added that debates over Affordable Care Act subsidies, the key Democratic sticking point in negotiations, should wait until year’s end when they are set to expire.
Some context: The meeting with Johnson, Trump, Schumer, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries comes after Trump canceled a previously scheduled meeting with the Democrats.
The president has not publicly expressed interest in working on a compromise, calling Democratic demands “unserious and ridiculous.”
House minority leader not budging on Democratic demands
If you’re following our coverage this morning, you may be sensing a common theme: Democrats and Republicans alike are publicly digging in their heels.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he is not budging on the demands Democrats are making in exchange for their votes to fund the government.
Democrats have taken a hard line on demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for the votes to avert a shutdown.
Jeffries said today that he hopes to avoid a shutdown, but it would depend on Republicans, given their unified control of Washington.
“Well, it’s my hope that we’ll avoid one. At the end of the day, Republicans do control the House, the Senate and the presidency,” he said.
Despite that, the GOP still needs at least seven Democrats in the Senate to join them to pass a spending package under the chamber’s rules.
Tomorrow’s meeting: Jeffries will attend a White House meeting with his fellow congressional leaders from each party on Monday, after Trump canceled an earlier sit-down with top Democrats.
“Speaker Mike Johnson reached out to me yesterday, indicated that there had been a conversation between Republican leaders and the president, and as a result, the meeting is back on,” Jeffries said.
The minority leader indicated he’s willing to find common ground, but health care will be a major part of any agreement.
GOP leaders standing firm on passing funding without Democratic demands
Republican leaders in both chambers are not ceding to Democratic demands to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies in order to pass funding for the government, making the threat of a shutdown imminent.
The GOP leaders lay the blame for any shutdown on Democrats, who are withholding votes in the Senate in an attempt to get Republicans to the negotiating table.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “It’s totally up to the Democrats. The ball is in their court. There is a bill sitting at the desk in the Senate right now. We could pick it up today and pass it.”
Republicans have dismissed concerns about the enhanced ACA subsidies, saying they do not expire until the end of the year. But Democrats have stressed the need to address the issue before open enrollment starts November 1.
“We can have that conversation, but before we do: release the hostage, set the American people free, keep the government open and then let’s have a conversation about those premium tax credits. I’m certainly open to that. I think we all are,” Thune said.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise echoed Thune on ABC’s “This Week”: “So right now, it’s over in the Senate, and it’s on Chuck Schumer and Democrats in the Senate to keep the government from shutting down. And I hope they’ll come to their senses and do that early next week.”
Both Thune and Scalise maintained Congress should pass a “clean” funding bill and then negotiate health care policy and other issues through the appropriations process.
Democrats will "bear responsibility" for shutdown if one happens, Vance says
More from Vice President JD Vance, this time on the possibility of a government shutdown beyond September 30 if lawmakers fail to strike a deal.
Appearing on today’s “Fox News Sunday”, Vance said Democrats will be to blame for a shutdown if they don’t accept a continuing resolution to extend funding through November 21.
Vance added that “it’s really up to the Democrats under our system. You need 60 Senate Democrats to vote for the clean continued resolution that the President and House Republicans have put forward.”
For context: Although Republicans control Capitol Hill and the White House, they need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to join them to pass a spending package under the chamber’s rules.
The vice president also equated Democrats push for enhanced Obamacare subsidies with advocating for health care coverage for undocumented immigrants.
What Democrats are saying: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding any funding bill contain an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, along with several other items, to get his party’s support. GOP leaders want an extension of funding for seven weeks, with additional money for security for the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Vance says he's certain more indictments are coming during Trump's term
We’re also hearing more from the administration this morning about the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime adversary of President Donald Trump, who has been charged with giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
Vice President JD Vance rejected the idea that Comey was indicted for political reasons and said more indictments are certain to come during Trump’s presidency.
“There’s certainly going to be more indictments coming over the next three and a half years of the Trump administration,” Vance told “Fox News Sunday” in a pre-taped interview that aired today. “We’re always going to let the law drive this stuff and the facts of the case, and not political motivations, which frankly, makes us so much different from the Biden administration.”
Some background: The indictment marked an extraordinary escalation in Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies. The charges stem from testimony Comey gave before the Senate about leaks to the press when he was FBI director atop sensitive 2016 investigations.
Go deeper: CNN took a closer look at the Trump administration’s claims about indictments during the Biden administration. Read that analysis below:
Maryland senator confident Democratic leadership will "hold the line" on health care push
As we’ve been reporting, a federal government shutdown will happen if lawmakers fail to strike a deal on funding the government beyond September 30.
We’ve been hearing this morning from Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who’s said he opposes a shutdown and that he has confidence in Democratic leadership in Congress to “hold the line” on their push to extend Obamacare premiums, the beefed-up subsidies enacted during the Biden administration.
The extension has become a central factor in the debate over funding the federal government for the coming fiscal year.
“I do have confidence that the two leaders on the Democratic side are going to hold the line on these issues as well as not giving the president a blank check,” he said.
“Look, my view is, you know, there are lots of issues Democrats should be focused on but on this one, we are united.”
Trump and Vance voice optimism on Gaza peace deal: "We're at the 1-yard line"
President Donald Trump’s effort to end the war in Gaza is a key foreign policy priority we’ll be tracking today, particularly in light of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House visit tomorrow.
Trump just addressed the issue again on social media, writing this morning that there is “a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.”
The administration is working to close a 21-point Gaza peace plan that would include the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
“ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!” Trump wrote.
Vance weighs in: Vice President JD Vance has echoed Trump’s optimism, telling “Fox News Sunday” he is “very hopeful.”
“I think the president has gotten us to a point where we’re at the 1-yard line, and all of us are very hopeful we can sort of punch through the end zone and accomplish a major, major thing for peace in the region,” Vance said in a pre-taped interview that aired today.
The vice president said he feels more optimistic than he has “at any point in the last few months,” though he cautioned the talks could always be derailed at the last minute.
The administration has previously expressed optimism about a peace deal before seeing those hopes dashed amid disagreements with Hamas.
How Israeli politicians are reacting to Trump's peace plan for Gaza
Meanwhile, in what appears to be a major foreign policy development, the Trump administration has presented a 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
President Donald Trump has talked up the prospects of a ceasefire in recent days, as we’ve reported.
The reaction to his plan in Israel has been mixed.
Far-right opposition: Israel’s far-right minister of national security called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reject the plan.
“Mr. Prime Minister, you do not have a mandate to end the war without a complete defeat of Hamas,” Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on X yesterday.
Ben Gvir and far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich consistently opposed hostage deals and ceasefire arrangements throughout the Gaza war, pressing instead for continued and intensified military pressure and full occupation of the territory. The two have threatened to topple Netanyahu’s government if the war ends.
Other lawmakers have expressed openness: Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed support for Netanyahu and plans to end the war, saying on X that he trusts Netanyahu “to represent Israel’s interests.”
Netanyahu’s ultra-orthodox coalition partners, like Chairman of Degel HaTorah, MK Moshe Gafni, also have come out in support of a hostage deal resulting in a ceasefire.
And Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid — who has repeatedly stated he would grant a “security net” to Netanyahu in favor of a hostage deal that would prevent the government from collapsing — said to disregard the far-right ministers’ comments, writing on X, “There is no reason to be alarmed by the empty threats of Ben Gvir and Smotrich.”
Two key meetings to watch in Washington as shutdown deadline approaches
The federal government shutdown deadline is rapidly approaching, and we’ll be keeping an eye on two key meetings during our coverage.
First up: Senate Democrats will hold a conference call at 4 p.m. ET today as the caucus discusses strategy, according to a party source.
Tomorrow: The top four congressional leaders will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, multiple sources told CNN.
The eleventh-hour meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer comes after Trump canceled a meeting earlier this week with the Democrats, Jeffries and Schumer.
Remember: A shutdown will take effect Wednesday if Congress can’t strike a deal by the end of Tuesday night.
Trump says he’s sending troops to Portland to protect ICE facilities
President Donald Trump said yesterday that he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities he claimed are “under siege.”
The White House did not provide additional comment when reached by CNN for clarification on which troops would be sent to the city, or on what the president meant when he said on social media that forces would be authorized to use “full force.”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed in a statement that the action is being taken after “weeks of violent riots at ICE facilities” and attacks against law enforcement.
Some context: An ICE facility about 2 miles south of downtown Portland has been at the center of almost constant protests throughout the summer. Most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, but some have ended in the deployment of tear gas and resulted in the facility being closed for several days over the summer.
State and local leaders have pushed back on Trump’s characterization of the situation and said federal intervention is unnecessary. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said the president was trying to “induce a reaction” at the protests and urged demonstrators not to “take the bait.”
Big picture: This move is the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use the military in extraordinary ways as part of a push he claims will reduce crime in American cities.
He deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles in June and to Washington, DC, last month. He has also threatened to send troops to several other Democratic-led cities, such as Baltimore and Chicago.
Here's what you should know about the possible government shutdown
Welcome to our coverage of President Donald Trump’s administration and the growing potential for a federal government shutdown, which will happen if lawmakers don’t agree on funding the government beyond September 30.
You’ll see a lot of shutdown talk in today’s coverage, so let’s cover some basics:
What is it? Congress must provide funding for many federal departments and functions every fiscal year, which begins October 1. If lawmakers fail to pass a spending package for the full year — or at least extend funding for a shorter period — many agencies and activities must shutter until Congress appropriates more money.
Lawmakers have yet to pass through both chambers any of the 12 appropriations bills that make up the federal discretionary spending budget. So the coming shutdown would be considered a full shutdown.
When is the deadline? The shutdown will begin when the calendar turns over to October 1, at midnight Tuesday into Wednesday, if Congress doesn’t act before that.
What programs and payments will stop? Every government shutdown differs somewhat, but typically functions that are critical to the protection of lives and property are deemed essential and remain open. Agencies file what are known as contingency plans that detail what operations will continue and how many employees will remain on the job.
What kind of impacts would we see? Hundreds of thousands of federal workers bear the brunt of shutdowns. Some are furloughed, while others are considered essential and have to continue working — but, in many cases, without pay until the impasse is over.
It can also have serious impacts on the economy. A five-week shutdown in 2018-2019 resulted in a $3 billion loss in economic growth that would not be recovered, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate.
You can read more about federal government shutdowns here and also stay with us on this page today for the latest developments.
