Overview

• The government faces a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless the Senate passes a continuing resolution.
• Republicans hold a 53–47 Senate majority but still need seven Democratic votes to clear a procedural hurdle.
• Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are conditioning their votes on extending enhanced ACA premium subsidies, and Republicans have not agreed.
• Republicans and some commentators have advanced a narrative blaming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the stalemate, which she publicly rejects.
• Ocasio-Cortez invited lawmakers to negotiate with her directly, framed the dispute as protecting access to care like insulin and chemotherapy, and accused President Trump of pushing policies that would leave children uninsured.