After a failed test vote, the White House is negotiating with Senate Democrats. The next vote is unclear and depends on how talks progress.
After enduring the longest government shutdown in history in 2025, the United States is potentially heading towards another shutdown in the new year. On Thursday, a test vote on a funding bill failed (55) on the US Senate floor, making at least a partial shutdown likely on January 30 (Saturday) at 12:01. a.m.
President Donald Trump and the GOP leadership in the Senate have said that talks are progressing on the funding bill “in the right direction.” The Democrats are blocking the bill over a dispute over the funding of Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies involved in the ongoing immigration raids in the country.
Of the 55 Senators who voted against the bill, 48 were Democrats and seven Republicans. While the Democrats are taking issue with the DHS funding, the GOP Senators who voted against are opposed to measures in the bill they have dubbed wasteful.
With the deadlock between the Senate Democrats and some GOP Senators on one hand, and the White House on the other hand, ongoing, it is likely a vote in both houses will not be completed before the January 30 (Saturday) deadline.
Here’s what to know on the next vote:
When Is The Next Senate Vote On Shutdown?
With the test vote on Thursday failing, the White House is negotiating a deal with the Senate Democrats. Once the Trump administration is confident of a deal, following negotiations, the spending bill will go to the Senate floor again. As of now, with negotiations still ongoing, it is unclear when the next Senate vote could take place.
Once the bill is passed in the Senate, it will go to the US House of Representatives to be passed. Once passed in the US House, the bill will reach Trump’s desk for his signature.
How Soon Is A Deal To Avert Shutdown Likely?
According to reports, the discussions between the Senate Democrats and the White House are underway. USA Today reports that discussions are “picking up steam” and a deal could soon be struck. However, it might not be soon enough to avert the January 30 shutdown deadline.
Trump, at the cabinet meeting on Thursday that “hopefully” there won’t be a shutdown this time as he took a dig at the Senate Democrats. “We’re working on that right now,” Trump said. “I think we’re getting close.
“The Democrats, I don’t believe, want to see it either. So, we’ll work in a very bipartisan way.”
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
