The Senate on Wednesday -- the first day of a government shutdown -- failed to pass bills aimed at funding the government as congressional leaders continue to blame the opposing party for the shutdown.The Senate held two votes on funding bills that mirrored the failed votes they took on Tuesday, resulting in a government shutdown that took effect at 12:01 a.m.Wednesday.Accusations fly over whether Republicans or Democrats 'own' shutdownA closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown, Oct.
1, 2025, in Washington.Julia Demaree Nikhinson/APThe first was, once again, a procedural vote on the Democrats' government funding proposal that includes the health care provisions they've been seeking.It failed by a vote of 47-53.
Once again, every Democrat voted for it and every Republican voted against it. The second vote in the series was a procedural vote on the clean, House-backed Republican stop-gap funding bill that failed Tuesday night.It failed again Wednesday with a vote of 55-45.Federal government shuts down after Senate fails to pass funding measuresMajority Leader John Thune blamed the Democrats for the shutdown during a press conference Wednesday morning."It's not about who wins or who loses or who gets blamed and all this.
It's about the American people,” Thune said.“They have taken the American people hostage in a way that they think benefits them politically, at the consequence of the cost of what's going to happen to the American families if this government shutdown continues."Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks during a news conference with Republican Congressional leadership outside the US Capitol on the first day of the US government shutdown in Washington, October 1, 2025.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty ImagesThune said that Republicans are now on the hunt for those few additional Democrats to support their clean, short term funding bill."There are others out there, I think who don't want to shu...