Democrats vote down federal funding bill, putting government on path to shutdown

The U.S. government is on the brink of the first federal government shutdown in almost seven years, as Senate Democrats voted down a Republican bill to keep funding the government.

The 55-45 vote Tuesday on the bill to extend federal funding for seven weeks fell short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. It came as Democrats are making good on their threat to close the government if President Donald Trump and Republicans won’t accede to their health care demands.

After Tuesday’s votes, it was increasingly unlikely that either side would concede before the 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Some government functions — like NASA’s space missions, President Donald Trump ’s immigration crackdown and certain public health work at FDA and the USDA — would continue during a shutdown.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump emphasized his vision of using the military for domestic purposes during a speech to top U.S. military officials. He emphasized handling “the enemy within,” referring to criminals and immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Trump was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the unusual gathering of hundreds of U.S. military leaders who were abruptly summoned to Virginia from around the world for an unveiling of new directives to end “woke” culture in the military.

Here’s the latest

Federal agents grab and shove journalists outside NYC immigration court, sending one to hospital

The clash Tuesday is the latest between authorities enforcing Trump’s immigration crackdown and members of the public seeking to observe and document their actions.

A visual journalist identified as L. Vural Elibol of the Turkish news agency Anadolu hit his head on the floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pushed one journalist off an elevator and shoved another to the floor, according to video and witnesses.

A bystander held Elibol’s head and a nurse treated him until an ambulance arrived, witnesses said. The other journalists, amNewYork police bureau chief Dean Moses and Olga Fedorova, a freelance photographer whose clients include The Associated Press, were not seriously injured.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents’ actions, saying they were being “swarmed by agitators and members of the press, which obstructed operations.”

Fedorova said photographers had worked in the hallway outside immigration court for months without incident. The agents making arrests Tuesday, she said, didn’t announce any limits to where journalists could go, and they hadn’t made it clear they were making an arrest when they got on the elevator.

National parks to stay ‘generally’ open while most staff furloughed

The National Park Service plans to furlough about two-thirds of its employees while keeping parks largely open to visitors during the federal shutdown, according to a contingency plan released Tuesday night.

The plan says “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors.” It says sites could be closed if damage is being done to park resources or due to excessive garbage buildup.

The plan also allows parks to enter into agreements with states, tribes or local governments willing to make donations to keep national park sites open. The park service has more than 400 sites, from large national parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon to national battlefields and historic sites.

Of the park service’s 14,500 employees, 5,200 will be retained during the shutdown.

Many national parks stayed open during a 35-day shutdown in Trump’s first term. Limited staffing led to vandalism, gates being pried open and other problems.

Physical testing in military could ‘disqualify highly qualified individuals,’ Air Force veteran says

From the outset of Jennifer Ross’ two-decade career in the Air Force, she felt every step in her career path was clearly outlined by formulaic processes for promotion.

“The military is a unique way for women to start on equal footing,” Ross, 43, said. As someone who grew up in a low-income family, she was drawn to the stability of the career path, as well as the ethos of service. What she initially thought would only be a six-year career turned into four deployments to Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ross, who now works for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, supports gender-neutral physical testing for military jobs that require specific skillsets. But she said making all physical testing gender neutral would be a step too far and could undermine meritocratic systems.

“There was no need for me to be able to perform at 100% gender neutral standard in order to sit at my desk and be a solid intelligence analyst,” Ross said.

Now, Ross is concerned that changes to physical testing “runs the risk of disqualifying highly qualified individuals.”

“There’s no rational strategy,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader says he’s open to conversation on health care credits

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he’ll continue to press Democrats to vote for legislation to fund the government mostly at current levels, but if that passes, he’s open to negotiating with Democrats on one of their heath care priorities.

Thune says there are “conversations” happening with Democrats about the government funding bill. He also says he’s open to talks about extending tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, but only if Democrats acknowledge there will be significant changes from the current program.

But it appears that’s not happening with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Thune says if Schumer wants to talk, “He knows where I am. Right here, on the floor, 6 feet away from him.”

Federal agencies ordered to start shutdown plans

Trump’s budget office posted a letter with instructions from Director Russ Vought immediately after the failed Senate vote.

“Affected agencies should now execute their plans,” Vought wrote.

He told employees to come to work Wednesday to “undertake orderly shutdown activities.”

Senate Democratic leader calls on Republicans to negotiate on government funding

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says that the failed vote to fund the government shows that Republicans must enter a negotiation to gain their support.

“They’ve got to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to come to a bill that both parties can support,” said Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Democrats are demanding that Congress extend tax credits for health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.

Trump pulls nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics, AP source says

The White House is withdrawing the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an AP source says. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the White House action, which hasn’t been publicly announced.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Senate received paperwork formally withdrawing Antoni’s nomination on Tuesday, the person said.