Senate Democrats offered a counter-proposal to congressional Republicans' short-term funding extension that includes policy riders that are a red line for the GOP. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats also tried to advance their own counter-proposal, but that bill was similarly blocked by Senate Republicans.
There is still time to avert a partial shutdown, but the window is closing fast. If Schumer and Thune are unable to find a path forward, it would mark the third shutdown under President Donald Trump.
When asked if he believed a shutdown was inevitable, Trump said, "Nothing is inevitable."
"But I would say it's probably likely, because they want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants, which will destroy healthcare for everybody else in our country," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "And I didn't see them bend even a little bit when I said we can't do that."
Republicans want to pass a "clean" short-term extension until Nov. 21 that would give appropriators time to finish spending bills, while Democrats want to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, among multiple other demands.
But the chances of a deal materializing, particularly one that meets Democrats’ demands, are slim. Both Senate leaders traded barbs throughout the day, first on the Senate floor and then in back-to-back press conferences.
SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN'T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS
An internal memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget obtained by Fox News warns agencies of reduction in force measures if a government shutdown cannot be avoided by Oct. 1, 2025. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Still, despite scoring a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and congressional Republican leaders, in addition to public guarantees from Thune and Republicans that Obamacare tax credits could be discussed after a shutdown was averted, Schumer demanded that Democrats be cut in on negotiations to craft a bipartisan bill.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Earlier in the day, the top Senate Democrat commandeered a floor chart from Thune that showed how many times Democrats supported CRs under former President Joe Biden. He said that each time, Republicans were involved in the process.
"As leader, I sat down with the Republicans every one of those years and created a bipartisan bill. Their bill is partisan. They call it clean. We call it partisan. It has no Democratic input," Schumer said. "Thune never talked to me."
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/government-shutdown-risk-grows-after-dems-block-trump-backed-extension-2nd-time