The federal government was hurtling toward a shutdown Tuesday with no sign of resolution, as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats remained locked in an increasingly acrimonious standoff over spending and health care policy. With the midnight deadline fast approaching, both parties appeared increasingly resigned to the prospect of the first government closure innearly seven years.

“We'll probably have a shutdown,” Trump said in the Oval Office, casting blame for the looming funding lapse on Democrats who have refused to back off their demands.

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The confrontation rested Tuesday evening in the Senate, where Republicans were pressing ahead with a last-ditch vote on a bill to extend current funding through Nov. 21 without major policy changes. But because the measure requires 60 votes to advance, at least eight Democrats would need to support it—an outcome that appeared increasingly unlikely after party leaders signaled they would hold the line.

Republican leaders, backed by the White House, argue that Democrats are holding the government “hostage” and that no policy negotiations can take place under those circumstances. Democrats insist that they cannot accept a short-term funding bill unless it includes an extension of pandemic-era subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which lowered premiums for millions of Americans. Without congressional action, those subsidies will expire at the end of the year,raising costs for millions of familiesand stripping coverage from others.

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The result is a political stalemate on