Vice President JD Vance told House Republicans hours ahead of an expected vote on a seven-month funding patch on Tuesday that Republicans will take the blame for a government shutdown if they don't pass the legislation, according to three people who were in the room for the comments.

Hakeem Jeffries and House Democrats are ready to seize on the first big leverage point of President Donald Trump’s second term, lining up against a bill to avert a government shutdown this week.

But the party’s position is far murkier in the Senate, showcasing stark divisions within the party over how far Democrats are willing to go against Trump.

Senate Democrats are leery of blocking a House Republican-drafted six-month government funding bill, fearing that a government shutdown may backfire on them politically by giving Elon Musk and the Trump administration more leverage to force federal workers into retirement.

Democratic senators panned the House GOP proposal unveiled over the weekend, arguing it would erode Congress’s power of the purse and give President Trump and Musk a blank check to redirect government funding and eliminate long-standing programs.

We’re days away from a government shutdown. House Republicans unveiled a six-month continuing resolution to keep the government funded as Congress presses on with the budget reconciliation process that will make the Trump tax cuts permanent, secure the border, and finish the wall, among other things. I don’t mind a good shutdown, but we can’t afford one now.

The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus threw its backing behind a stopgap funding package, bolstering Speaker Mike Johnson’s attempt to pass the bill without the help of House Democrats and avert a government shutdown on March 15.

The vote on the stopgap is set for Tuesday and Johnson can likely only afford to lose two Republicans on the measure if Democrats line up uniformly against it.

The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress looked set to move ahead this week to keep the government funded and avert a partial shutdown beginning on Saturday, as Washington is rocked by President Donald Trump's rapid moves to slash federal agencies.

Hardline members of the fractious 218-214 House Republican majority -- who over the past year repeatedly bucked Speaker Mike Johnson's plans -- have signaled support for the bill, which would keep the government funded at its current levels through September 30, when the current fiscal year ends.

House Republicans released a 100-page stopgap spending bill Saturday afternoon that will fund the government through the end of September at levels slightly below last year's.

Why it matters: The bill represents a coordinated effort by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump to avoid a shutdown after March 14. A vote is planned for Tuesday.

House Republicans are pursuing a stopgap measure to keep the government funded through September, looking to shore up support for the continuing resolution with less than 10 days to prevent a government shutdown. 

Speaker Mike Johnson has outlined plans for the measure, which is expected to extend funding at current levels through the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, and has the backing of President Trump. 

"Conservatives will love this Bill," Mr. Trump said Wednesday on social media, calling the continuing resolution "very important."

Congress is careening toward a government shutdown in just 11 days as the discord between the two parties over funding talks grows, with no clear path to reach a deal.

The government is set to run out of money at the end of next Friday, March 14. Republicans control the House and the Senate, but they need Democratic support to pass a funding bill as it is subject to the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.

When President Donald Trump announced last week he wanted Congress to “pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill,” that should have dropped the chances of a federal shutdown to near zero.

After all, shutdown threats tend to get driven by conservative hard-liners intent on cutting spending — and who better than Trump to pull them in line and keep the government open?