Senate to vote again on funding the US government

The Senate on Monday is voting again on competing measures to reopen the US government, but neither resolution is expected to pass and the federal shutdown will probably continue for at least a few more days.

President Donald Trump said earlier on Monday that another failed vote would trigger mass layoffs. Thousands of federal employees were furloughed or ordered to work without pay when funding for their agencies ended five days ago.

There is no foreseeable end to the stalemate between the two parties, as they continue to trade blame.

Democrats are sticking to demands that the legislation address healthcare, while Republicans are press for a "clean" funding bill.

The White House has warned since last week that permanent firings of federal employees are "imminent".

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that on Monday, saying the Office of Management and Budget is already working with agencies who will have to lay people off.

"We don't want to see people laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that," she said.

Democrats have held out on supporting the Republican-led proposal because they say it undercuts medical access for lower-income Americans.

They want any funding bill to ensure health insurance subsidies for lower-income Americans do not expire and reverse the Trump administration's cuts to the Medicaid health programme.

Republicans have repeatedly accused Democrats of shutting down the government to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants - something that Democratic leaders deny.

Leavitt today called on Democratic lawmakers to relent.

"There's nothing to negotiate. Just reopen the government," she said.

In separate interviews with NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, the House's top Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, and top Republican, Speakier Mike Johnson, each blamed the other's party for the continued stand-off.

Jeffries accused Republicans of "lying" about Democrats' intentions in the negotiations "because they're losing the court of public opinion".

But Johnson said Democrats were "not serious" and negotiating in bad faith.

"They're doing this to get political cover," he said.