WASHINGTON – A government shutdown is on its way next week, and there's little reason to believe Republicans and Democrats will suddenly come together in the next few days to avoid it.

For one thing, President Donald Trump left town. He spent the start of the weekend before the funding deadline at a golf tournament. Lawmakers are largely gone, too, following a weeklong holiday recess. And the House of Representatives isn't even scheduled to be back in session until Oct. 1 – after a shutdown ostensibly begins.

With Democrats digging in on a series of health care demands, and Republicans refusing to budge, a deal is nowhere in sight. Starting Wednesday, absent a breakthrough, "essential" government services such as the military and law enforcement will keep working but "non-essential" functions like national parks will close or cut staffing.

"If it has to shut down, it has to shut down," Trump told reporters Sept. 26 before boarding Air Force One and heading to New York for the Ryder Cup.

As the clock ticks, the lack of urgency in the nation's capital to keep the government's lights on stands in stark contrast to the consequences a shutdown may have for many Americans.

Though law enforcement, social safety net programs and other "essential" government services will remain open if the government closes, the likelihood of disruptions in those areas will increase. "Non-essential" workers at places like the nation's parks could be kicked off the job indefinitely.

Panic, meanwhile, has spread through the federal workforce after the White House threatened mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown. Typically, the government only temporarily furloughs employees and brings them back once Congress passes another funding bill.

The prospect that the United States government will partially grind to a halt comes even as Trump ratchets up pressure in other areas. On the world stage, he's forging ahead with tariffs that have upended longtime U.S. alliances and led to economic turbulence. At home, he's egging on the Justice Department as it pursues criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey, his longtime political foe.

With each passing day, a shutdown is looking more like a certainty than a possibility. Yet even after Trump canceled a scheduled meeting this week with top Democrats, they say they're still open to negotiating with Republicans over their concerns.

Topping their list of asks are demands to reverse recent Medicaid cuts, extend expiring Obamacare subsidies and pass legislation to prevent the White House from withholding money for programs Trump doesn't like. In a Sept. 24 CNN interview, Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested those proposals are nonstarters.

"Democrats’ requests are completely unhinged and unreasonable and unserious," the South Dakota Republican said.

But Democrats don't have a red line, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, said on a call with reporters two days later.

"We never said that we need to have every single thing," she said.

If lawmakers don't reach a deal before the end of Sept. 30, the government will partially shut down Oct. 1.

As for what happens next, leaders in Congress aren't sharing any exit strategies. In a Sept. 25 Punchbowl News interview, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, indicated the situation could change rapidly.

"In Washington, five days or so is an eternity," he said.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump leaves town, lawmakers aren't talking as government shutdown deadline nears

Reporting by Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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