Republicans are banking on Democrats blinking first to end a government shutdown. But just in case, they're going to make it as painful as possible.

Why it matters: Six months of grassroots fury — and we mean fury – have pushed Democrats to embrace a shutdown as leverage against Republicans. Both sides are dug in. • Senate Republicans are five votes short of the 60 they will need to reopen the government. But they are making some progress. • A vote earlier in September on the House-passed bill received one Democrat's vote. • The second vote — Tuesday night — won over two more senators.

Zoom in: Federal workers will go without pay starting Wednesday. The Trump administration is threatening to turn those furloughs — estimated at 750,000 a day — into mass firings during the shutdown.

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