WASHINGTON — The government shut down at midnight on Wednesday, and the Senate is not scheduled to vote on a bill to reopen services until Friday at the earliest. Republicans are refusing to blink, betting their odds that Democrats in the minority will begin to feel the squeeze by their constituents.

To overcome a filibuster in the Senate, 60 senators must vote in favor of ending debate to proceed to the final vote. With Republicans’ slim majority, that means at least seven Democrats are required to cross party lines to vote on the GOP spending bill.

And that support, so far, hasn’t materialized. Instead, Democrats are demanding some concessions on health care policies or agreements to undo some of President Donald Trump’s spending cuts earlier this summer.

Only three Democrats or Dem

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