The U.S. Senate failed for the fifth time to pass a Republican-supported short-term spending bill on Monday, extending the federal government shutdown into its seventh day. The ongoing stalemate over funding has left many federal operations in limbo.

Despite the deadlock, President Donald Trump expressed a willingness to engage with congressional Democrats regarding health care issues. Democrats are insisting on the renewal of health care subsidies that are set to expire as a condition for their support of the temporary spending measure.

"We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things, and I'm talking about good things with regard to health care," Trump stated to reporters at the White House prior to the Senate vote.

However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both indicated that there are no active discussions between Democrats and the White House, contradicting Trump's claims. Schumer noted, "Trump’s claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table."

Earlier in the day, Jeffries challenged House Speaker Mike Johnson to a debate on the floor regarding the ongoing impasse. Johnson has kept the House in recess, prompting Jeffries to write a letter stating that a debate would allow Johnson to explain his approach to the shutdown, which he described as a "my way or the highway" strategy.

Johnson dismissed Jeffries' challenge, labeling it as "nonsense." The lack of progress in negotiations continues to raise concerns about the impact of the shutdown on federal services and employees.