Mitch McConnell

Senators adjourned Sunday night, having achieved no breakthrough in negotiations to halt a government shutdown. The chamber was scheduled for a procedural vote at 1 a.m. Monday, partly dictated by arcane Senate rules, with another high-profile vote expected at 12 noon Monday. 

Senators on both side of the aisle engaged in heavy negotiations — and in some cases political sniping — on Sunday, as they faced the prospect of a third day of the government shutdown. Monday would bring the harshest fallout since it would be the first business day under shutdown conditions.

Without a compromise, the federal government will keep 800,000 employees off the job and some offices will remain shuttered.

In all, about half of the Department of Health and Human Services’ 82,000 employees were furloughed, according to a contingency plan posted late last week.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is operating the Medicare program “largely without disruption” during the shutdown, and continues non-discretionary activities such as fraud and abuse investigations and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation activities, according to an HHS notice.

“States will have sufficient funding for Medicaid through the second quarter, due to the continuation of authority under the CR for appropriated entitlements,” the HHS statement noted.

However, under the Administration for Community Living, there would not be funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program nor a handful of other programs, it added.

HHS said its response to disease outbreaks, including seasonal flu, will continue with data collection and reporting still available for tracking and prevention purposes.

Republicans were looking at another continuing resolution to fund the government through February 8, but Senate Democrats signaled they won’t support it without a deal that would provide a fix for the expiring Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.