Government shutdown updates: Leavitt says Trump exploring cutting aid to Portland

With a government shutdown now appearing all but inevitable following two failed votes in the Senate on Tuesday, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is telling federal agencies they "should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown."

Government funding is set to lapse at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

In a memo to the heads of federal agencies and departments, Vought cast blame on Democratic senators for the impending shutdown, writing that they are blocking a "clean" continuing resolution to fund the government.

"It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” Vought wrote. "Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities."

Vought said he would issue another memo indicating that government functions should resume once President Donald Trump signs an appropriations bill.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie and Meghan Mistry

The seven-week stopgap funding measure supported by Republicans was rejected by the Senate by a vote of 55-45, all but guaranteeing the government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Democrats mostly hung together to deny the 60 votes necessary to keep the government funded as they continue to say that any funding solution most include health care-related provisions. But several Democrats did cross party lines and voted in favor of the clean funding bill.

Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and John Fetterman voted for the bill, as did Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against the bill.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin

The Democratic funding bill that included health care provisions failed by a vote of 47-53. It needed 60 votes to pass. All Democrats voted for it and all Republicans voted against it.

The Senate is taking up the seven-week clean House-passed funding bill that Republicans support, which also needs 60 votes to pass and is also expected to fail.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin

Trump was asked Tuesday afternoon why people in the government would be laid off during a shutdown when the federal workforce has already undergone a reduction through cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump reinforced that people will be laid off during the shutdown and placed blame on Democrats, again falsely claiming that Democrats want certain health care guarantees for immigrants without legal status.

“Well, the Democrats want to shut it down. So, when you shut it down, you have to do layoffs. So, we'd be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And the Democrats, they're going to be Democrats,” Trump said.

“As you know, we -- this country, no country, can afford to pay for illegal immigration, health care for everybody that comes into the country. And that's what they're insisting. And obviously, I have an obligation to not accept that -- that would affect everybody,” Trump said.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie