US Vice President J.D. Vance warned on Monday that the United States is heading toward a federal government shutdown after failed negotiations with the Democratic opposition and with the deadline approaching Tuesday evening.

Following a White House meeting that brought together President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress, Vance denounced before reporters what he described as “a gun pointed by the Democrats at the heads of Americans” through their demands to avoid the shutdown.

In contrast, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the meeting that there were “significant differences” with Republicans on avoiding a federal government shutdown before the Tuesday night deadline. Schumer said, “We have made some proposals to the President (…) ultimately, he will make the decisions.”

Meanwhile, House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said there remain “significant and important differences” between the two sides to avoid a “shutdown.”

Before the meeting, the US President criticized the Democrats, emphasizing that they need to “do some things because their ideas are not very good,” adding that these ideas are “very bad for our country.”

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told Fox News that the President is giving Democratic leaders a last chance to act rationally through this meeting.

She added, “This is not the time to try to score political points against Donald Trump.”

On Monday morning, Jeffries told reporters at Congress that the Democrats are “ready” to find a solution and reach a budget agreement that ensures avoiding a federal government shutdown, but he pointed out that the agreement must “meet the needs of Americans regarding their health, security, and economic welfare.”

Without Congress passing legislation to fund federal agencies before midnight Tuesday, the government will face a shutdown that would plunge Washington into a new political crisis.

The shutdown will halt non-essential operations and temporarily leave hundreds of thousands of civilian employees unpaid, disrupting payments of many social safety net benefits.

Republicans and Democrats usually try to avoid such shutdowns, with each party blaming the other.

But with about 36 hours remaining, both parties insist on their positions amid increasing shutdown risks.

The White House threatens to lay off large numbers of civilian employees instead of the usual approach of furloughing them without pay until an agreement is reached.

Republicans proposed extending current funding until late November while negotiations continue on a longer-term spending plan.

However, Democrats, who do not hold a majority in either chamber of Congress (House and Senate), are trying to extract some concessions, especially since passing budget legislation requires 60 votes out of 100 in the Senate.

The party seeks to restore hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for healthcare, particularly the “Obamacare” health insurance program for low-income families, which the Trump administration plans to eliminate under the budget approved in July.