If it's Wednesday, the federal government shuts down as the White House threatens mass layoffs of federal workers and ratchets up its pressure campaign, hoping to force Democrats to fracture and cave.

Plus, can Democrats hang together? I'll talk to a top House lawmaker as her party fights to stay united.

As several Senate Democrats buck leadership and back GOP legislation to reopen the government

without addressing the issue of health care.

And President Trump's agenda rolls on as the administration makes a deal with a top U.S. drugmaker

to slash prices, and the National Guard begins to deploy to Memphis in the wake of

the president's comments about using Democratic cities as, quote, training grounds for the U.S. military.

Welcome to meet the Press Now.

I'm Kristen Welker in Washington on day one of the first full government shutdown in more than a decade with no clear path in Congress to end it.

Close signs were seen around the Capitol as the shutdown took effect with essential federal employees now working without pay. An estimated 750,000 federal employees

are being temporarily furloughed.

As the White House threatens mass layoffs starting as early as tomorrow,

here's Vice President Jady Vans during a surprise appearance

at today's White House briefing. If this thing drags on for another few days or God forbid another few weeks, we are going to have to lay people off.

We're going to have to save money in some places so the essential services don't get turned off in other places.

That is the reality of the government shutdown that Chuck Schumer and Democrats have foisted upon the administration.

Today, a re-vote on the House-pass stopgap funding bill to reopen the government failed,

but some cracks have appeared in the Democratic caucus, with three senators defecting and joining Republicans in voting for the bill. But it came up short of the necessary 60 votes. And with little

progress, the blame game on Capitol Hill is intensifying.

So is the White House threatening to make this shutdown as painful as possible for Democrats.

Here's Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune today.

The simple truth is Democrats in Congress have dragged our country into another reckless shutdown to satisfy their far-left base.

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