WATCH LIVE: White House holds briefing as first government shutdown in more than 6 years begins

The U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline.

Watch White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Vice President JD Vance’s news briefing live in the player above.

The government’s overnight shutdown stemmed from a deadlock in Congress over Democratic demands over health care — and Republican efforts to kick that can down the road.

At issue are tax credits that have made health insurance through the Affordable Care Act more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t extend them — which would more than double what subsidized enrollees pay for health insurance premiums, according to a KFF analysis.

READ MORE: What happens now that a government shutdown is underway

Democrats are demanding the subsidies be extended now, with enrollees set to get notices soon alerting them of next year’s insurance spikes. They also want Republicans to reverse the Medicaid cuts that were enacted in Trump’s big bill over the summer, and for the White House to promise it won’t move to rescind congressional spending.

Republicans say there’s still time to negotiate on health care this year, but stopgap funding for the government is the priority. They say they offered Democrats a stripped-down, noncontroversial bill and they should vote for it to keep the government running.