<h1>Government shutdown stalls negotiations as president declines to broker a deal and unilateral funding moves face court challenges.</h1> A sustained government shutdown has produced a congressional impasse: Republicans demand a short-term funding bill before negotiating, while Democrats seek enforceable extensions of health insurance subsidies and direct presidential involvement. The administration has taken unilateral financing and personnel actions-continuing military pay, withholding funds, and laying off workers-to advance priorities and manage the shutdown; several such measures face court challenges, including a temporary injunction blocking planned firings as potentially politically motivated. Political strategy and mutual refusal to concede have stalled broader legislative business.