Even as efforts ramped up to reach a last-minute budget deal in the Senate, the task of assigning blame for the shutdown loomed large for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Colorado’s Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner blamed Democrats for hijacking the budget crisis to gain traction for an immigration deal. The White House scuttled an effort last week to shield so-called “dreamers” from deportation, an effort that has drawn condemnation from Democrats and stalled budget debate.

“I don’t think anybody on the Republican side thinks its a good idea to shut the government down,” Gardner said.

Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey said the shutdown is a consequence of right-wing politics.

“Republicans have total control of two branches of government, and they can’t keep the lights on because they’re genuflecting to their extreme far-right colleagues in the House,” he said.

The government has operated under short-term budget deals since Oct 1. The latest impasse seems likely to lead to a shutdown when the current budget accord expires at midnight. That’s because the GOP, with at least three of its senators opposed to the latest short-term deal, seems unlikely to garner a simple majority to support a monthlong plan that passed the House Thursday – much less the 60 votes required to bring most bills to the floor. The numbers seemed unlikely to align Friday morning.

Even the briefest government shutdown would be felt quickly in Colorado Springs, home to five military bases with 40,000 active-duty troops and thousands of civilian government workers.

During the last shutdown in 2013, more than 6,000 civilian government workers were off the job in Colorado Springs as a result of the budget standoff.

The 2018 version of the shutdown also threatens paychecks for troops, as Congress hasn’t shielded the military pay from shutdown issues as it did five years ago.

In a memorandum released Friday, the Pentagon said troops would stay on duty around the globe and wait for their money.

“Military personnel will not be paid until such time as Congress makes appropriated funds available to compensate them for this period of service,” the memo said. “Civilian employees paid for lapsed appropriations and who are not necessary to carry out or support excepted activities will be furloughed, i.e., placed in a nonwork, nonpay status.”

Gardner said with thousands of Fort Carson troops headed to Afghanistan this year, threatening military pay delays ia cruel blow.

“Given the stress on our men and women in uniform and their families, the last thing we need to do is create an artificial problem that adds to their burdens,” he said.