The United States Senate rejected a House resolution on Tuesday that sought to set up a House-Senate conference committee and negotiate a way out of the first government shutdown since the Clinton administration.

Senate Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), have said that such a conference would be redundant.  The Senate rejected the House resolution in a 54-46 vote.

The Senate has so far rejected any Republican-led House proposals for a new spending plan because they have included provisions to defund, delay, or repeal the Affordable Care Act, which comes into effect today, October 1st.

In a midnight speech, when the government officially shut down, Reid said that Republicans have "lost their minds."

Democrats have insisted that the Affordable Care Act is not negotiable and that a spending bill must be agreed upon "with no conditions."

"We're not going to relitigate the health care issue," Reid said. "It's time for Republicans to stop obsessing over old battles."

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