The House of Representatives is expected to vote late Monday night on a motion to go to conference with the Senate on the government-funding bill, a move that Democrats immediately rejected as a cynical political ploy.

Republicans decided not vote on the so-called “clean” CR as demanded by House and Senate Democrats, and the government partially shut down at midnight on Tuesday.

The House Rules Committee met at 10:30 p.m. to decide on a rule that will allow Majority Leader Eric Cantor to request a conference with the Senate. The House later voted to go to conference with the Senate by a 228-199 vote.

House Republicans think this move will put pressure on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democrats. And it will force them to the negotiating table.

“It’s regular order,” a GOP leadership aide told Business Insider to the House's rationale. “It means we’re the reasonable, responsible actors trying to keep the process alive as the clock ticks past midnight, despite Washington Democrats' refusal — thus far — to negotiate.”

The aide said that the House GOP will likely not include in the motion a stopgap bill to fund the government for a short, one- or two-week period. Instead, they will again look to pass their latest offer — one that has in it two amendments that chip away at Obamacare, and that the Senate rejected Monday evening.

The House's final pre-shutdown move came after Republicans have rejected the idea of going to conference on the budget for months. Citing that fact — Republicans have opposed 18 opportunities to go to conference on the federal budget — Reid slammed House Republicans' latest “gambit” on the Senate floor.

He called on the House to pass a clean, six-week CR before the two chambers go to conference.

“We will not go to conference with a gun to our head,” Reid said. “... I want everyone to hear what I just said. We will not go to conference without a clean CR.”

The Senate will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, when it will move to table the House GOP's latest plan.

"And," a Senate Democratic aide said, "we will be back at square one."

In case you're keeping score, here's the ping-pong that the Senate and House have played since Friday: