The U.S. government shutdown has entered its second week as Congress remains deadlocked over funding measures. Lawmakers expressed pessimism about reaching a deal, with the Senate set to resume talks on Monday. The standoff has intensified with White House plans to cut federal employees and target Illinois funding, while both parties remain gridlocked on a bipartisan path forward.
Senators have rejected yet another opportunity to reopen the government, with the Senate out of session until Monday when leadership is expected to force a fifth vote on the House-passed proposal to fund the government through Nov. 21. The stalemate has created additional fallout, with White House budget director Russ Vought announced he was targeting funding in Illinois, following cuts made earlier in the week to infrastructure projects in New York. The administration is also on the precipice of enacting its plans to carry out mass firings of federal employees.
The deadlock between congressional leaders and the White House shows no signs of abating, with no indication they would be able to find a way to reopen the government anytime soon. Underscoring the stalemate, House GOP leaders announced they would not return to session next week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that any progress would likely come from rank-and-file members, referring to a bipartisan group of senators negotiating a path out of the shutdown. However, enough Democrats have not been ready to break ranks with party leadership to support the House-passed stopgap bill.
Lawmakers on both sides continue to resist any move that could lead to the government reopening, with Republicans insisting there can be no deal so long as the government is closed. Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated the GOP’s stance, emphasizing that the conversation about the ACA tax credits must wait until the government is back open. Meanwhile, Democrats have made the extension of these tax credits the centerpiece of their demands, warning that Congress cannot wait past Nov. 1 to extend the subsidies due to the start of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans.
Despite ongoing talks and a bipartisan group of senators working to find a solution, no additional Democrats have broken ranks to support the House-passed stopgap bill. The GOP bill failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to proceed, with only a handful of Democrats voting for it. The negotiations remain deadlocked, with no clear path to a resolution and no indication that the shutdown will end soon.