Johnson cancels House floor activity, pressures Schumer as shutdown grinds on
Speaker Mike Johnson canceled House floor activity next week and directed members to remain in their districts until at least Oct. 14, saying the chamber will not reconvene until Senate Democrats — and specifically Sen. Chuck Schumer — accept the GOP short‑term funding plan. The shutdown entered its third day amid a Senate stalemate over expiring ACA premium tax credits and Medicaid verification rules: Democrats pushed an alternative CR to Oct. 31 that would extend subsidies but were blocked, GOP floor measures have failed in the Senate, and leaders signaled limited bipartisan talks and calls for top‑level negotiations to resolve the impasse.
Government/Regulatory
Government/Legislation
Economy
Politics
Government
📌 Key Facts
- The partial government shutdown entered its third day as Senate leaders remained deadlocked over competing stopgap bills, and routine actions (including a possible Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs release) were threatened if the funding lapse continued.
- The Senate rejected the House GOP short-term funding extension (reported 54–44); three Democrats/caucus members (John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, Angus King) joined most Republicans, and Majority Leader John Thune said he would keep bringing the measure back but needs roughly 8–10 senators to break the impasse and may not keep the Senate in session through the weekend.
- House Democrats sought unanimous consent for a short-term continuing resolution through Oct. 31 that included policy riders to extend ACA premium tax credits permanently, reverse recent Medicaid cuts, and restore federal funding to NPR and PBS; Senate Democrats have insisted the ACA premium tax-credit issue be addressed now.
- Speaker Mike Johnson canceled planned House floor activity and directed members to remain in their districts (at least through Oct. 14), saying the House will not reconvene until Senate Democrats accept the GOP plan; Johnson also told House Republicans to use the district work period to press the messaging battle and noted the House had sent a 24-page bipartisan CR to the Senate.
- Republicans accused Democrats of blocking funding to expand healthcare access for undocumented immigrants (House GOP leaders cited CBO figures like 1.4 million and tied verification changes to pending legislation); Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vehemently denied those claims, calling them false, and media interviews (including ABC) disputed the GOP framing.
- The White House and administration officials signaled austerity and contingency actions: press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration must identify spending cuts and supports a 'clean' CR while warning thousands of federal layoffs are likely, OMB Director Russ Vought announced a pause of $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding, unions sued proposed layoffs, and the Department of Education furloughed workers reported partisan alterations to out‑of‑office messages; President Trump also posted mocking social-media messages about the standoff.
- There were early signs of bipartisan engagement: nearly a dozen senators huddled on the Senate floor (Sen. Richard Blumenthal called them 'glimmers of hope'), Thune said he planned to speak with Schumer, and Schumer proposed a five-person meeting (Trump, Johnson, Thune, Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer) as the path to resolve the shutdown.
- Practical stakes and timelines cited by leaders: the House GOP CR would fund the government roughly flat until Nov. 21 and includes about $88 million for enhanced security; Speaker Johnson warned some federal and military workers could miss paychecks around Oct. 15–16 if the lapse continues.
📚 Contextual Background
- OMB is the abbreviation for the Office of Management and Budget, an office within the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for assisting the President in preparing the federal budget and supervising its administration in executive agencies.
📰 Sources (18)
Schumer says meeting between Trump, Congressional leaders is the "only way" to resolve shutdown
New information:
- Chuck Schumer said on CBS's Face the Nation that 'The only way this will ultimately be solved is if five people sit together in a room and solve it.'
- Schumer explicitly named the five people he believes must meet: President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and himself.
- The comment frames a narrowly-defined negotiating group (five top leaders) as his proposed mechanism to end the shutdown.
Transcript: House Speaker Mike Johnson on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Oct. 5, 2025
New information:
- Primary-source transcript and verbatim quotes from House Speaker Mike Johnson on Face the Nation (Oct. 5, 2025).
- Johnson stated the House passed a "24-page" bipartisan continuing resolution that was sent to the Senate.
- Johnson reiterated a projected date when some federal/military workers would miss their first paycheck—citing roughly October 15–16, 2025—and urged Senate Democrats to act on Monday.
Mike Johnson rallies House Republicans on government shutdown messaging war during private call
New information:
- Details that Speaker Mike Johnson held a private Saturday call telling House Republicans they are 'winning the messaging war' and urging them to keep pressure on Democrats in their districts.
- Reporting that Johnson and House GOP leaders explicitly encouraged members to use the coming district work period to explain the shutdown's effects to constituents.
- Confirmation Johnson told members the House would not return until Senate Democrats voted to reopen the government—characterizing the return as contingent on Schumer.
Johnson sends critical signal to Schumer as Dems dig in on government shutdown chaos
New information:
- The House Speaker canceled chamber activities for next week and directed House members to remain in their home districts until at least Oct. 14.
- Johnson publicly tied the House's return to Schumer explicitly — saying the House will not reconvene until Senate Democrats accept the GOP plan.
- Article notes this was the fourth time Senate Democrats rejected the GOP's CR, and it includes Johnson's direct quote and Jeffries' statement that House Democrats will summon their caucus back regardless.
Government shutdown drags into weekend as Senate Democrats block GOP plan
New information:
- Senate vote result on the GOP short-term funding extension reported as failing 54–44.
- Identification of three Senate Democrats/caucus members (John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, Angus King) who joined most Republicans in backing the bill.
- Quotes attributable to Senate Majority Leader John Thune framing Democrats as 'taking hostage' the federal government and noting plan to repeatedly bring the bill to the floor.
WATCH LIVE: Johnson and Thune hold news conference as shutdown threatens to extend over the weekend
New information:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune scheduled a joint news conference for 11:00 a.m. EDT on Oct. 3, 2025.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune was quoted saying he needs 'eight or hopefully more — 10 or more' senators to break the impasse.
- The Senate was expected to gavel at 11:30 a.m. EDT for another funding vote (live/ongoing coverage confirmation).
Government shutdown live updates with Senate set to vote on Day 3
New information:
- Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced a pause of $2.1 billion for Chicago transit projects (Red Line Extension and Red and Purple Modernization) via a post on X.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that mass federal layoffs are 'likely going to be in the thousands.'
- The Senate is expected to hold additional procedural and funding votes Friday afternoon (after 1:30 p.m.) on both the House‑passed GOP stopgap (through Nov. 21) and the Democratic alternative (through Oct. 31) that would make expiring ACA premium tax credits permanent.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it's 'unlikely' the Senate will work through the weekend if the Republican measure fails to advance; the chamber observed Yom Kippur and did not vote Thursday.
Here’s the latest.
New information:
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he would send senators home for the weekend if Democrats again block the GOP stopgap, indicating Senate schedule plans for Oct. 3–6, 2025.
- The article reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics is likely to withhold the September jobs report if the shutdown continues.
- President Trump posted mocking social‑media messages late Thursday that the article links to the heightened partisan tenor around the shutdown.
- Department of Education furloughed workers had their out‑of‑office email messages changed without their knowledge to include partisan language blaming 'Democrat Senators.'
Government shutdown enters 3rd day as Senate stalemate over Obamacare subsidies drags on
New information:
- Shutdown has progressed into its third day (update on duration).
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to bring the GOP continuing resolution up for another vote on Friday.
- Senate floor activity was minimal Thursday (open less than three hours) as many lawmakers observed Yom Kippur.
- Thune indicated he does not plan to keep lawmakers in town over the weekend if the House GOP bill fails again; Schumer and most Senate Democrats continue to insist ACA premium tax credits be addressed now.
Democrats shut down government over healthcare for illegal immigrants, House GOP whip says
New information:
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer publicly accused Senate Democrats and Chuck Schumer of shutting down the government to restore healthcare (Medicaid) to undocumented immigrants, calling Schumer a 'scared old man' in quoted remarks.
- Emmer asserted the Senate Democrats' alternative proposal would remove verification requirements and 'put 1.4 million illegals back on Medicaid,' citing a CBO estimate as the basis for the figure.
- Emmer tied the verification changes to the Working Families Tax Cut Act (aka 'One Big Beautiful Bill') and predicted political consequences for Democratic leadership (specifically Schumer).
Karoline Leavitt says White House must cut spending due to shutdown
New information:
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave on‑the‑record NPR interview (Oct. 2/3) saying the administration must look for cuts and is meeting with OMB to identify spending savings amid the shutdown.
- Leavitt reiterated that President Trump supported a 'clean' continuing resolution and said the White House is trying to 'pick off' moderate Democrats to reach 60 votes.
- Article mentions the administration's proposal of layoffs for a prolonged shutdown and notes unions have filed a lawsuit challenging those proposed layoffs.
Republicans relishing role reversal in shutdown fight
New information:
- On-the-record framing that Republicans are 'relishing' a role reversal in which GOP leaders implore Democrats to reopen the government
- Direct quotes from Speaker Mike Johnson urging reopening and saying 'We want to protect hardworking federal workers.'
- Identification of Sen. Rand Paul as the lone Republican opposing the GOP-backed short-term continuing resolution, and on-the-record quotes from VP J.D. Vance supporting reopening
Johnson accuses Schumer of blocking ‘real discussion’ to keep government open
New information:
- Direct on‑the‑record interview quotes from House Speaker Mike Johnson accusing Sen. Chuck Schumer of refusing to vote to end the shutdown to appease the far‑left.
- Johnson said Democrats had voted on a similar measure 13 times under the prior administration and framed the current refusal as a "selfish political calculation."
- Johnson reported discussing the issue with President Trump and said Trump was 'very bothered' by Schumer's stance.
First bipartisan shutdown negotiations surface on Capitol Hill after funding bill blocked again
New information:
- A group of nearly a dozen senators publicly huddled on the Senate floor — described as the first visible bipartisan negotiations since the shutdown began.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D‑Conn.) was quoted directly: "There are glimmers of hope, and I think they're bipartisan."
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expected to speak with Sen. Chuck Schumer 'in the next day or two,' indicating leaders may open formal talks.
- Senators noted the Senate will recess for Yom Kippur and is expected to return Friday, with the possibility of votes into the weekend on a CR that would extend funding to Nov. 21.
Chuck Schumer slams GOP's claim that Democrats want to give healthcare to illegals as an 'effing lie'
New information:
- Direct, on‑the‑record quote from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling GOP claims a 'total, absolute, effing lie.'
- Identification of specific White House figures (Karoline Leavitt and Stephen Miller) who posted on X asserting Democrats wanted healthcare for undocumented immigrants and were blocking funding.
- Schumer outlined two Democratic priorities during the shutdown: negotiating healthcare fixes for Americans and mounting public political pressure (TV, social media, protests).
Speaker Johnson, ABC’s Stephanopoulos clash over government shutdown, illegal immigrants getting healthcare
New information:
- Direct transcript-style quotes from Speaker Mike Johnson accusing Democrats of prioritizing healthcare for 'illegal aliens' over funding the government.
- Johnson's claim that '44 Senate Democrats voted to reject a clean, non-partisan, continuing-funding resolution' and his framing tying the CR dispute to Medicaid/ACA changes.
- ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos' on-air rebuttal that the Democratic proposal does not make illegal immigrants eligible for ACA subsidies, with an explicit back-and-forth recorded.
House Democrats' government funding proposal goes down in flames with shutdown deadline in hours
New information:
- Democrats sought unanimous consent to pass a short-term continuing resolution extending funding to Oct. 31 with policy riders.
- Rep. Warren Davidson (R‑OH) was identified as the Republican poised to object to unanimous consent; Rep. Morgan Griffith (R‑VA) presiding gavelled the pro‑forma session out, ending the effort.
- The article details Democrats' specific demands: extension of pandemic-era ACA premium subsidies, reversal of recent Medicaid cuts, and restoring federal funding to NPR and PBS.
- Notes the House‑passed GOP CR would fund the government roughly flat until Nov. 21 and includes about $88 million for enhanced security for lawmakers, the White House and the judiciary.