The Don Jones Index

the *DON* JONES INDEX…
	GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED 10/9/25... 14,917.39 10/2/25... 14,920.36 6/27/13... 15,000.00
*(THE DOW* JONES INDEX: 10/9/25... 46,601.78; 10/2/25... 46,446.10; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)**

LESSON for OCTOBER 9th, 2025 – “WANNABEE... AN ARCHAEEEE!”

“I am an Anti-christ...
“I am an Anar-chist...
“Don't know what I want, but I know how to get it!”

– John Lie-Don Trump, channeling John Lydon Rotten

President Donald Trump says Democrats are fomenting insurrection in blue cities like DC, Portland, Chicago and, as it would seem, New York, New Orleans... even dancing over Elvis Presley’s grave in Graceland...

The “Marxist liberals” (AOC, Bernie, some Governors as want the base in ’28) say Republicans are murdering children by scrappy-doing away with medical care, food and – per the younger generation on the night of another Kennedy passing – promoting measles.

“God save the Queen...
“In the fascist regime...

“And there’s no future for you!”

The federal government shut down at midnight Monday night/Tuesday morning after an eleventh-hour attempt to find common ground proves fruitless – almost all Senate Republicans voting IxNon on preserving Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare while Democrats voted to reject a House-passed Republican bill that would have extended funding until Nov. 21. (Time, Wednesday, ATTACHMENT ONE).

This is the first closure of the government in almost seven years. The last occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term in late 2018, spurred by disagreements on federal funding for his wall along the Mexico-U.S. border.

Prior to the funding deadline passing, President Trump threatened mass layoffs in the wake of a shutdown.

“The Democrats want to shut it down, so when you shut it down, you have to do layoffs,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday, the new morning of the New Age. “We’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected, and they’re Democrats. They’re gonna be Democrats.”

The Time-ly take on partisan views featured red faces like Veep Vance saying that Democrats had been “running away” from their initial support of gumment continuation to provide healthcare to “illegal aliens”; Speaker Mike (Johnson) promised pain, no gain and asked “how long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on—for his own selfish reasons?” while also telling Fox News, with somewhat restrained glee that the shutdown provided an opportunity to "downsize the scope and scale of government... there is a real opportunity for government to work more effectively and efficiently." Senators Tom Cotton and Majority Leader John Thune called Schumer’s soldiers “far left” and Ted Cruz enhanced it to “crazy left” while HomeSec Sec Kristi Noem said that shutting off pay for the military would put all Americans at risk, and their little dogs, too.

Congressthings Mike Carey (R-Oh) and Joe Gruters (R-Fl) concurred – as did Ron Estes (R-Ks) who, in his appeal to reason, volunteered to have his salary held up until settlement.

Among Democrats: Schumer himself called White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (and, by implication, her main man) liars for saying he’d been prioritizing healthcare for aliens. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also blamed Trump for the shutdown while Northeast Blue State Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma), Corey Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Murphy (D-Ct) promised to fight on... Jersey’s other Sen. Andy Kim even marched to the masses and volunteered to match Estes’ salary refusal.

Watching the colonists clash from the questionable safety of their Kingdom, the Independent U.K. reported on King Donnie’s threat to fire, not furlough, the human surplus... calling to mind the Dodgy old days of Elon Musk and DOGE.

"There could be firings — and that's their fault," Trump said, also adding: “We could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and then they'd be permanently cut." (ATTACHMENT TWO)

Their colonial overlords, soliciting statements from partisans of all preferences... citing Sen. Mike Lee (R-Ut) who told the Fox that OMB Chair and Project 2025 architect Russ Vought "has been dreaming about this moment, preparing this moment, since puberty," while other, more timid elephants worried about the political implications – Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) even telling CNN that the Big Beautiful Budget was “certainly the most moral high ground Republicans have had in a moment like this that I can recall, and I just don’t like squandering that political capital when you have that kind of high ground.”

Polling and scrolling through Federal agencies after midnight, USA Today (ATTACHMENT THREE) asked and answered some questions that Joneses might be asking one another... or not.

Remaining open... (albeit with some distractions or delays)...

· U.S. Postal Service

· Medicare

· Social Security payments continuing, for now, but some SSA services could be impacted

· Air-traffic control

· Banks

· Courts (local, state and federal)

· Border security

· Disaster aid

· Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA and prison staff will remain operational. The Secret Service and Coast Guard will continue their duties.

· The military: All active-duty personnel stay on the job, but nearly half of the Department of War's 741,477 civilian employees could face furloughs.

National parks are now a half and half... “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors," according to the Department of Interior's contingency plan. But the National Park Service will not operate nor offer visitor services in parks without accessible areas, and facilities or areas that are typically locked or secured after business hours will largely remain so during the shutdown.

Closing (according to USA Today)...

· Visitor centers and tours of federal government buildings including the U.S. Capitol, White House, and FBI Building.

· Smithsonian museums could close in the event that the shutdown runs beyond Oct. 6.

And, according to NBC (Attachment Seven, below), “inspector general websites” darkened include...

· Agriculture Department

· Education Department

· Interior Department

· Justice Department

· Department of Veterans Affairs

The actual agencies - some severely impacted or darkened (but not wholly killed off), according to another Time listing (ATTACHMENT FOUR) submitted disclosures that...

“The Environmental Protection Agency, Education Department, and Commerce Department have the highest percentages of workforce furloughs, according to their contingency plans for operating under a shutdown. The Veterans Affairs department will have about 3% of its staff furloughed.”

The Guardian U.K., (on Thursday – ATTACHMENT FIVE) cited their unlucky seven consequences of the shutdown...

1. Paychecks and federal workers...

“According to official government data, the impact of furloughs varies widely across agencies. The EPA was expected to be hit hardest, with 89% of its staff furloughed, although there has been confusion among the agency and employees say they are still reporting to work without pay. The Department of Education follows closely behind at 87% and the Department of Commerce at 81%. The Department of Labor also sees a large , with 76% of its employees sidelined, while the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has 71% furloughed.

“At the state department, 62% of the workforce is out, while the Department of the Interior stands at 53%. Roughly half of agriculture employees (49%) are affected, along with 45% of civilian defense department staff and 41% of health and human services workers.

“The Department of Homeland Security is only 5% furloughed, but most staff remains unpaid until funding returns. The VA estimates that 97% of its employees would continue to work during a shutdown.

2. Travel and transportation

Air traffic controllers and TSA officers are still working, but without pay. Expect possible long lines or delays if staffing becomes strained.

Passport and visa services continue, but delays are possible if the shutdown drags on.

3. Benefits and health

Social security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits will continue, but customer service (like benefit verification or replacement cards) may be delayed. SNAP (food stamps) or WIC (special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children) will continue.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) hospital will stay open for current patients, but will not admit new ones unless medically necessary. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue some inspections, but new drug/device approvals are expected to slow down. New research grants are frozen.

4. National parks

Some campgrounds and remote sites may shut down entirely (See Attachment Three, above). “If conditions worsen due to lack of workers, more parks could be closed. Tours of sites such as the US Capitol and the FBI will likely be suspended indefinitely.”

5. Museums and cultural facilities

The Smithsonian Institution, which includes museums, research centers, and the National zoo in Washington DC stayed open through Monday, using “prior-year funds”, but it remains unclear how long they will remain open past that day should the shutdown continue. The Kennedy Center’s programming will not be impacted by a shutdown. Federal employees like plumbers will not be impacted either.”

6. Housing

How is the housing market affected?

The housing crisis is likely to intensify as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ceases much of its work in housing fairness, according to Sharon Cornelissen, director of Housing at the Consumer Federation of America (CFA).

“This government shutdown will further paralyze HUD and cease the little fair housing work it was still doing,” Cornelissen said.

7. Consumer protections

Experts warn the shutdown could compound the government’s ability to protect consumers.

Critical to the vagaries of who keeps and loses jobs and what effects on the public will be is the concept of “essentiality” (that is... them as need be kept on the job, although, perhaps, without pay – and them as can be discarded).

Time (October 1, ATTACHMENT SIX) noted that the Trump Administration’s determination of who was and who was not was “raising eyebrows,” punning that “(t)he halls are alive with the sound of confusion.”

During past shutdowns, Time brought to mind the lost clarity attending who was furloughed and who would have to keep working without pay.

But now, with Trump replacing furloughs with firings in some cases... perhaps performative or even political... SecPress Karoline Leavitt told reporters that, while she did not have the exact of workers who would be on the chopping block, at least some decapitations would be imminent.

As a whole, Wednesday’s Timeliners concluded... at least for the day... the shutdown “seems unevenly spread at best. While national parks, small business loans, and even the Statue of Liberty’s torch are in limbo, the Internal Revenue Service is open, at least for the first five days (after which services would be diminished, if not finished, by today) ; in some cases, the Trump administration was using “upgrade cash set aside in Joe Biden’s infrastructure bills” to keep others working, which explains why just 2% of Treasury’s headcount had been told to stay home. “Federal courts are running but it’s not clear how long their cash reserves will last. Food inspectors are sidelined but could be called back... making for a cheeria listeria... “(a)nd while nine out of 10 workers at the Environmental Protection Agency were initially set to be locked out, there is reporting that suggests the number is far smaller.”

With Speaker Mike sending the politicians home for the (Jewish) holidays, as would linger long past the expected Hamas/Israeli hostage deal, a timeline of takeaways and transportations (NBC, ATTACHMENT SEVEN) summarized the first day (Thursday) events and actions that presaged the gridlock for the rest of the week.

As partisan pollcats wafted toxic gas over party line stances, Veep Vance said the donkeys were “cracking”; the Bern (I-Vt) contended that thousands of Americans would die. Sen. Murphy (above) said “Trump wants to act like a king and steal from you," Speaker Mike called Democrats “selfish” and Schumer responded that Speaker Mike was a “bad guy”; even loopy Libertarian Rand Paul predicted a fast end for the shutdown. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa), one of three party turncoats simply opined that the shutdown was “... a real s----- show.”

Lawyers cited precedents and, sometimes, even laws (which Trump blithely ignored), red and blue propaganda metastatized, and a legion of lobbiecrats (labor, corporate, veterans’ groups’, military parents, nurses, forest service bureaucrats and environmentalists) rassled and tussled for supremacy over the vireality.

Vought escalated his and the President’s revenge and retribution campaign against blue states and cities, killing billions of dollars of funding for infrastructure projects in New York City and $2.1 billion in Chicago “to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting," Vought wrote on X. The donkies denied that aliens under the tables were exploiting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act – but were being allowed into hospital emergency rooms under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (a separate statute from the Affordable Care Act).

And as a result of the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will delay the release of its monthly jobs report, which partisans of all stripe and color expected to exploit and had been scheduled for tomorrow.

USA Today’s Thursday takeaways (ATTACHMENT EIGHT) included a warning by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) that shutdown might cause the Statue of Liberty (already compromised by the ICE war on aliens) to go dark while ICE, itself, complained that gumment closures were impacting its alien crackdown called Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. Lawsuits filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees contended that the shutdown had been planned “inflict punishment on, and further traumatize, federal employees throughout the nation.”

"Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," OMB Director Russ Vought proudly retaliated – saying that the cuts “would impact California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.”

Washington's Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriation's Committee, decried the "mafioso tactics."

"We're less than a day into this shutdown, and Trump & Vought are illegally punishing Democrat-led states," Murray said on social media.

USA Today also reported that White House Trumpies, including the President, were laughing and dancing at their AI video of House Democratic Leader of Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero which Democrats called “racist” if somewhat befuddled by the black/brown bigotry.

“The president's joking,” Vance said when asked about the videos. “And we're having a good time. Like, is (Jeffries) a Mexican-American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?”

More Administration memes included attacks on the “Radical Left Democrat shutdown” by HUD, USDA, DHS, DoJ and TELT (Treasury, Education, Labor and Transportation departments) as airport delays, student loan stallings, Medicaid and tele-health cutoffs mushroomed. However, stocks seemed unaffected, as were local Departments of Motor Vehicles and the IRS.

Speaker Mike told Fox Business that he has spoken to Trump about using the shutdown to cut the federal government.

“The president and I have talked about this at great length,” Johnson said a week ago Wednesday. “While a shutdown is very damaging for real American people who depend on government services, it can provide an opportunity to downsize the scope and the scale of government, which is something that we’ve all always wanted to do.”

“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” Trump added. “We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want. They’d be Democrat things.”

In takeaways from a separate USA Today article, conjoined with Yahoo (ATTACHMENT NINE) Schumer blustered – saying Trump was “using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail," while Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) expressed “concern” that partisan defunding might so anger wavering moderate Democrats into finding their backbones that the shutdown might continue indefinitely, with repercussions extending into November, 2026. Thune brushed him off.

Yahoo sourced a Reuters claim that Trump and Vought were meeting to locate more "Democrat Agencies" to cut, in a sign that he could use the second day (October 2^nd) of the government shutdown to inflict pain on his political opponents.

"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump said in a social media post.

“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns," Trump said on Sept. 30. "We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want," (above, plus people he doesn’t want either!).

Other USAT/Yahoo takeaways included the lack of stoppage on construction of Dancin’ Don’s $200 million golden White House ballroom, FCC chair testimony on yanking broadcast licenses in the wake of the Kimmel debacle, survival of the Smithsonian Panda Cam, HUD defiance of the 1939 Hatch Act (regulating political activities by Federal employees), effects on Head Start, WIC and SNAP benefits, delays on Federal litigation (like the deportation of ubiquitous, iniquitous Kilmar Abrego Garcia to, this time, Eswatini and, of course, the polls (trending positive for Obamacare, but negative for Democrats, and very negative for Republicans).

The CBS Friday timeline (ATTACHMENT TEN) noted that Speaker Mike... presumably in a ploy to “increase pressure on the Senate”, (or decrease pressure on the Epstein files, below) canceled plans to have the lower chamber return to Washington next week, saying members could instead go home and enjoy a “district work period” – i.e. playing golf, fundraising and ducking those increasingly obstreperous (and dangerous) town hall meetings.

“With Friday's schedule change, the lower chamber isn't set to return to Washington until Oct. 14.”

"Well, we just heard that Speaker Johnson said the House is out again," Chucky told reporters. "Johnson and House Republicans care more about protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people."

Schumer was referencing Johnson’s “slow-walking the swearing-in” of Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on Sept. 23 to fill the seat of her late father in Arizona. Grijalva is expected to be the deciding signature on a discharge petition “to force a vote to compel the Trump administration to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein...” an obfuscation obscured by the BBB and shutdown as well as ICE raids, but still alive and germinating.

Minority Leader Jeffries told MSNBC on Friday morning that “Mr. Trump” is in the "presidential witness protection program."

Still angered over the deepfake Mexican AI sombrero videos, Jeffries bellowed that “...(w)e’ve heard nothing, radio silence from the White House, radio silence from House Republicans, and radio silence from Senate Republicans because they're not serious. They wanted to shut the government down."

Those goldang... Anarchists!

This rubbed raw against Republican contentions that it was Democrats provoking the stalling... as well as denials of sombrero racism. Speaker Mike, asked how the president could be both taking no pleasure in federal cuts and "having fun" with the shutdown situation replied that “... the effects are very serious on real people, real Americans... (who) are being harmed by the Democrat shenanigans.

"We support federal employees who do a great job in all these different areas. But what they're trying to have fun with, trying to make light of, is to point out the absurdity of the Democrats' position. And they're using memes and all the tools of social media to do that. Some people find that entertaining, but at the end of the day, the decisions are hard ones, and I'm telling you they're not taking any pleasure in that."

ONE STEP BEYOND!

Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, late Wednesday night, Trump d an image posted by by one of his supporters... a portrait of Trump signing a document in the Oval Office emblazoned with the statement: “Cry all you want. He’s doing exactly what I hired him for.”

Accompany the grafix were words of glee, gloating and menace... “Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat-forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud,” Trump stating, before going on to claim that “billions of dollars” could be saved.

The President earlier indicated that Democrats would feel the main brunt of the firings (Time, Oct. 2, ATTACHMENT ELEVEN) as would replace furloughs – with reporter Callum Sutherland reporting that the Trump Administration’s eagerness to pursue further layoffs has received “heavy criticism” from Democratic lawmakers.

Time also compared boasts about DOGE savings by the President (who’d kicked Elon out of his orbit) to the ravings of gaslighting villains in old black and white horror and science fiction television with Sutherland reporting that the itemized savings posted on DOGE’s website found it only accounted for about $16 billion in savings compared to the $55 billion asserted by MAGAconomystics within the first month of Trump’s second term.

After reporting: “Well, they went and did it. So, now what?” the Independent U.K. (ATTACHMENT TWELVE) queried.

With many Republican voters aping anarchists in losing their faith in government, “...most of them are cheering us on,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Independent about his constituents. “They like the idea that government's shut down, they think it's too big anyway.”

Further emulating Bakunin, Emma Goldman and Mister Rotten, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Oh) has devised a new plan... pinning the tail on the donkeys with a new affliction – a salary tax. (Fox, Oct. 3^rd, ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN)

The Senate’s other Bernie plans to introduce a “Stop Holding Up Taxpayers, Deny Wages On Washington’s Negligence (SHUTDOWN)” Act, which would create a new tax specifically for lawmakers.

Members of Congress on average make $174,000 a year. That number can fluctuate depending on whether a lawmaker is in a leadership position. Preventing lawmakers from getting paid during a shutdown is tricky, however, given that the U.S. Constitution requires them to receive a paycheck even if the government is closed.

Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that "Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States."

Then there is the 27th Amendment, which was ratified in 1992, that prevents Congress from passing a law affecting its pay during the current congressional term.

Moreno’s bill, said the Fox, “could circumvent those guardrails by imposing a daily tax on lawmakers that would rise each day that members are in session and that a shutdown continues.”

Trump may back the tax but, according to a latenite Truth Social rant reported on IUK, he really wants to kill them all.

As part of a short posting spree late on Thursday, the president posted an image of a frowning Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, surrounded by unflattering images of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Joe and Jill Biden, under the headline: “The Party of Hate, Evil, and Satan.”

Below that, the post declared: “The Democratic Party is Dead! They have no leadership! No message! No hope! Their only message for America is to hate Trump.”

A IUKy account of a meme posted by President Donald Trump accusing the opposition Democrats of being ‘the party of Satan’ (Donald J Trump/Truth Social, October 3, ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN)

The Brits noted Trump has not publicly offered any concessions to the opposition, preferring to insist instead that they simply abandon their concerns and fall into line with his demands.

“He has equally made no attempt to cool his rhetoric at a time of heightened tensions and political division in the U.S. in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last month,” the explained, “despite calls from politicians on both sides for all parties to adopt a more measured tone.”

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday that layoffs for federal employees will begin as soon as President Donald Trump decides that congressional negotiations to end the government shutdown “are absolutely going nowhere.” (October 5, ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN)

“I think that everybody’s still hopeful that when we get a fresh start at the beginning of the week, that we can get the Democrats to see that it’s just common sense to avoid layoffs like that,” Hassett said on CNN’s “State of the Union” after two more votes on settlement failed.

“We think the Democrats, there’s a chance that they’ll be reasonable once they get back into town on Monday,” Hassett said on CNN.

They weren’t.

A reasonable President spent the week doing the incredibly essential work of... (the liberal Huffpost reported: ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN)... “serving up AI slop to supporters via his various social media feeds.”

Over and above Sombrerogate, one AI-generated video d by the president “appeared to show him throwing a cap emblazoned with the slogan ‘Trump 2028’ onto the head of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) during their ultimately fruitless Oval Office meeting to avert the shutdown.”

The clip was set to the inevitable song that Trump came out on stage to during his campaign ― The Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” ― and ended with Trump cracking up in laughter at his move. See the video here.

“The president also posted a six-second clip of what appeared to be him in a cape and a cap, on a mountain. In another video, Trump appeared as the Grim Reaper with Vice President JD Vance playing drums.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed Trump as “incredibly transparent,” highlighted his love of sharing memes and videos, and claimed it’s “quite refreshing” that he’s “so open and honest.”

Voters, too, were open and honest according to a CBS poll (October 5^th, ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN) finding President Trump, congressional Democrats, and Republicans all “net negative on their handling of the shutdown thus far.” The top descriptor Americans picked for the Democratic Party overall was "weak" while the top descriptor for Republicans was "extreme."

Why the blame? Respondents named healthcare as the top reason for hate, followed by the economy, the military, transportation and air travel, and Social Security and Medicare.

Fewer Americans now describe the president as "focused" than did at the start of his second term, CBS reported. “His top descriptors remained "tough" and "energetic," but the percentage who called him "effective" was also down compared to February and his overall approval rating, at 42%, now slid back down to what it was in July, after hitting 44% last month.

(This polling was conducted before reports of a possible Israeli-Hamas ceasefire deal.)

A week ago, former Demoniac... er, Democratic... LaborSec turned GUK opinionator Robert Reich concluded that the shutdown fight “has finally given Democrats leverage.” (ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN)

Recalling that he had been through two of the eight shutdowns since 1990, he noted that this one is different from the rest because Democrats... clean and noble donkeys as they are... want to save healthcare for the poorest three quarters of Americans (as well as nutrition assistance – i.e. “food”, foreign aid – as deters poor nations from pivoting to China, and environmental protection – amidst the hottest summer in decades) while cutting Trump’s BBB tax cuts for the rich.

What asses!

“If tens of millions of Americans lose their health insurance starting in January because they can no longer afford to pay sky-high premiums,” the LabSec believes Trump and his Republicans will be in the doghouse, assuming the asses grow a tailbone, defy the polls and finally stand up for America.

Another GUK F** on Oct. 2 (ATTACHMENT NINETEEN) asked and answered eight questions – centering upon “essentiality”, duration of the shutdown and discretion of administrators.

Running the numbers independent of CBS, the Old World Independent reported that the EPA would be most impacted (89% of staff furloughed, maybe soon fired) followed by the Departments of Education, Commerce and Labor. Those least impacted were DHS and the VA.

Joneses would still be able to fly but, with air traffic controllers and TSA officers calling in sick, the potential for “long lines or delays” (as, also, fatal crashes) escalates; Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP and WIC will also survive, though weakened; national parks and museums will, as above, be “half and half” depending on how long the shutdown lasts.

Not saved will be home closings, FEMA flood insurance, HUD fair housing advocacy, consumer protections... etc.

Still, however, the liberal MSNBC’s opinionator Nicholas Grossman concurred with others who opposed “bailing out” Team Trump. (October 5^th, ATTACHMENT TWENTY)

“Refusing to help the Republican majority pass a budget and end the current shutdown is about more than energizing the Democratic base,” he advocated – reasoning that if conditions became worse for Americans, their anger “could actually help pull America back from the brink of dictatorship.”

“The United States government is not currently operating under the Constitution,” he charged. “The executive branch has usurped congressional authority, ignores numerous court orders and violates rights — transforming the country from a rule-of-law democracy into a deepening authoritarianism with targeted revenge and retaliation against “enemy states” (as in Vought’s revocation of $8 billion in cuts to green energy funds from selected states, “all of which have two Democratic senators and voted for Kamala Harris.”

Adding that the administration’s “desire for dominance is bottomless, but its capacity is not,” the Trump White House “is abusing power and hurting people but faces resistance from a deeply ingrained liberal and democratic American culture,” Grossman (a political science Professor with a job and salary) contends – forecasting a national resistance to the corporations, universities and other institutions as are “surrendering without being forced” and making Djonald Unchained seem stronger, “like the winds are blowing his way.”

“The bigger the backlash to Trump’s overreach, the bigger a blue wave. Democrats stand a decent chance of getting control of the House, which gives them powers of agenda setting, oversight and a piece of whatever remains of legislation. A big enough wave and they’ll capture the Senate too, but that’s a long shot given the seats up for election this year. Still, any gains in the Senate increase Democrats’ institutional leverage and their chance of taking control after the next election.”

He concluded that Joneses should, instead of rescuing Trump and Republicans from themselves, “take an unwavering stand against their attack on constitutional democracy” and keep the gumment shut (even as they lose their healthcare and children go hungry).

Just so long as they can hang on for thirteen months until midterms, or three years til’ 2028 (assuming that the DisUnited States still resolves its difference through elections).

On Tuesday, even the Fox forecast that, instead of pressure bearing down on the necessary eight moderate Democratic Senators to capitulate (and damage to people be damned), Republicans’ “meager support across the aisle to reopen the government” may be crumbling after Maine Independent Angus King said he was “considering flipping his support of the GOP’s bill.” (ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE)

After President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that he would be open to a deal on the medical subsidies, and said that negotiations with Democrats were ongoing, Schumer pushed back and called Trump’s assertion "not true."

Fox also contended that the top Senate Democrat has “shifted the onus of the shutdown” onto House Speaker Mike and even proposed that Trump “step in and push Speaker Johnson to negotiate."

So far, however, POTUS is ramping up the R&R – escalating the furloughs to firings, overriding legal precedents that employees receive back pay when the shutdown ends, and more targeted clawbacks of “nearly $30 billion in federal funds for blue cities and states.”

Vought added that he might eliminate "vast numbers" of federal employees under the government shutdown, which has not manifested as yet (USA Today, ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO) – inspiring Trump to muse: “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns; we can get rid of a lot of things (people – DJI) that we didn't want."

By Monday, Speaker Mike had rebuffed Team Blue, saying that “there’s nothing for us to negotiate” while Sombrero Hakeem, increasingly desperate, continued to demand a deal on health care before the donkeys would approve the can kick. “A deal appears a long way off,” predicted the A.P. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE) inasmuch as “... (t)he two parties do not appear to be having productive conversations with each other in private, even as Republicans insist they are in conversation with their Democratic colleagues.” NBC (ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR), updating the familiar Q&A’s on an increasingly hardening gumment closure as, for example, the FDA warning that its ability to monitor the use of “new ingredients in animal food” would cease, and thus they would “not be able to ensure that meat, milk and eggs of livestock are safe for the public to eat.”

But student loan debtors would still have to make their loan payments during a shutdown, a DoE memo declared – although the 95% RIF (reduction in force) would halt issuance of “new grant-making activities.”

The Peacock also concurred with dispatches upon shutdown clawbacks on staffing for SNAP, WIC, national parks, museums. The National Zoo said animals at the zoo and the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute will continue to be fed and cared for if funds ran out after Saturday, “but animal cams will no longer broadcast.”

Also delayed was the Labor Department’s already delinquent September jobs report – guesstimators had predicted/hoped that the economy added 50,000 jobs after several bad months. (Fox Business, ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE

Such a scenario played out in 2013, when a government shutdown prevented the release of that year's September jobs report. Initially scheduled for publication on Oct. 4 of that year, it was ultimately released on Oct. 22, 2013, less than a week after the shutdown ended with funding restored on Oct. 17.

A similar delay occurred in early 1996, when the December 1995 jobs report was supposed to be released in early January but was delayed until the middle of the month because of a shutdown.

Among foreign reporting on the American shutdown, the Russian agency TASS – their prime concern being, of course, whether the closure would affect supplies of weapons to Ukrain – determined that shipments would continue, but might be delayed in the event of a long standoff,

As to the damage, or not, to America’s reputation for democracy, economy and competence, the Russians merely reported that the partisan parties were “provoking and prolonging the shutdown for political purposes.”

Putin, no longer Trump’s BFF, probably filed this away to employ on his contentions that democracy was no longer a viable means of governance.

France, also beset by political upheavals, took note of the “weaponization” of budget disagreements between Republicans and Democrats − an opportunity for Trump to “further dismantle the federal state and win a PR war against his opponents.” (LeMonde, ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN) The French further noted that Trump was having a meeting with Vought, “he of PROJECT 2025 Fame,” to determine “which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent," POTUS posted,

The Bangladesh Daily Sun pointed out that the escalating political crisis across the country “pits President Donald Trump's anti-crime and migration crackdown against opposition Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab,” and reported on the war of words between Illinois Gov. Pritzker and HomeSecSec Noem over whether Chicago (and other blue cities) could be called “a war zone.” (ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT)

A Sunday CBS poll found that 42 percent of Americans favor deploying the National Guard to cities, as opposed to 58 percent who oppose it, but Trump -- who last Tuesday spoke of using the military for a "war from within" -- showed no sign of backing off his hardline campaign.

In what the Bangladeshis called an untrue claim Sunday, he said: "Portland is burning to the ground. It's insurrectionists all over the place."

Aside from Mexico and Latin America, Bangladesh... like Indonesia, India, Cambodia and other Asian states... is a net exporter of migrants to the U.S.A.

On the legal front, Time (ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE) noted that Trump’s permanent staffing cuts during a shutdown may be illegal under federal law. “If Trump moves forward with layoffs, his action could be mired in court for months.”

Hours before the shutdown began, the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers filed a lawsuit in court seeking to block Trump from using the shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees. “The lawsuit argues that the Administration doesn’t have legal authority to permanently fire federal employees during a shutdown. The Antideficiency Act, first passed in 1870, forbids the federal government from spending money not appropriated by Congress, and guides much of what the federal government can and can’t do during a shutdown.

“Reductions in force, on the other hand, are guided by regulations stemming from the Veterans’ Preference Act of 1944 and other statutes, according to the lawsuit, which argues that those statutes are not applicable during a shutdown.”

“The Trump administration must not be allowed to use a shutdown as an excuse for yet another illegal attack on federal workers,” said Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund and one of the attorneys that filed the lawsuit.

“This madness must end," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House, including reps from USA Today. (ATTACHMENT THIRTY)

Joining AFGE, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and the AFL-CIO also filed lawsuits arguing Trump doesn't have the authority to lay off workers and dismantle agencies during a shutdown. The unions asked a federal court in California to block Trump.

Veep Vance dismissed the unions’ complaints as he had scoffed at Democrats... “We just write those people off because they are not negotiating in good faith,” Vance said. “Frankly, we don’t need them,” he added in a bumptuously bogus statement, given the Senatorial outlook.

While various courts deliberated, Speaker Mike chickened out (SMACO?), admitting that Republicans are committed to health care for Americans but could seek "reforms" to Obamacare during negotiations with Democrats. He said the issue (did) not have "an easy solution" and "we can't snap our fingers and say this is how the resolution works."

“Congress has three months to negotiate that," Johnson said. "Certainly, we could work on it during the month of October to find some consensus and figure that out."

Tuesday’s timeline from CNN (ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE) included the following developments as Senators and Congressthings continued swapping insults and blame... Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) proposing a one year only continuance of Obamacare, to which Jeffries said: “If that’s their position, they can take a hike.” Even the infamous MTG complained about the GOP’s lack of a plan to deal with a spike in healthcare insurance premiums, drawing contempt from Speaker Mike.

Staffing shortages are causing air travel delays. CNN specifically mentioned Nashville, Chicago, Houston, New York/Newark, Boston and more as the shutdown continued

Their union, NATCA (replacing the former PATCO confederacy liquidated by Ronald Reagan) threatened legal action as members called in sick while President Trump railed against “Democrat delays”

Trump suggested that some federal workers don’t deserve back pay and Speaker Mike would look into legal options to “turn the pressure up” on Democrats but some Republican senators worried about the legality and optics

He promised tariff funds would be deployed to continue WIC but also reiterated his intent to “take out billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse”

Bill Nye, the “Science Guy” derided proposed “massive cuts” to the NASA budget

“I can tell you this,” Trump channeled Marlon Brando in “The Godfather”... saying that the Democrats “have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy,” but, for the most part, “we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way,” Trump threatened. (See more in Attachment 33, below)

A draft White House memo described to Axios by three sources suggest that defiance of law and custom regarding back pay for furloughed workers might be voided if they were fired or simply just because. (ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO)

At issue is the ''Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019" that Trump signed during the last government shutdown, which lasted a record 35 days. Called GEFTA, the law has been widely interpreted as ensuring that furloughed workers automatically would be compensated after future shutdowns, but its wording is now vulnerable to legal override, according to Republicans.

Democrats, of course, disagree and this will be another matter headed to SCOTUS... but for another day, after the gumment reopens (if ever).

Reporting on the repetitive fruitless Senate votes on either party’s version of the BBB, the Fox reported that Sen. Angus King (I-Me) who usually sides with the asses but voted for the Republican shutdown shutdown might possibly be pivoting back to the left. Republican moderates, including King’s Pine Tree colleague Susan Collins, have been trying to work out compromise legislation, but to no avail.

As above, Time (ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE) expounded upon the President’s contention that stubborn Federal workers could be taken care of “in a different way” by suggesting that his comments signaled “a growing willingness inside the White House to use the shutdown as leverage in its broader effort to shrink the federal government” as opposed to tying them to concrete blocks and tossing them into the Potomac.

If the Trump Administration follows through on denying back pay to furloughed workers, David Super, a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center said he expected this would be challenged through a lawsuit that “would rapidly succeed.”

While the President is now proposing that the DoJ prosecute irritants like Schiff and Schumer on something or other, maybe Trump would be better off taking the advice of Don Corleone.

USA Today’s take on Federal workers who “don’t deserve back pay” cited the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA), which was passed during the last shutdown. It says that federal workers who are furloughed during a lapse in government funding “shall be paid for the period of the lapse.” The law states that it applies to any government funding lapse after Dec. 22, 2018. (ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR)

But the White House argues in a new legal memo that this law does not automatically cover all furloughed workers because of an amendment approved nine days after its original passage in January 2019, according to Axios, which first reported the White House's new opinion about back pay.

Trump on Oct. 7 suggested layoff could happen by the end of the week if Republicans and Democrats don't reach a deal to end the shutdown. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md called it “...just more fear mongering from a president who wants a blank check for lawlessness.”

The Hill’s take on back pay (Oct. 7, ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE) cited an “aggressive interpretation” of GEFTA by the President’s pet Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – subject to the enactment of unspecified Acts “ending the lapse” which will certainly draw more legal challenges from the employee unions.

Tired of working, but not being paid, some TSA and FAA employees are calling in sick, increasing the workload on those remaining and raising the risk of delays, cancellations or even accidents.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said some air traffic control facilities were already seeing increased numbers of sick calls, though the absences so far are “isolated”, and the agency is prepared to slow air traffic as needed to meet controller staffing levels. (USA Today, ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX)

"One facility one day, another facility another day, some areas have seen a 50% reduction in some of the staffing," Duffy said. "We take the appropriate action to make sure our skies are safe ... If we see those issues in the tower that are affecting controllers' ability to effectively control the airspace, we'll reduce the rate, and you can see more delays or you can see a cancellation."

Calling Democrats “insurrectionists”, the President threatened mass layoffs, cancellation of government jobs and programs and defended the OMB’s interpretation of GEFTA while suggesting that “some workers don’t deserve back pay.”

As noted above, Trump promised to take care of “our people,” but there are other people “that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way,” he ominously said.

Reporter Andrew Feinberg recalled accusations that Trump amassed “a long history of failing to pay contractors and vendors during his many years as a businessman and hotel/casino operator.”

In 2016, USA Today reported that he’d stiffed “hundreds of people” including carpenters, painters, dishwashers, and even attorneys who worked for him.

He told the newspaper at the time that he’d routinely “deduct” from what he owed vendors if he disliked their work.

The president described OMB Director Vought, a longtime GOP activist who (like his master) was depicted as the Grim Reaper in an AI-generated video he posted over the weekend, as a “very serious person” who is currently “sitting there and getting ready to cut things.”

“If (the shutdown) keeps going on, it'll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back,” he said.

Google AI’s overview of how the international media was reporting on America’s shutdown trended highly negative, with an emphasis on “extreme polarization and political gamesmanship” that was eroding American credibility as “a stable global leader.”

Reporters Without Borders warned that defunding the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees outlets like Voice of America (VOA), sent a “chilling signal" to authoritarian regimes like China and Russia, giving them "free rein to spread their propaganda unchecked".

International media outlets added that a majority of Americans believe the country's political divides are “irreparable”.

And yesterday, NBC reported that some genius in Washington decided to furlough half the IRS workforce (ATTACHMENT THIRTY NINE) as the second shutdown week began.

Americans can now expect longer wait times, delays in changes to the tax code and backlogs, said National Treasury employees union president Doreen Greenwald. "Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week."

“Few (taxing) operations will continue,” the Peacock imparted, “although nearly 40,000 employees will remain paid and on the job.”

The IRS declined to comment.

And some Americans are choosing to do as Americans sometimes do... gambling on the outcome of the government’s closing or opening.

The gaming community following Polymarket’s latest odds say that only 1% believed the government would reopen tomorrow, 23% ventured a return to reality next week, while 76% believe it will last after October 15^th as the Delaware News Journal and USA Today reported – today, as a matter of fact. (ATTACHMENT FORTY)

Pessimism is deepening, leavened with the possibilities of profit. “Last week's odds showed 56% believed it would pass by Oct 15; today, only 26% believe it will happen by then.

Last week, 87% were betting that a bill would pass before Halloween; that has dropped to 76%. “There is now a 96% confidence expressed in the odds” that it will pass by Thanksgiving.

The Google AI take on betting odds from Polymarket and rival Kalshi predicted a longer shutdown... gamblers assessing higher probabilities on both that the shutdown would last more than two weeks. Strangely enough, the cancellation of government economic information has led to more investors and bond traders “looking to these prediction markets for signals on the economy.” (ATTACHMENT FORTY ONE)

As of October 6, traders had wagered more than $2.5 million on the prediction market Kalshi alone.

And finally, Time’s prime opinionator, Phillip Elliott, assessed the putrescent partisanship (ATTACHMENT FORTY TWO) as leaving the American “Speed” bus “stuck in neutral” and with no off-ramp in view and nobody at the wheel save, perhaps, a drunken conductor.

“Talk to Republicans around Washington and you’ll get a smattering of reasons why the government shutdown is coasting into its second week: taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries, health care for undocumented immigrants,” he wrote, with “massive handouts” to folks who should be deported.

“Talk to Democrats, and you get a similarly disjointed litany of reasons: millions of Americans could lose their health coverage, those lucky to dodge the axe will get much higher bills—this is what voters sent them to Washington to do. Even Jeffrey Epstein comes up.

“The two parties cannot even agree on whether they’re talking to each other.”

Bluntly, opinionator Elliott opines, the shutdown is “a bloodbath for career feds who monitor clean air, administer student loans, promote American businesses, track American workers, and house our poorest neighbors.” Fortunately, in many cases, they got their last paycheck in the final hours before the shutdown, but many are already lining up at food banks, checking out pawnshops or the local stab labs.

So Elliott also took notice of the President’s contentions about taking care of the workers... one way or another. But the shutdown is far from a “Godfather” calibre crisis, it’s more like a reality show rendition of “the gang that couldn’t (or won’t) shoot straight.”

IN the NEWS: OCTOBER 2^ND to OCTOBER 8^TH, 2025

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Dow: 46,519.72

Plenty of tributes: Hispanic Herritage, Breast Cancer, Cybercrime and Shelter Dog months; Taylor Swift’s “Showgirl” drops.

Shutdowns begin, Sen. Warren (D-Ma) laments health insurance increases, evictions, targeted blue city cuts, the Bern says Americans will die. MAGA gloats and jokes; Speaker Mike tells them to stop whining, Obamacare expiration not until December and only illegal aliens will be affected. He says Hakeem Jeffries should not be so touchy about sombrero video that he’d called racist (some black/brown confusion here).

ICE warns that all the wealthy alien leaf blowers and taco makers buying Superbowl tickets to see halftime host Bad Bunny will be surveilled and deported for there will be “no safe place” Trump and Lewandoski say - even tho’ Puerto Rico is American. Might “mistakes be made/”? Trump denounces Pope Leo’s defense of migrants.

Fall’s first frost and snow blanket Montana. Humberto and Imelda blow past Bermuda, raising rip currtnts while Pacific storms

Friday, October 3, 2025

Dow: 45,945.40

President Trump begins firing, not furloughing, Feeral workers – calling this: “an unexprected opportunity, He sends Navy to intercept and sink more small boats off Venezuela, saying they are piloted by drug cartels. Maduro calls it an act of war,

US and Israel arrange a cease fire for hostages deal supported by most of the Gulf States, but the one gang not on board is Hamas so the bombings on Gaza continue Synagogue attack in Manchester, U.K. – the bobbies wonder whether the assailant is a terrorist. (Hint: his name is Jihad!) Israelis intercept flotilla of protesters, arresting and deporting activist Greta Thumburg while pro-hostage protests strike Jerusalem and TelAviv, Brits and Italians protest

Also still on is the Ukraine war... Russia launching 400 drones in attempt to destroy energy facilities before the winter.

Diddy begs for mercy and performs for the court saying ht’s changed and sober, but gets 50 months anyway and loses the respect of his fans.

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Dow: Closed

Feeral employees facing crisis and charitable organizations help out. Sick people fear Medicaid cuts. Bars and restaurants in Washington say they will “help” the unemployed by selling $7 hotdogs. (The unemployed say they would rather have a real drink) Trump continues punishing blue states. Sen, Corey Booker (D-NJ) says: “I have never seen such glee in a Presidential shutdown.

ICE arrests and beats up Chicago woman accused of menacing them with her car, alderman accompanying migrants to hospital snatched and deported. Kash Patel orders FBI trainee fired for possessing a gay flag,

USPS announces it will raise the price on shipping packages just before Christmas.

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Dow: Closed

Blue City blues include protester shot by Ice in Chicago after Antifa accusation, Gov. Pritzker refuses to send Nat. Guard. Portland martial law blocked by demonic Judge Karin Immergut. In Washington, Trump dispatches his new MidEast negotiators (Steve Witkoff and... uh... Jared Kushner (?) to peace talks in Cairo as Hamas continues stalling and Israel continues bombing.

It’s Talkshow Sunday, so ABC’s The Week and CBS’ Face the Nation feature busy, busy SecState Marco Rubio. He says that Gaza is a “tough peace” (or, maybe, “tough pizza”?) but we are “in a better place” then we were a week ago. He calls the hurdles “logistical”, praises Islamic states like Qatar. Turkey, Egypt and Jordan and supports a Palestinian state if it’s run by “technocrats”.

Admiral James Stavrides channels Lucy and the football and also Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money” in asserting that if Hamas frees the hostages, they lose influence while Israel should pivot from bombing civilians to destroying the tunnels under Gaza where terrorists move and hide. He calls Trump’s war on Venezuela a message to Cuba and Niicarague, but says they should stop killing boat people and catch and interrorage instead. General Peter Chiarelli says Trump should acknowledge the “rules of engagement” prevening murder of civilians or prisoners while Speaker Mike contrasts Enemy Schumer’s previous opposition of shutdowns – cancelled by his lust to appease the Marxist Left in New York.

On the ABC Round Table, rival perennials Donna Brazile and Reince Priebus debate – Brazile saying that even MAGA-ish businesses are worried about Trump, whose polls are bad, while Reince says Minority Leader Schumer is “double faced”, Dems support bums and aliens and “I’ve seen polls all over the place.” Leigh Ann Caldwell (Fox) says Dems support the shutdown because they are raising money on it.

Monday, October 6, 2025

Dow: 46,694.97

Rioters riot and lawyers litigate as Trump’s war on DC, the burning hellhole of Portland, Chicago and, now, Memphis) escalate. Now, the President calls for an Insurrection Act, one step short of Aughoritarian, two short of Totalitarian takeover. When Oregon refuses to deploy troops, Trump orders Nat. Guard from California into combat; when Gov, Newsom and Immergut (a Trump appointee!) resist, he turns to Texas Gov. Abbot – happy to oblige. Next door in Lousiana, Gov. Jeff Landry calls for troops to shut down the freaks and liberals in New Orleans.

Trump celebrates 250^th anniversary of the Naval Academy by declaring war on woke and dancing to “YMCA” (unbanned Jimmy Kimmel says it should have been “In the Navy”). He calls for the FCC to revoke NBC and ABC licenses and complains Fox doesn’t support himself enough. CBS, however, kisses the President’s... uh. Ring?... and names Trumpy Bari Weiss as its new President. (Will she advance Colbert cancellation?) Trump will issue a one dollar coin with his face while NY State legislator Harry Paratestes (!) proposes renaming a park in Brooklyn for him.

When not palaverin’ or rioting, Italians complain about Trump’s tax on pasta. The energetic news is better for both EU and USA... OPEC declares they will lower oil prices.

In a violent weekend, 14 are shot, 2 die in Montgomery, AL, two children shot and killed at Texas truck stop, more shootings at South Carolina State University and a gunslinger pots twenty in Sydney, Austalia.

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Dow: 46,602.98

It’s the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre. Hostage families are citing Islamist barbarism and hatred – they are the worst of humanity. A day of commemoration and warnings in Gaza where Israel denies children are starving to death. The seak and sentimental say people have to figure out how to live near each other “or we can die next to each other.” Both sides choose death. Trump says peace conference is going great, Israel supports (and so do many Gulf states) but Hamas does not).

Trump says he’ll invoke the Insurrection Act to ttop protests in DC, Chicago, Portland or wherever they exist. Biden appointed Judge April Perry greenlghts military in Chicago while Trump-appointedImmergut redlights Portland, whose police chief says protests are confined to one block in front of ICE hdqrs.

Ex NFL star turned sportscaster Mark Sanchez stabbed durin brasl with a truck drive. He’s the one arrested.

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Dow: 46,601.78

MidEast breakthrough, Hamas agrees to a Phase One solution, swapping hostage for Israeli withdrawl, other plans to be determined later. Hostages could be freed as early as Monday. Pro-Hamas rioters celebrate in Boston and in New York in front of Israeli consulate.

Partisans debate whether Pam Bondi has weaponized the DoJ against Democrats as she presses indictment of former FI director James Comey and engineers his daughter’s diring. Sen Whitehouse (D-RI) accuses Speaker Mike of holding up swearing in of Rep. Adalita Grijalva (replacing her father) to stall release of Epstein files.

Stupid LA arsonist arrested for boasting on Chat GPT. Last stupid New Orleans prison escapee caught hiding out in his family home in Atlanta. Unlucky escapee blunders into wasps, throws off his clothes and runs naked and screaming through the streets until caught.

KISS legend Gene Simmons survives car crash after falling asleep at the wheel. Dolly Parton surviving, period, after medical “procedures” that cause her to miss concerts. (Media suggests kidney stones.)

Eeyore the dog plays Lassie and leads police to her mistress, 86, who had fallen and could not get up.

Minimal movement downwards on the Don despite slight Dow gain. Amidst all the furor over ICE, the deficit and shutdown and breaking news about possible MidEast settlement, investors watched their wallets. Further, the shutdown meant that some key indices would not be updated until a settlement occurs.

THE DON JONES INDEX

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN. Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation. (Note – some of the indices where the total went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a further explanation of categories HERE

ECONOMIC INDICES

(60%)

CATEGORY

VALUE

BASE

RESULTS by PERCENTAGE

SCORE

OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS

INCOME

(24%)

6/17/13 revised 1/1/22

LAST

CHANGE

NEXT

LAST WEEK

THIS WEEK

THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS...

Wages (hrly. Per cap)

1350 points

10/2/25

+0.38%

10/25

1,589.97

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/wages 31.46

Median Inc. (yearly)

600

10/2/25

+0.109%

10/16/25

828.28

829.18

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 44,687

Unempl. (BLS – in mi)

600

10/2/25

+2.33%

10/25

530.25

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/ 4.3

Official (DC – in mi)

300

10/2/25

+0.08%

10/16/25

215.68

215.50

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,275

Unofficl. (DC – in mi)

300

10/2/25

+0.57%

10/16/25

234.00

232.67

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 14,748

Workforce Participation

Number

Percent

300

10/2/25

+0.44%

-0.008%

10/16/25

297.13

297.11

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ In 163,477 Out 104,055 Total: 267,482

61.117

WP % (ycharts)*

150

10/2/25

-0.16%

10/25

150.71

https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 62.30

OUTGO

(15%)

Total Inflation

1050

10/2/25

+0.4%

10/25

927.45

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.4

Food

300

10/2/25

+0.5%

10/25

262.59

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.5

Gasoline

300

10/2/25

+1.9%

10/25

255.11

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +1.9

Medical Costs

300

10/2/25

-0.1%

10/25

274.20

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm -0.1

Shelter

300

10/2/25

+0.4%

10/25

250.63

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.4

WEALTH

Dow Jones Index

300

10/2/25

+1.04%

10/16/25

351.27

354.93

https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 46.601.78

Home (Sales)

(Valuation)

150

10/2/25

+2.04%

-2.96%

10/25

123.91

277.56

123.91

277.56

https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics

Sales (M): 4.00 Valuations (K): 422.6

Millionaires (New Category)

150

10/2/25

+0.105%

10/16/25

133.81

133.95

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 23,780

Paupers (New Category)

150

10/2/25

+0.04%

10/16/25

133.20

133.25

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 37,290

GOVERNMENT

(10%)

Revenue (trilns.)

300

10/2/25

+0.44%

10/16/25

468.13

470.17

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 5,518

Expenditures (tr.)

300

10/2/25

+0.27%

10/16/25

279.44

278.69

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,415

National Debt tr.)

450

10/2/25

+0.20%

10/16/25

358.17

357.45

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 37,845

Aggregate Debt (tr.)

450

10/2/25

+0.08%

10/16/25

379.78

379.48

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 104,794

TRADE

(5%)

Foreign Debt (tr.)

300

10/2/25

+0.37%

10/16/25

257.76

256.32

http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 9,453

Exports (in billions)

150

10/2/25

+1.15%

10/25

174.76

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 280.5

Imports (in billions))

150

10/2/25

-5.94%

10/25

151.56

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 358.8

Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.)

150

10/2/25

-23.12%

10/25

253.88

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 78.3

SOCIAL INDICES

(40%)

ACTS of MAN

(12%)

World Affairs

450

10/2/25

-0.1%

10/16/25

471.47

470.53

Herschel Walker, NFL star and Senate election loser appointed Ambassador to the Bahamas. Trump sinks more boats off Venezuela – some with drugs, some with fish. Argentine economy imploding, Brazil prosecution of Bolsonaro provokes Trump tariffs on coffee. Meth dealers delighted.

War and terrorism

300

10/2/25

+0.2%

10/16/25

285.22

285.79

Gen. Z riots against corrupt regimes in Myanmar and Madagascar, pro-Palestinian students in Italy; Trump calls DC, Chicago, Portland, Memphis etc. “insurrections”. Yom Kippur stabbings at Manchester UK synagogue by Jihad, the perp; bobbies searching for motive ponder the name. Ukraine war intensifies but MidEast peace talks tease... Jared Kushner goes to Cairo to save the world and may have just done it!

Politics

450

10/2/25

-0.2%

10/16/25

459.78

458.86

Gumment shutdown abides. ComSec Lutnick, Jeff Epstein’s next door neighbor, said the dead perv would have “parties” for politicians and celebrities and then blackmail them. Trump denounces Pope Leo’s migrant blessings but another of his dog toys, Bari Weiss, takes over at CBS.

Economics

450

10/2/25

-0.1%

10/16/25

430.08

429.64

Pre-tariff sales at Amazon Prime, Target, Deal Drop and more. US economy may have lost 32K jobs, unsure because of shutdown, Rite Aid bankrupt after 63 years. Bumper pumpkin crop means prices down as Halloween merching (yard decoration, costumes & candy (like “Vampire Nuggets”) begins; Bitcoin hits record $125K, gold also way up.

Crime

150

10/2/25

-0.2%

10/16/25

210.32

209.90

Mass shootings at SC State U, two children at Texas truck stop, 14 at party out of bounds in Montgomery, Al . Foreign firepower wracks Manchester, England; Hamas shoots up Jews in Germany, thunder down under as 20 shot in Sydney, Australia.

ACTS of GOD

(6%)

Environment/Weather

450

10/2/25

-0.1%

10/16/25

285.22

284.93

Summer hanging on but ending in northeast where daytime NYC temps frop from 80 to 48. Hundreds trapped by early Mt. Everest blizzard. Atlantic’s Larry is a fish storm, but Pacific typhoons devastate (Matmo in China, Priscilla off Mexico

Disasters

450

10/2/25

-0.2%

10/16/25

459.78

458.86

Chevron refinery explodes in LA. Buildings collapse in Houston and the Bronx. Despair in the air: two United planes collide at LaGuardia, near misses and small aircraft disasters abounding. Unhappy camper eaten by a bear in Arkansas.

LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX

(15%)

Science, Tech, Education

600

10/2/25

-0.2%

10/16/25

617.07

615.84

To settle lawsuits, Harvard will offer vocational tech; graduates can get $20/hr. jobs against $200,000 in tuition debt. Illegal alien Supt. of Des Moines schools deported to Guyana. Nobel prizes doled out to scientists for quantum physics and chemistry. Cheese tossed to researchers using AI to study mouse brains.

Equality (econ/social)

600

10/2/25

-0.2%

10/16/25

664.40

663.07

Sanae Takaichi elected first Japanest PM. First woman is chosen Archbishop of Canterbury U.K. Texas sets execution date for woman prisoner. Kash Patel orders FBI trainee fired for possessing gay flag; Miami kneels to Trump and paints over Pride themed crosswalk art.

Health

600

10/2/25

-0.1%

10/16/25

420.08

419.66

FDA defies RFK, greenlights abortion pill – 6 former Surgeon Generals call him dangerous. Hundreds catch Norovirus on Norwegian cruise ship. Novo Nordisk cuts prices on viral weight loss drugs – to $500 mo. Recalls include Kroger pasta salad, woodchip corndogs from Foster, Hello Fresh listerial spinish (beware, Popeye!)

Freedom and Justice

450

10/2/25

-0.1%

10/16/25

484.02

483.54

SCOTUS back to work Monday to rule on migrants, Nat. Guard deployments and culture wars. Diddy gets 50 months for pimpmobiling – he and GMax beg Trump for pardons. Bad dad gets three years for raping, impregnating teenage daughter. Texas passes law mandating posting of Ten Commandments. Trump-appointed judge Immergut rules against ICE, Biden appointee Perry for it.

CULTURAL and MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS

(6%)

Cultural incidents

450

10/2/25

10/16/25

572.27

Taylor Swift’s “Showgirl” music and video drop – the film version beats K-Pop Dragon Fighter for #1 B.O. (next up: J Lo in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” remake and “Avatar 3”). Eight surviving MLB teams begin playoffs, last two unbeaten NFL teams fall, as do Penn State and Texas in NCAA. Book writers include actress and RFK wife Cheryl Hines “Unscripted” and iconic Thomas Pynchon “Shadow Ticket”. Partisans argue over choice of Bad Bunny for Superbowl halftme show

RIP: Joan Kennedy, Teddy’s first wife; climber Balin Miller falling off El Capitan; NFL star Arthur Jones, Tributes roll in for Jane Goodall.

Miscellaneous incidents

450

10/2/25

+0.1%

10/16/25

542.86

543.40

Millions in gold and treasure recovered from 1715 shipwreck. USPS will raise shipping prices just in time for Christmas. Woman celebrates fifty years selling peanuts at Phillies’ games.

The Don Jones Index for the week of October 2^nd through October 8^th, 2025 was DOWN 2.97 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM TIME

REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS REACT TO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AS BLAME GAME ENSUES

By Callum Sutherland Updated: Oct 1, 2025 1:36 PM ET

The federal government shut down at midnight after a stalemate in Congress between the Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a resolve. The sparring political parties are locked in a bitter dispute over spending and enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

An eleventh-hour attempt to find common ground proved fruitless as almost all Senate Democrats voted to reject a House-passed Republican bill that would have extended funding until Nov. 21. The bill did not meet the Democrats’ core demand that Affordable Care Act subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, should be extended. Democrats are also pushing to reverse deep cuts to Medicaid that featured in Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill" that was signed into law on July 4.

Now, with several agencies facing shuttering, hundreds of thousands of federal workers have to deal with the prospect of being furloughed as the Office of Management and Budget has instructed affected agencies to “execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”

Concerns are growing over the suspension of agencies that focus on climate and science as hurricane season approaches, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that responds to natural disaster events.

Prior to the funding deadline passing, Trump threatened mass layoffs in the wake of a shutdown.

“The Democrats want to shut it down, so when you shut it down, you have to do layoffs,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “We’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected, and they’re Democrats. They’re gonna be Democrats.”

A slew of Republicans, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have put forth the false narrative that the Affordable Care Act subsidies at the core of the Democrats’ demands would provide health care for undocumented immigrants.

During an Oval Office press conference on Tuesday, Trump was confronted about the Republicans’ stance, considering the fact that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for those health care plan subsidies and are largely barred from any federally-funded health care programs. Trump did not directly address the misleading narrative during his response.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, has steadfastly maintained that Trump could have easily avoided a shutdown.

“Ultimately, he's the decision maker. And if he will accept some of the things we asked, which we think the American people are for on healthcare and on rescissions, he can avoid a shutdown,” Schumer said prior to the midnight deadline passing.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris expressed a similar sentiment, saying "Republicans are in charge of the White House, House, and Senate. This is their shutdown."

Republican and Democrat lawmakers are now, for the most part, locked in a blame game, as each side is holding the other responsible for the government shutdown that has transpired.

Here’s how some lawmakers across the political parties are reacting to the shutdown:

Republicans

J.D. Vance

Vice President J.D. Vance said on Wednesday morning that Democrats are “running away” from their initial demands to provide healthcare to “illegal aliens” in their response to the Republican budget put forward.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans turned off that money to healthcare funding for illegal aliens. The Democrats want to turn it back on,” he claimed, repeating the false narrative during an interview with Fox News. “Let’s set that all to the side, let's open up the government, let's negotiate on all of these healthcare policies.”

Mike Johnson

After Democrats voted against a budget proposal on Tuesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said: “What they’ve decided to do tonight, with their vote, is close the government. And what that means is real pain for real Americans.”

He went on to list the impact of a shutdown, citing “moms and kids now lose Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition. Veterans lose health care and suicide prevention programs. FEMA has shortfalls during hurricane season. Soldiers and TSA agents go unpaid.”

Much like his fellow Republicans, Johnson called out Schumer specifically.

“The only question now: how long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on—for his own selfish reasons?”

Johnson took a slightly different approach on Wednesday morning, telling Fox News that the shutdown provided an opportunity to "downsize the scope and scale of government... there is a real opportunity for government to work more effectively and efficiently."

John Thune

Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Schumer of catering to the "far-left" and urged Senate Democrats to vote with the Republicans the next time they have the opportunity to do so.

"It's not about which party wins or loses or who gets blamed. This is about opening the government back up for the American people," he said.

Tom Cotton

“A ‘Schumer shutdown’ will be carried out at the expense and on the dime of the American people. Remember, it wasn’t happenstance that the American people threw radical Democrats out of the Oval Office and congressional leadership last fall,” said Sen. Tom Cotton in a speech at the Senate on Tuesday evening.

The Arkansas lawmaker called the shutdown “a last-ditch effort to save face after spending years pushing disastrous policies that led to rising costs and skyrocketing crime.”

Ted Cruz

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas blamed the Democrats ahead of the midnight shutdown.

“They're doing it on the face of it because they want free healthcare for illegals,” he claimed. “They’re crazy left-wing base is so angry. A few months ago when Schumer and the Democrats agreed to keep the government open, Schumer almost lost his job.”

Kristi Noem

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said just before midnight on Tuesday that her department’s law enforcement officers will continue to work through the “Democrat shutdown to make sure our homeland is safe and secure,” adding that 200,000 officers will go without pay.

“The Democrats will be forcing over 150,000 officers and nearly 50,000 members of the military—our frontline of defense—to continue protecting our nation without pay,” said Noem.

Mike Carey

Rep. Mike Carey of Ohio said Wednesday morning that “it's unfortunate so many Senators were unwilling to advance [the Republicans'] House package to keep the government open.”

“Its rejection in the Senate means an unnecessary and avoidable government shutdown that hurts the very people we were elected to serve,” Carey said.

Ron Estes

Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas has requested that his salary be put on hold in response to the shutdown, for as long as the government closure lasts.

“Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have pushed Congress into another Schumer shutdown. During a government shutdown, members of Congress still receive their paychecks. This is unfair when some federal employees are furloughed and/or don’t receive their paychecks,” Estes said via social media on Wednesday morning, as he d a letter requesting his salary be withheld.

Joe Gruters

Sen. Joe Gruters of Florida, who serves as the chairman of the Republican National Committee, repeated the false narrative that Democrats are "fighting for health care for illegal aliens."

“Democrats are solely responsible for this government shutdown. Democrats are holding up critical funding for our veterans, seniors, law enforcement, and working families because they want to pass a far-left wish list,” claimed Gruters.

Democrats

Chuck Schumer

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a video counting down to the shutdown deadline via social media.

“It’s midnight. The ‘Republican shutdown’ has just begun because Republicans wouldn’t protect America’s health care. We’re going to keep fighting for the American people,” he said in the footage filmed outside Capitol Hill.

Schumer also responded to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt who said “Democrats are prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens. They are America’s last radicals.”

“This is a lie. Not a single federal dollar goes to providing health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Not one penny,” Schumer replied. “Republicans would rather lie and shut down the government down than protect your health care.”

Hakeem Jeffries

House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries released a critical statement towards the Trump Administration.

“Donald Trump and Republicans have now shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American People,” he said, adding that Democrats want to find a “bipartisan way forward” to end the shuttering.

Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said on Wednesday morning: "Donald Trump officially shut down the government last night."

"Why? Because Republicans in Congress are spineless. They would rather make health care more expensive for millions of Americans because their pretend king wants them to rather than keep the government open."

Cory Booker

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said: “We just went into a shutdown because Republicans refuse to work with us to deal with the healthcare crisis that they created. Donald Trump and Republicans control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House. They need to do their job and put forward a budget that will help Americans.”

Booker added that he has spoken to Americans across New Jersey who are struggling with healthcare and other rising costs.

“This should be a bipartisan commitment to do the things necessary to help folks who are struggling,” he urged.

Pete Aguilar

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who also serves as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said the shutdown comes as America faces "dual health care and affordability crises that require immediate action."

"For months, Democrats have been sounding the alarm imploring Republicans to undo their harmful cuts to Medicaid and extend Affordable Care Act tax credits in order to prevent millions of Americans from losing their coverage," said Aguilar, who vowed to "keep fighting" to avoid that outcome.

Andy Kim

Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said that he would be refusing his pay during the shutdown.

“It’s wrong that the President and Members of Congress get paid during a government shutdown when our military and public servants don’t. I will be refusing my own pay… Government leaders shouldn’t be playing with other people’s chips,” said Kim, later adding that “it’s a small gesture, but one that is necessary as Americans pay for the consequences of our actions.”

Josh Gottheimer

Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey also surrendered his pay effective after the shutdown began, formally requesting the move in a letter d online.

“If our service members and federal workers won’t get paid because of Trump and far-right extremists, Members of Congress shouldn’t either. I’ll keep fighting to lower health care costs and work across the aisle to keep the government open,” said Gottheimer.

Nancy Pelosi

California Representative and former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, blamed the ruling party ahead of the deadline passing.

“If Republicans force a shutdown, it’s on them. Democrats will keep fighting to protect your health care,” she said.

Chris Murphy

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut responded to the shutdown, saying: “Democrats need to be loud and confident in our argument. No 75% premium increases. No lawlessness. That’s what we are fighting for. The people will be with us. But only if we show strength.”

ATTACHMENT TWO – FROM IUK

Trump vows to take an axe to the government if shutdown continues

Will the 2025 government shutdown herald the second coming of DOGE?

Even though Elon Musk is nowhere near the White House, Donald Trump appears to be plotting another slash-and-burn of the federal government.

The president openly threatened Democrats during an interview that aired Thursday on One America News, vowing to "permanently" cut programs popular with Democrats and begin mass layoffs if the shutdown continued.

"There could be firings — and that's their fault," Trump said, also adding: “We could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and then they'd be permanently cut."

No longer under the guise of improving efficiency in Washington, Trump's press secretary told reporters that "thousands" of jobs could be permanently axed as the president seeks to exact political punishment on his enemies.

Leading the charge with the president on this effort is Russ Vought, the Project 2025 architect and fiscal hawk now leading the Office of Management and Budget.

Vought "has been dreaming about this moment, preparing this moment, since puberty," Sen. Mike Lee told Fox News.

More centrist members of the GOP are less gleeful than Lee, and see inherent political risk in the president's threat to go after whole "Democrat agencies", which, in reality, serve millions of people of all political stripes.

Speaker Mike Johnson tried to put a more solemn face on the matter, while other Republicans expressed outright skepticism in the plan.

“This is certainly the most moral high ground Republicans have had in a moment like this that I can recall, and I just don’t like squandering that political capital when you have that kind of high ground,” Sen. Kevin Cramer fretted to CNN.

Read more here.

ATTACHMENT THREE – FROM USA TODAY

Day 1 of the federal government shutdown - what's open and closed?

Natalie Neysa Alund and Saman Shafiq

Which federal services remain operational during a shutdown?

What political factors caused the 2025 shutdown threat?

For you

How does the shutdown impact hurricane response?

The U.S. government shut down much of its operations just after midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 1, as a standoff between Congress and the White House over expiring health benefits prevented a funding deal, halting all but the most essential of federal services.

About 800,000 federal employees went without pay for 35 days during the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown in 2018 and 2019, USA TODAY previously reported.

Here is what’s open and closed in a government shutdown.

What happens during a government shutdown?

During a government shutdown, all federal agencies and services deemed non-essential must stop working, affecting thousands of federal employees and, in turn, millions of Americans.

Essential services, like military and law enforcement, remain working.

What's open during a government shutdown?

Here are some services that remain open during a government shutdown. But keep in mind that some services may face disruption or delays. For example, during the 2018-2019 shutdown, air traffic controllers worked without pay, causing widespread delays.

· U.S. Postal Service

· Medicare

· Social Security payments continue, but some SSA services could be impacted

· Air-traffic control

· Banks

· Courts (local, state and federal)

· Border security

· Disaster aid

· Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA and prison staff will remain operational. The Secret Service and Coast Guard will continue their duties.

· The military: All active-duty personnel stay on the job, but nearly half of the Department of War's 741,477 civilian employees could face furloughs.

· In general, national parks will remain open “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors," according to the Department of Interior's contingency plan. But the National Park Service will not operate nor offer visitor services in parks without accessible areas, and facilities or areas that are typically locked or secured after business hours will largely remain so during the shutdown. Read more here.

What's closed during a government shutdown?

Here's are some places and services that could close during a government shutdown:

· Visitor centers and tours of federal government buildings including the U.S. Capitol, White House, and FBI Building.

· Smithsonian museums could close in the event that the shutdown runs beyond Oct. 6.

ATTACHMENT FOUR – FROM TIME

What federal jobs are affected by the government shutdown? Here's who is furloughed.

By Janet Loehrke and George Petras

Which agencies face potential cuts under Trump's plan?

The federal government initiated a shutdown at midnight Oct. 1, closing hundreds of offices, putting hundreds of thousands of workers on furlough, and forcing others to work without pay.

While essential workers will continue to work, those deemed nonessential are being placed on furlough, a temporary leave of unpaid absence. In the past, such workers have kept their jobs and returned after shutdowns ended.

However, things may be different this time, since President Donald Trump has threatened permanent layoffs in the wake of the shutdown. Furloughs are temporary, but layoffs are permanent. Laid-off workers may not be able to return.

Here's how furloughs are hitting federal departments and agencies in the current shutdown:

What jobs are affected by government shutdown?

The Environmental Protection Agency, Education Department, and Commerce Department have the highest percentages of workforce furloughs, according to their contingency plans for operating under a shutdown. The Veterans Affairs department will have about 3% of its staff furloughed.

Trump threatens to fire federal workers

Trump has said "vast numbers" of federal workers could be terminated, USA TODAY reported. The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a recent email that workers whose activities are “not consistent with the President’s priorities” are a target.

Vice President JD Vance told reporters that the administration will "have to lay people off" if a shutdown extends for weeks.

How many people are in the federal workforce?

How long will government shutdown last?

Congress must pass funding appropriations to end the shutdown. Trump then has to sign the appropriations bill into law.

Alternatively, lawmakers could also pass a temporary spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (or CR, for short), to buy more time for negotiations.

CONTRIBUTING Joey Garrison, Bart Jansen, Zac Anderson, Erin Mansfield, Melina Khan, Andrea Riquier, Sarah D. Wire, Sudiksha Kochi, Shawn Sullivan, USA TODAY

ATTACHMENT FIVE – FROM GUK

Travel, national parks and housing: what does the US government shutdown mean for everyday people?

Several thousand federal employees will be furloughed or must do unpaid work. Regular people will feel it differently

By Marina Dunbar Thu 2 Oct 2025 14.51 EDT

Since the US government shut down Wednesday at midnight, tens of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed (told not to work), while others must work without pay until Congress passes a budget. The shutdown will have a wide range of effects on government services and programs as well as the US economy.

Here’s what it means for everyday people:

1. Paychecks and federal workers

Who keeps working?

“Excepted” government workers, employees whose work is deemed essential to protecting life and property, such as military personnel, border agents, TSA screeners and FBI agents, will remain at work without pay for as long as the shutdown continues. Some federal workers will continue to work with pay, particularly employees with the Veterans Health Administration and mail carriers, because the US Postal Service is an independent entity that generally relies on revenue from its products and services, not tax dollars.

Large portions of several agencies are furloughed, meaning they are not working or being payed because their jobs are not considered “essential” to immediate government operations.

All federal employees who are furloughed or required to work without pay during a government shutdown will receive back pay, under a law passed in 2019. Government contractors, however, are not guaranteed back pay for time lost during a government shutdown.

How many people are affected?

Hundreds of thousands of workers are impacted by the shutdown.

According to official government data, the impact of furloughs varies widely across agencies. The EPA was expected to be hit hardest, with 89% of its staff furloughed, although there has been confusion among the agency and employees say they are still reporting to work without pay. The Department of Education follows closely behind at 87% and the Department of Commerce at 81%. The Department of Labor also sees a large , with 76% of its employees sidelined, while the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has 71% furloughed.

At the state department, 62% of the workforce is out, while the Department of the Interior stands at 53%. Roughly half of agriculture employees (49%) are affected, along with 45% of civilian defense department staff and 41% of health and human services workers.

The Department of Homeland Security is only 5% furloughed, but most staff remains unpaid until funding returns. The VA estimates that 97% of its employees would continue to work during a shutdown.

2. Travel and transportation

Will my flight still take off?

Yes. Air traffic controllers and TSA officers are still working, but without pay. Expect possible long lines or delays if staffing becomes strained.

Can I get a passport or visa?

Yes, passport and visa services continue, but delays are possible if the shutdown drags on.

3. Benefits and health

Will I still get social security, Medicare or Medicaid?

Yes. Benefits continue, but customer service (like benefit verification or replacement cards) may be delayed.

Will I still get Snap (food stamps) or WIC (special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children)?

Yes, these nutrition programs continue.

What about healthcare and research?

The National Institute of Health (NIH) hospital stays open for current patients, but will not admit new ones unless medically necessary. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will continue some inspections, but new drug/device approvals are expected to slow down. New research grants are frozen.

4. National parks

Can I visit a national park?

It depends. According to the interior department, “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors”, but visitor services are limited due to reduced staffing.

Some campgrounds and remote sites may shut down entirely. If conditions worsen due to lack of workers, more parks could be closed. Tours of sites such as the US Capitol and the FBI will likely be suspended indefinitely.

5. Smithsonian museums

Are the Smithsonian museums open?

The Smithsonian Institution, which includes museums, research centers, and the National zoo in Washington DC will stay open through at least Monday, 6 October using “prior-year funds”, the institution d in a press release. It remains unclear whether they will remain open past that day should the shutdown continue, but updates will be posted on the website.

What about the Kennedy Center?

In a statement to NPR, a spokesperson said: “The Center’s programming will not be impacted by a shutdown. Federal employees like plumbers will not be impacted either,” The spokesperson credited Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included a $257m budget for repairs and restoration for the center, as the reason workers will not be affected.

6. Housing

How is the housing market affected?

“This government shutdown will further paralyze HUD and cease the little fair housing work it was still doing,” Cornelissen said in a statement. “Thousands of home closings will grind to a halt – consumers in flood zones will be unable to buy or sell homes – as funding for the National Flood Insurance Program runs out.”

She added: “Broad, affordable, and fair access to housing is impossible without a well-functioning government, but this administration has done nothing but undermine the essential housing programs and protections that people across the US rely on every day.”

7. Consumer protections

What about other implications for consumers?

Since the start of the Trump administration, watchdog agencies and regulators have faced major staffing cuts and financial constraints. Experts warn the shutdown could compound the government’s ability to protect consumers.

“This shutdown is not just political theater, it’s a continuation of the relentless assault on consumer protection,” said Erin Witte, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. “By halting the very agencies that safeguard families from predatory lenders, unfair fees and corporate abuse, the administration is abandoning Americans at the height of a widespread affordability crisis.”

8. In summary

o You’ll still get your social security and Medicare.

o Flights will keep going, but with unpaid and possibly limited staff.

o Most parks will remain open, but will probably be under-maintained.

o Smithsonian museums and the National zoo are open through at least 6 October.

o Federal workers are the hardest hit, withmany being unpaid or furloughed.

o Consumer protections, which have already been hit hard by cuts, are at risk of incapacity.

ATTACHMENT SIX – FROM TIME

Who the Trump Administration Says Is ‘Essential’ in a Shutdown Is Raising Eyebrows

By Phillip Elliott Oct 1, 2025 4:46 PM ET

The halls are alive with the sound of confusion.

As the first day of a government shutdown became Washington's new reality, it sure seemed like not everyone in government got the memo. Congress’ tunnels were as buzzy as always, even if House Republicans were nowhere to be seen. Federal agencies seemed to be clacking through the paces even as so-called non-essential workers were supposed to stay away.

Around the District, for both federal workers and those just friendly with many, a constant question has emerged in this shutdown: Which “F” is coming for you? As in, furloughed or fired? For many, the uncertainty is paving the way to another “F”—frustration—amid a nagging sense that the understood rules of government shutdowns were being rewritten in real time. And in the absence of clear answers as to what those new rules are, there’s plenty of guessing going on.

During past shutdowns, who was furloughed and who would have to keep working without pay was clearer. Most workers, in fact, were told to stay home until the chaos was sorted out. Those deemed essential would have to continue working, despite not getting paid on a normal schedule.

This time, Trump and his deputies are warning the funding lapse will be used to dismiss whole pages of the federal directory. The White House’s budget chief told lawmakers on Wednesday that those final decisions could start to shake out in a day or two. Separately, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that she did not have an exact of workers who would be on the chopping block, but confirmed layoffs were imminent.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg Law reported that the patent office laid off about 1% of its employees—a move that may not be shutdown-related, given that the agency is self-funded. Nonetheless, it was widely seen as an opening move that had other feds scrambling for hard answers from bosses.

Amid all these threats, the number of workers who haven’t yet found themselves furloughed is raising eyebrows, according to conversations with federal workers left in a lurch and Hill staffers watching their bosses talk past each other. Some are wondering if more is at play than the essentialness of their work. If someone is furloughed, the thinking goes, they could more easily be seen as extraneous, giving the Administration an easier path to arguing they aren’t needed at all. It’s why some around Washington suspect managers are designating fewer employees for furlough than previous standoffs. (It also helps that the denominator is smaller than in the past, given Trump already hollowed-out the government earlier this year, meaning the overall pool of feds is smaller.)

As a whole, the shutdown seems unevenly spread at best. While national parks, small business loans, and even the Statue of Liberty’s torch are in limbo, the Internal Revenue Service is open, at least for the first five days; in some cases, the Trump administration is using upgrade cash set aside in Joe Biden’s infrastructure bills to keep others working, which explains why just 2% of Treasury’s headcount had been told to stay home. Federal courts are running but it’s not clear how long their cash reserves will last. Food inspectors are sidelined but could be called back.

And while nine out of 10 workers at the Environmental Protection Agency were initially set to be locked out, there is reporting that suggests the number is far smaller.

For now at least, partisan instincts are raging and answers are in short supply. The Senate on Wednesday again failed to break the logjam and House Speaker Mike Johnson said his GOP-led chamber would not be voting until next week at the earliest. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have posted on their websites that this is Democrats’ fault, a brazen push into politics that breaks with past neutrality. An Undersecretary of State emailed employees a note blaming Democrats for workers’ situations.

Trump is leaning into his powers of impoundment, a maneuver through which the President simply decides not to spend money that Congress earmarked for programs. So-called pocket recissions are a step well beyond what past Presidents have done to tailor spending and could be a prelude to mass firings. The Interior Department, for instance, told employees to take home their phones and laptops to keep an eye out of dismissals.

Still, Washington is still figuring out just how big of a deal this shutdown will be. Some workers were milling about government offices on Wednesday looking for answers. The easiest one? Will their keycard still let them into their office suites?

ATTACHMENT SEVEN – FROM NBC (takeaways)

White House says federal layoffs are 'imminent;' Senate set to vote again Friday afternoon

By NBC News Highlights from Oct. 1, 2025

SENATE STANDSTILL: The Senate again failed to pass the same two short-term funding bills it tried to pass last night, lengthening the federal government shutdown that began today to at least three days. Senators adjourned for the day and aren’t scheduled to vote again until Friday afternoon, in observance of Yom Kippur tomorrow.

· AGENCY PLANS: Every federal department and agency has its own set of procedures for operating during a shutdown. Many federal employees will be furloughed, but others may need to show up for work without pay.

· MASS LAYOFFS: Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House Republicans that the government would begin firing federal employees within "one to two" days. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters that firings were “imminent,” blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

· BLAME GAME: Several federal agencies' websites have posted partisan messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Forest Service, which declared that the government was shut down by "Radical Left Democrats."

Democrats, Republicans clash online over responsibility for shutdown

Juhi Doshi

Democrats and Republicans have taken to social media to blame the opposing side for causing the government to shut down.

In a video on X, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., criticized Republicans and said they have refused to negotiate a bipartisan solution, in an “unprecedented manner.”

“If we do what the Republicans want us to do and pass a clean [bill] with no input at all from the opposition ... 15 million Americans will lose their health insurance and tens of thousands will die unnecessarily every single year,” Sanders said.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., wrote, "The government is shut down because Trump wants to act like a king and steal from you."

"Democrats have no obligation to support a budget that funds the destruction of our democracy — and DOUBLES health premiums to fund a tax cut for billionaires," Murphy added.

21h ago / 8:08 PM EDT

Sen. Rand Paul says he believes the government shutdown will be 'short-lived'

Sen. Rand Paul addressed the government shutdown in a discussion with NBC News’ Tom Llamas today.

Sen. Rand Paul weighs in on government shutdown, believes it will be 'short-lived'

07:07

22h ago / 7:17 PM EDT

Extracurricular activities and sports canceled at schools for military kids

Courtney Kube and Zoë Richards

Schools for military kids in pre-K through 12th grade operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity will remain in session during the government shutdown. However, sports and extracurricular activities will be paused, DoDEA said, except for prepaid and privately funded events.

DoDEA schools and district offices worldwide will remain open, but headquarters and regional offices will be affected. Military day care centers, child care programs and youth programs will also keep their doors open for mission-essential purposes, but that will vary by location.

DoDEA serves more than 67,000 children of active-duty military and Defense Department civilian families, according to its website.

23h ago / 6:41 PM EDT

Public Citizen files Hatch Act complaint against Small Business Administration for 'highly partisan post' on homepage

Zoë Richards and Michael Kosnar

A nonprofit consumer advocacy group filed a Hatch Act complaint against Kelly Loeffler, the head of the Small Business Administration, for a message on the SBA's homepage that accuses Senate Democrats of causing the government shutdown.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, wrote in the complaint that the agency's homepage featured "a highly partisan post targeting both employees and the public asserting that congressional Democrats are solely responsible for the shutdown and causing financial harm to small businesses and the American public."

The SBA's homepage message says, in part, that "Senate Democrats voted to block a clean federal funding bill (H.R. 5371), leading to a government shutdown that is preventing the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) from serving America’s 36 million small businesses."

The Hatch Act bars federal employees from engaging in political activity on duty.

23h ago / 6:01 PM EDT

The Senate is adjourned for the day

Frank Thorp V and Zoë Richards

The Senate has adjourned for the day and will return at noon ET tomorrow.

No votes are expected tomorrow after the Senate comes into session, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he anticipated "there’ll be a lot of conversations going on."

Thune said that the Senate floor will be available for senators to deliver speeches and that the Capitol would largely "be powered down" and "fairly quiet" in observance of Yom Kippur.

The Senate will hold votes at 1:30 p.m. ET Friday, with the second and third votes in that series being revotes on the stopgap funding bills that have failed three times already.

23h ago / 5:58 PM EDT

GOP misleads with claim that Democrats shut down to give health care to ‘illegal immigrants’

Sahil Kapur, Hallie Jackson, Kyle Stewart and Gabe Gutierrez

Reporting from Washington

With the government shut down, Republicans are centering their message on a simple argument: “Democrats are grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care.”

That message, from a new ad from the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been echoed by GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration in recent days.

Vice President JD Vance claimed on Fox News that the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” turned off health funding for “illegal aliens.”

“Democrats want to turn it back on,” he said. “It’s not something that we made up. It’s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.”

Read the full story here.

1d ago / 4:10 PM EDT

Washington, D.C., ceases issuing marriage licenses during shutdown

Alexandra Marquez

Washington, D.C., courts are unable to issue marriage licenses for the duration of the shutdown, according to a notice on the court 's website.

During the 34-day government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, the D.C. Council passed an emergency law — dubbed the LOVE Act — that gave Mayor Muriel Bowser the authority to issue marriage licenses during the shutdown. It is unclear whether the council will seek to do so again in the event of another extended shutdown.

1d ago / 3:51 PM EDT

Federal government websites post messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown

Rebecca Shabad

The U.S. Forest Service now has a partisan message up on its website blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

"The Radical Left Democrats shutdown the government," it says on the homepage. "This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people."

The State Department's website says, "Due to the Democrat-led shutdown, website updates will be limited until full operations resume."

1d ago / 3:18 PM EDT

Veterans Affairs newsletter blames Democrats for shutdown

By Alexandra Marquez

A newsletter message sent today by the Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans, their families and others included partisan language that blamed Democrats for their role in the government shutdown.

"President Trump opposes a lapse in appropriations, and on September 19, the House of Representatives passed, with the Trump Administration’s support, a clean continuing resolution to fund the government through November 21. Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands," reads the message, which was d with NBC News.

The email went on to a list of resources from the department that would remain functional during the shutdown — including veterans' burials and veteran health care — and would not remain functional during the shutdown, such as veteran career counseling and the GI Bill hotline.

1d ago / 3:16 PM EDT

Federal courts to remain open until Oct. 17

By Lawrence Hurley and Alexandra Marquez

In a notice posted online, the federal court system reported that it plans to remain open until Oct. 17 if the shutdown goes on for that long.

The online statement says the courts will do so "by using court fee balances and other funds not dependent on a new appropriation."

1d ago / 3:14 PM EDT

White House blames Democrats for shutdown in out-of-office reply

By Daniel Arkin

The White House assailed Democratic lawmakers in an out-of-office reply sent to an NBC News reporter today.

"Due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown, the typical 24/7 monitoring of this press inbox may experience delays. We ask for your patience as our staff work to field your requests in a timely manner," the White House press team said in the automatic reply.

"As you await a response, please remember this could have been avoided if the Democrats voted for the clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government open. The press office also cannot accommodate waves requests or escorts at this time. Thank you for your attention to this matter," the press team added.

1d ago / 2:50 PM EDT

Several departments' inspector general websites are shut down

Hannah Ninan

Numerous federal departments' inspector general websites are not operating because of the shutdown.

They include:

· Agriculture Department

· Education Department

· Interior Department

· Justice Department

· Department of Veterans Affairs

When users try try to access the websites, they are led to this message: "Due to a lack of apportionment of funds, this website is currently unavailable."

1d ago / 2:32 PM EDT

Democratic senators seek bipartisan path

Gabrielle Khoriaty

Several Democratic senators told NBC News today that they hope to see bipartisan action to end the shutdown, which was spurred by a conversation between senators of both parties on the Senate floor.

Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., addressed the conversation Republicans and Democrats were seen having on the Senate floor this afternoon.

“There is a lot of bipartisan hope that we can make this shutdown as short and costless as possible,” Blumenthal said.

Welch said Schumer is “very supportive of members having conversations with colleagues.”

“This is a point where rank-and-file members should be talking,” Welch said.

1d ago / 2:30 PM EDT

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden blames shutdown on 'far-left groups'

Alexandra Marquez

In a post on X, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, blamed the government shutdown on the "hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders."

Golden, who was the lone Democrat who voted in favor of the GOP-led stopgap funding measure that passed in the House last month, said that the shutdown "is hurting Americans and our economy" and that "the irony is it has only handed more power to the president."

Golden said Democratic lawmakers have made the fight about health care, and he made it clear that he opposed the GOP's cuts to Medicaid this year and that he supports the Democrats' calls to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.

"But some of my colleagues in the majority party have reasonable concerns about tax credits going to high-income households," he said. "There’s room and time to negotiate."

Golden labeled the negotiations "normal policy disagreements" and said they are "no reason to subject our constituents to the continued harm of this shutdown."

1d ago / 2:09 PM EDT

White House says layoffs for federal workers are 'imminent'

Rebecca Shabad

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that layoffs of federal workers because of the government shutdown are "imminent."

"Unfortunately, because the Democrats shut down the government, the president has directed his Cabinet and the Office of Management and Budget is working with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made. And we believe that layoffs are imminent. They are, unfortunately, a consequence of this government shutdown," Leavitt said.

She didn't give any additional specifics, including how much of the federal workforce will be reduced.

Asked about a proposal on layoffs from the White House that House Republicans are expected to hear this afternoon, Leavitt said the White House budget office is going to walk through the impact of the shutdown on their districts.

1d ago / 1:51 PM EDT

Vance on Jeffries sombrero meme: 'I think it's funny'

Alexandra Marquez

In response to questions about Trump’s posting artificial intelligence-generated memes of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., including one falsely depicting Jeffries with a curly mustache and a sombrero, Vice President JD Vance said, "I think it's funny."

“The president is joking, and we’re having a good time," he continued. "You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats' positions."

Vance then addressed Jeffries directly, saying, "I make the solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop."

He added, "I talked to the president of the United States about that."

1d ago / 1:45 PM EDT

Vance denies the administration will target federal workers based on their politics

By Rebecca Shabad

Vance says shutdown firings are 'not targeting federal agencies based on politics'

01:40

At the White House briefing, Vance denied that the Trump administration would target federal workers for layoffs based on their politics.

"We're not targeting federal agencies based on politics. We're targeting the people's government so that as much as possible of the essential services can continue to function," Vance said when asked about Trump suggesting yesterday that the administration has asked agencies to target federal workers whom they believe are Democrats.

The vice president said that layoffs will be expected if the shutdown drags on for another few days or weeks.

"We are going to have to lay people off," he said. "We’re gonna have to save money in some places so the essential services don’t get turned off in other places. That is the reality of the government shutdown that Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have foisted upon the administration.”

1d ago / 1:43 PM EDT

Vance: 'I actually don't think' it'll be a long shutdown

By Alexandra Marquez

During a press briefing with reporters at the White House, Vice President JD Vance predicted that the shutdown wouldn't last long, saying, "I actually don't think it's going to be that long of a shutdown."

"This is a pure guess from the vice president of the United States, because I think you already saw some evidence of Democrats are cracking a little bit," he added.

Vance said that he believes the members of the Democratic Caucus who supported the GOP spending bill "understand the fundamental illogic of this."

"For literally decades, we've heard them say, 'You don't shut the government down over policy disagreement,'" the vice president added.

1d ago / 1:12 PM EDT

Senators express frustration over funding stalemate

Ryan Nobles

Senators from both parties expressed frustration about the shutdown to NBC News this morning.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., one of three Democrats who voted for the House-passed stopgap funding bill last night and earlier today, said she doesn’t understand “engaging in a shutdown that’s going to harm people.”

“The American public is looking at Congress and saying, ‘What are you doing? Solve these problems,’" Masto said. "That’s where we should be. We should be doing our jobs, solving these problems, getting together and addressing what the American public, that I know in my state, what they are feeling.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who also voted with Republicans to keep the government open, said if the shutdown is being used for “entertainment,” then “this is a real s----- show.”

“I am frustrated. Why are we shutting the government down?" Fetterman asked. "You know, we should have a conversation. Why can’t we agree?"

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who did not vote for the House-passed stopgap bill, said federal workers “may be the strongest group” telling Democrats to push back, but added that “the question will become, will they have that same view three weeks from now? I don’t know.”

1d ago / 12:58 PM EDT

'Shutdown specials' abound in D.C. neighborhoods as furloughs loom

Garrett Grumbach and Fiona Glisson

While much of the the U.S. government is closing for business, D.C.-area bars, restaurants and bookstores are open and targeting some of the hundreds of thousands of federal workers in the area with "shutdown specials."

Franklin Beer Hall in Washington is offering $6 “furloughed shooters” and a free food buffet for federal workers from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Carmine's, downtown, is selling “Here We Go Again” berry cosmos and “Essential Worker” peach bellinis ($8). One legendary Capitol Hill bookstore is offering 10% off books for as long as the shutdown lasts.

The Washington Spirit, the National Women's Soccer League team, is offering 200 federal employees free tickets to their Sunday game at Audi Field against the San Diego Wave.

“There’s no better way to celebrate the people who have built the DMV than to congregate together,” the team announced.

While the shutdown clock keeps ticking, the time-honored tradition of D.C. institutions hosting topically relevant events marches on.

1d ago / 12:39 PM EDT

Senate again fails to advance House-passed funding bill

Rebecca Shabad and Frank Thorp V

The Senate failed to advance the House-passed Republican funding bill this afternoon for a third time in days.

The measure was defeated in a 55-45 vote on a procedural motion that required 60 votes for approval.

Three members of the Democratic Caucus again voted in favor of advancing the measure as they did last night: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Angus King, I-Maine.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican to vote against the motion to advance the bill.

When the Senate voted the first time to advance the House-passed bill on Sept. 19, Fetterman was the only Democrat to join Republicans in favor. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Paul against it.

1d ago / 12:30 PM EDT

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez gives a Capitol tour to NYC students

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., gave a tour of the Capitol this morning to a group of students from the Bronx who had their scheduled tour canceled because of the shutdown.

In a brief interview with NBC News, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Tour guides are, are are not in for duty today, but to have everyone bus down, I mean, it’d be terrible to have all that there, everyone was already here, so I’m giving them a tour.”

Asked whether any other lawmakers are giving tours for their constituents, the congresswoman said she wasn't sure.

"I’m not sure. I just woke up this morning and got out of bed, and this is what we’re doing today," she said.

1d ago / 12:05 PM EDT

White House points to defections in Senate as 'cracks' in Democratic opposition to GOP funding bill

BY Monica Alba

The White House is firmly defending its decision to brand the lapse in federal funding as a “Democrat shutdown,” with officials noting that the House-passed GOP spending bill received some bipartisan support in the Senate.

White House officials are pointing to the support the measure received from Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, as a “bad sign” for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., showing there are “already cracks in his coalition.”

The Trump administration wants to see the government reopen as soon as possible and will continue to message the “unfortunate” impacts as being a direct result of the Democrats’ decision not to support the GOP's short-term spending bill, the officials said.

The White House will continue to showcase a shutdown clock on whitehouse.gov, which says, “Democrats Have Shut Down the Government” and “Americans Don’t Agree with Democrats’ Actions,” and includes links to dozens of statements from organizations criticizing the shutdown.

When asked whether the shutdown would affect federal law enforcement operations in Memphis, Washington, D.C., Portland or Chicago, a White House official said federal officers "will continue doing their job and keeping Americans safe while Democrats force them to go without pay.”

1d ago / 12:02 PM EDT

CISA, top U.S. cyber agency, to work with reduced staff

Kevin Collier

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the country’s top cyber defense agency, will operate with a reduced staff during the shutdown, an agency spokesperson said, reducing the number of people tasked with helping U.S. critical infrastructure safe from hackers.

The spokesperson blamed Democrats in a statement, in line with a memo sent across the federal government to describe the shutdown in partisan terms. It's not clear how many employees will be furloughed.

“CISA will sustain essential functions and provide timely guidance to minimize disruptions. Yet Democrats’ refusal to act is forcing many of our frontline cybersecurity experts to work without pay even as nation-states intensify efforts to exploit Americans and critical systems — an unacceptable and unnecessary strain on our national defenses,” the spokesperson said.

Since January, the Trump administration has repeatedly slashed cybersecurity funding and staff at CISA, and agency employees have told NBC News that they were aghast at Trump’s attacks on the CISA’s founding director, Chris Krebs.

1d ago / 11:53 AM EDT

Procedural motion to advance Democratic funding bill fails in Senate

Rebecca Shabad and Frank Thorp V

A procedural motion to advance the short-term government funding bill offered by Democrats just failed in the Senate in a 47-53 vote.

The bill, which failed to move forward previously, required 60 votes to pass. All Democrats voted in favor of the measure and all Republicans voted against it.

The Senate is now voting again on a procedural motion to advance the "clean" House-passed short-term funding bill, which failed to advance previously; it also requires 60 votes to pass.

1d ago / 11:47 AM EDT

White House freezes $18 billion in New York City infrastructure funding

Adam Edelman and Peter Alexander

White House budget director Russell Vought said today that the Trump administration was putting on hold billions of dollars of funding for infrastructure projects in New York City, hours after the federal government shut down.

“Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,” Vought wrote on X.

“Specifically, the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway,” he added in a second post.

The announcement, coming on the first day of the federal government shutdown, would dramatically affect major projects for the home state and city of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Read the full story here.

Fact Check

1d ago / 11:17 AM EDT

Do Democrats want to fund health care for illegal immigrants?

By Kyle Stewart, Megan Shannon, Tara Prindiville, Hallie Jackson, Sahil Kapur and Gabe Gutierrez

Statement

After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive. They are threatening to shut down the Government of the United States unless they can have over $1 Trillion Dollars in new spending to continue free healthcare for Illegal Aliens (A monumental cost!)

president trump on Truth social, sept. 23

Verdict

Undocumented immigrants cannot sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage and are not eligible for Medicaid coverage. That is not legal now, and Democrats are not looking to change that.

Analysis

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) made undocumented immigrants mostly ineligible for federal public benefits.

What Democrats are trying to do is restore access to federal health care funding for 1.4 million people whom Republicans stripped it from in March. That group of 1.4 million people exists in a gray area called “lawfully present.” These are such people as those granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status, refugees and asylum-seekers. They are not considered “undocumented immigrants” — the government knows who they are, and they’re playing by the rules — but they don’t have legal permanent status.

Undocumented immigrants do have access to emergency room visits under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a separate law from the Affordable Care Act. Immigration advocates have said that federal spending for emergency care represents a fraction of a percentage point of Medicaid spending.

1d ago / 11:05 AM EDT

Speaker Johnson calls Democrats' push on Obamacare subsidies 'a red herring'

By Rebecca Shabad and Kyle Stewart

Johnson: Democrats are 'grasping at straws' to justify government shutdown

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the Democratic push to address Obamacare subsidies in a government funding bill a "red herring" during a news conference on the government shutdown with other Republican leaders in Congress.

"This is an extraneous matter right now, what the Democrats are doing is trying to grab a red herring," Johnson said, flanked by other top GOP lawmakers, outside the Capitol. "They're trying to bring in a December policy decision, which, by the way, is expiring because they themselves, the Democrats, put that in the law."

"That's not a decision that has to be made until the end of the year," he added.

Johnson added that "there isn’t anything we can do to make this bill any better” for Democrats, touting that the legislation Republicans put forward doesn't include any policy riders.

Republicans said they want to keep the government open now and negotiate the Affordable Care Act credits in the next two months.

1d ago / 10:52 AM EDT

FEMA to continue disaster response during shutdown

Laura Strickler and Alexandra Marquez

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it will continue disaster preparation and response efforts during the shutdown.

The agency "remains fully prepared and capable of responding to natural disasters, even amidst the current government shutdown," a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement, adding, "FEMA will continue to conduct essential activities deemed necessary for the safety of human life or protection of property."

Critical agency functions that will continue include "payments to disaster survivors, debris removal, emergency protective measures, and salaries for our disaster workforce," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also went on to blame "left-wing politicians" for "exploiting this government shutdown for political gain" — a continual refrain from administration officials, GOP leaders in Congress, and even government agencies as negotiations reached an impasse and government funding lapsed.

1d ago / 10:33 AM EDT

Senate set to vote on procedural motions to advance stopgap funding bill

Frank Thorp V and Ryan Brooks

The Senate will vote again at 11 a.m. on procedural motions related to the two stopgap funding bills that failed yesterday. The votes are aimed at starting consideration of the stopgap funding bills and both are expected to fail again.

To advance the House-passed, clean continuing resolution, Republicans need eight Democrats to vote alongside them if GOP votes remain the same. Last night, three members of the Democratic Caucus joined Republicans in voting to advance the bill, including Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. and Angus King, I-Maine.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against it.

The Senate is set to leave this afternoon and will be gone tomorrow to observe Yom Kippur.

1d ago / 10:25 AM EDT

White House budget office to brief House Republicans on shutdown plans

By Melanie Zanona

The director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, will provide a virtual briefing to House Republicans today about how the administration will proceed with the government shutdown, a GOP source familiar with the plans told NBC News.

The conference call, scheduled for 1 p.m. today, comes as Vought has threatened to conduct mass permanent layoffs in the federal workforce in the event of a shutdown.

Punchbowl was first to report the timing of the call.

1d ago / 9:47 AM EDT

Several federal government websites are not being maintained in the first hours of the shutdown

By Kevin Collier and Alexandra Marquez

Some federal government websites are down or not being updated and maintained, with some explicitly pointing to the shutdown as the reason.

When users try to load the website data.census.gov, for example, they see a message that reads, "Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website will not be updated. Any inquiries submitted will not be answered until appropriations are enacted."

Similarly, the website for the National Archives opens with a pop-up message to inform users that, apart from a few exceptions, "Due to the shutdown of the federal government, National Archives facilities are closed, websites and social media are not being updated or monitored, and activities are canceled."

National Archives

1d ago / 9:34 AM EDT

Schumer: Speaker Johnson 'has been the real bad guy in this'

By Alexandra Marquez

In an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., rebuffed claims that Senate Democrats are to blame for this shutdown, instead pointing to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for adjourning the House last month without a deal on government funding.

"There are Republicans on the Senate side who are saying, 'Let’s sit down and negotiate.' We should, and it has to, by the way, it’s not just [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune. It has to include Johnson," Schumer said.

"Johnson has been the real bad guy in this," he continued. "If you want to know who wanted a shutdown, there’s one sentence that proves it. Johnson had the Congress, the House, not even be in session when the shutdown occurs. How do you negotiate like that?"

1d ago / 9:31 AM EDT

Schumer says 'no,' Democrats won't buckle as shutdown goes on

By Rebecca Shabad

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stood firm this morning on his party's insistence that a government funding bill must address extending Affordable Care Act subsidies before they expire at the end of the year.

Asked if Democrats will go crawling back to Republicans if the government shutdown lasts for several weeks, Schumer said, "No."

Democrats plan to launch a messaging effort to convince Americans that their move to reject a so-called clean funding bill, which would keep spending at current levels and not extend the subsidies, is legitimate.

1d ago / 8:53 AM EDT

Shutdown means delay for key jobs report

By Rob Wile

As a result of the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will delay the release of its monthly jobs report, which had been scheduled for Friday.

The report would have included the number of new payrolls added in the U.S. economy, as well as the latest unemployment rate. Deterioration for both figures in recent months have suggested a weakening jobs market that has made it increasingly difficult for those out of work to find new employment.

1d ago / 8:44 AM EDT

Vance says Trump administration doesn't 'want to lay anybody off' during the shutdown

Rebecca Shabad and Tara Prindiville

Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on "CBS Mornings" that the Trump administration doesn't want to lay federal workers off during the government shutdown.

"We don’t want to lay anybody off, but what we do want to do is make sure that as much of the essential services of government remain functional as possible," he said.

"We were sort of dealt this hand by that faction of Senate Democrats who shut down the government," Vance said. "We’re going to have to deal with it. We’re going to have to make sure that as much of the people’s government remains government remains open or functional as possible."

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that about 750,000 federal employees will be furloughed during the shutdown. Last week, the White House Office of Management and Budget asked federal agencies to prepare for potential workforce firings, going beyond the typical employee furloughs in the event of a shutdown.

Democrats in the House and Senate have sought to include an extensions of expiring Obamacare subsidies in any government spending bill, while Republicans are pushing for a status quo extension of current funding.

1d ago / 7:34 AM EDT

National parks to remain partially open during government shutdown

Monica Alba and Raquel Coronell Uribe

National parks will remain partially open during the government shutdown, according to an Interior Department contingency plan posted last evening.

Open-air sites will remain open to the public but buildings that require staffing, such as visitor centers or sites like the Washington Monument, will be closed. Health and safety will continue to be addressed for sites that remain operational, meaning restrooms will be open and trash will be collected, the Interior Department said.

The contingency plans specify that park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials will stay open but emergency services will be limited. The department added that if public access begins to pose a safety, health or resource protection issue, an area must close.

The contingency plan says that about 64% of the National Park Service workforce is set to be furloughed and that those kept on would perform “excepted” activities, such as law enforcement or emergency response, border and coastal protection and surveillance, and fire suppression and monitoring.

Read the full story here.

1d ago / 6:52 AM EDT

Here's what happens when the government shuts down

Raquel Coronell Uribe and Megan Lebowitz

The federal government shut down this morning after lawmakers left the Capitol without passing a funding bill.

Agencies and departments have issued guidance in recent days on what to expect when the money runs out.

To lesser or greater degree, the shutdown will have some effect on many facets of government. Here's what to expect.

Read the full story here.

1d ago / 6:04 AM EDT

Speaker Johnson: Democrats have 'decided to close the government'

Patrick Smith

House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of voting to shut down the government and said the decision was driven by "selfish reasons."

He said on X at midnight: ""Results: Moms and kids now lose WIC nutrition. Veterans lose health care and suicide prevention programs. FEMA has shortfalls during hurricane season. Soldiers and TSA agents go UNPAID."

He added: "The only question now: How long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on — for his own selfish reasons?"

Senior Democrats have said that health care remains a barrier to backing the government spending package and said Republicans were not a "credible partner."

1d ago / 5:58 AM EDT

World s are mixed as a U.S. government shutdown adds to uncertainty.

U.S. futures sank and world s were mixed after a U.S. government shutdown began.

The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.6%. Yesterday, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Dow gained 0.2%, to set an all-time high. The Nasdaq composite ticked 0.3% higher to 22,660.01.

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX lost 0.2% to 23,916.90 and the CAC 40 in Paris gave up 0.2% to 7,907.99. Britain’s FTSE rose 0.7% to 9,416.30.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index shed 0.9% to 44,550.85 after the Bank of Japan reported a slight improvement in business sentiment among major manufacturers.

1d ago / 5:31 AM EDT

Government shutdown threatens to upend Virginia’s race for governor

Adam Edelman and Bridget Bowman

This is not the first time Virginia voters have braced for a government shutdown in a partisan standoff over Obamacare just a few weeks before they elect their next governor.

In October 2013, the federal government shut down for 16 days after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to fund it. President Barack Obama and other Democratic leaders loudly blamed Republicans in Congress, dubbing it the “tea party shutdown” — and polls showed that the public overwhelmingly agreed.

Fast-forward to the present. Republicans control the White House, the federal government barreled into a shutdown at midnight, and a race for governor in Virginia is weeks away. Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger has so far led Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in both polling and fundraising.

Read the full story here.

2d ago / 5:01 AM EDT

Senior Democrats blame 'erratic and unhinged' Trump for shutdown

Patrick Smith

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement early this morning that Trump and Republicans had "shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people."

They said Democrats were willing to "find a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government" and end the shutdown, but reiterated their position that the GOP stance on health care remains a barrier, questioning whether the Republicans are a "credible partner."

"Over the last few days, President Trump’s behavior has become more erratic and unhinged. Instead of negotiating a bipartisan agreement in good faith, he is obsessively posting crazed deepfake videos," they said.

The government blames the Democrats for causing the shutdown by not backing down on their opposition to the bill.

2d ago / 4:36 AM EDT

Unions file suit over Trump’s ‘illegal’ plan to fire many federal workers in a shutdown

Ryan J. Reilly

Two unions filed suit against the Trump administration over its plans to fire federal workers during the government shutdown, alleging that the “unlawful threats” were contrary to the law and should be declared unlawful by a federal court in San Francisco.

“These actions are contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious, and the cynical use of federal employees as a pawn in Congressional deliberations should be declared unlawful and enjoined by this Court,” the lawsuit filed hours ahead of the shutdown alleged.

Read the full story here.

2d ago / 3:54 AM EDT

Nurses' union calls on Congress to pass funding bill and end shutdown

Patrick Smith

The National Nurses United has urged lawmakers to pass a funding bill and end the government shutdown to "save lives by restoring health care funding and assistance."

The NNU, which says it is the country's largest nursing union, said it was also time to end "the Trump administration’s unprecedented power over government spending."

The union said in a statement that Republicans were blame for the shutdown, having "manufactured this impasse by refusing to negotiate with Democrats as a means to further degrade and gut critical public services and to advance an agenda to privatize vital functions."

The NNU has separately written to members of Congress urging them to find an agreement.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has accused Democrats of holding the government "hostage" by not agreeing the bill and suggested more would support it as the pain of the shutdown takes hold.

2d ago / 3:29 AM EDT

What are the next steps after government shutdown?

By Julie Tsirkin

As the U.S. government shutdown officially begins, millions of federal workers and services are being impacted. What are the next steps after the shutdown and the potential effects for Americans?

2d ago / 2:31 AM EDT

Members of Congress still get paid during a government shutdown

Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V

Millions of federal workers won’t get paid during a government shutdown. But the people who could prevent or end a shutdown — members of Congress — will still receive a paycheck.

That’s because their pay is protected under Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution, which states: “The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”

Read the full story here.

2d ago / 2:31 AM EDT

Federal employees were told to brace for a shutdown — and blame Democrats

By Monica Alba, Candace Kuo, Julie Tsirkin and Dareh Gregorian

Federal employees who would be impacted by a government shutdown received a memo yesterday informing them of possible furloughs, along with a partisan accusation that Democrats in Congress were to blame.

The memo — sent to the Department of Health and Human Services, Education Department, the Justice Department and the Labor Department, among others — begins by saying that Trump “opposes a government shutdown” and supports a House-passed Republican bill that would keep the government funded into November.

ATTACHMENT EIGHT – FROM USA TODAY – takeaways

Government shutdown 2025: What to know about federal layoffs, Social Security

The federal government shutdown began at midnight as President Trump and Democrats blamed each other for failing to reach an agreement.

By Joey Garrison, Bart Jansen, Zac Anderson, Erin Mansfield, Melina Khan, Andrea Riquier, Sarah D. Wire, Sudiksha Kochi, Saman Shafiq, Michael Loria, Francesca Chambers

WASHINGTON ‒ The federal government shut down at midnight as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats blamed each other for failing to reach an agreement in a bitter standoff over funding the government.

It marks the 15th government shutdown since 1981, and there’s no immediate end in sight as congressional Democrats demand health-care policy changes that Trump and Republicans have refused to entertain.

Looming over the fight is the threat of mass layoffs, with Trump saying "vast numbers" of federal workers could be terminated. The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a recent email that workers whose activities are “not consistent with the President’s priorities” are a target, and Vice President JD Vance told reporters that the administration will "have to lay people off" if a shutdown extends for weeks.

The shutdown blame game also is ratcheting up. The White House website features a clock counting the amount of time "Democrats have shut down the government," while the Democratic National Committee wrote on social media early Wednesday that "Republicans own this shutdown."

Mass federal layoffs will begin in 'a day or two,' budget chief says

Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told House Republicans in a private call Wednesday that mass layoffs of federal workers will begin in "a day or two," according to a lawmaker on the call.

Vought's timeline for so-called "reductions in force" of federal workers comes as President Donald Trump has warned Democrats that he could choose to eliminate “vast numbers" of federal workers under a government shutdown, which started Wednesday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during a briefing with reporters, did not elaborate on which federal departments could be affected but said layoffs are "imminent.”

- Joey Garrison

Statue of Liberty may go dark, New York governor warns

The Statue of Liberty may go dark during the federal government shutdown, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday.

With Lady Liberty as a backdrop, the New York Democrat stood alongside state elected officials and union representatives to call out Republicans in Washington, D.C., for the shutdown’s effects on entitlement programs, as well as closures to services and parks. This may include Liberty Island and nearby Ellis Island, the historic entry to the United States for millions of people who became Americans. Lady Liberty, dedicated nearly 140 years ago in New York Harbor, has symbolized the country’s embrace of immigrants.

Hochul said New York wouldn’t pay to keep the Statue of Liberty open during Washington's budget fight as the state had done before.

“Today, the torch she holds — as a beacon to others, a symbol — could literally go dark,” Hochul said. “Not because of an act of God or a horrific storm, flood or hurricane. But literally because Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington forced a government shutdown.”

Neither the National Park Service nor the Department of Interior immediately responded to emailed questions about keeping Liberty and Ellis islands open.

During previous government shutdowns, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo used state funds to keep the Statue of Liberty open. The federal shutdown in 2018-19 cost about $1.5 million to keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open, Gothamist reported.

- Eduardo Cuevas

Why are lawmakers fighting over health care?

Republicans are claiming Democrats shut down the government to demand free health care for undocumented immigrants. But these migrants are largely ineligible for federal health benefits, said Leo Cuello, a professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

They don't qualify for comprehensive Medicaid coverage, Medicare or the Children's Health Insurance Program. And they can't purchase federally subsidized health plans on exchanges backed by the Affordable Care Act. There are legal immigrants on Medicaid in the United States, so-called "qualified aliens" who were previously eligible for Medicaid coverage.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, they included only lawful immigrants: legal permanent residents, refugees, people granted asylum, people granted humanitarian parole including Ukrainians and Afghans, certain Cubans and Haitians; and certain victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, among others.

The new tax and spending law Trump signed in July restricts eligibility only to U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents – i.e. green card holders – as well as some Cuban and Haitian immigrants.

There is no proposal to provide free health care to people living in the country illegally.

– Lauren Villagran and Sarah Wire

Shutdown stalls case against ICE in Chicago

The shutdown has also stalled a case against the Department of Homeland Security over the agency’s immigration enforcement crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz.

The National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed documents in federal court over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in the Chicago area. The arrests violated a settlement agreement with ICE dating back to 2022 that barred many vehicle stops and arrests made without a warrant, according to defense attorneys.

A spokesperson for the Northern District of Illinois federal court confirmed that a hearing set for Oct. 3 over potential violations to the Castañon Nava consent decree was delayed following the shutdown.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Mark Fleming, associate director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, urged the court to take up the case again: "We urgently need the court to weigh in to hold the Trump administration accountable for its ongoing immigration raids in the Chicago area, where federal agents are detaining people, including children, without warrants or probable cause, and using increasingly violent tactics to do so."

The case comes as parts of the region say that Trump’s Midway Blitz amounts to a siege and as Illinois leaders fear masked federal agents will spark protests the White House will use the National Guard to quell.

Jeffries says Trump behaving 'erratically,' hits back over sombrero videos

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he had not heard from the White House since congressional leaders left the property after a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday.

Jeffries said Trump, who has been posting AI-generated videos of the Democratic leader in a mustache and sombrero, has been behaving "somewhat erratically" since the meeting and does not seem to be interested in coming up with a resolution to the government shutdown that began on Wednesday.

"It would seem to me that as the president of the United States, on the brink of a government shutdown, if you actually wanted to bring everyone together to try to get to a resolution in a common-sense, bipartisan way, that's not the type of behavior that we would see," Jeffries said on The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN.

Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House earlier in the day that Trump was "joking" when he d the memes that Jeffries and others have criticized as racist.

But Jeffries said he did not want to dwell on the videos. "The broader problem is it's deeply unserious, and this is a serious moment. We need to reopen the government," Jeffries told CNN.

- Francesca Chambers

First DOGE. Now shutdown. Federal workers see tough year.

It’s been a tough year to be a federal worker.

Potential widespread layoffs under the government shutdown are just the latest in a tough year for federal workers that’s already seen over 200,000 civil servants leave the workforce, according to the Partnership for Public Service.

Early cuts to the federal workforce came at the hands of Elon Musk’s "U.S. Department of Government Efficiency”, a project Trump established on Jan. 20 to reduce spending and eliminate “waste, bloat, and insularity” in the federal bureaucracy. Among those who left were 150,000 federal workers who took the White House’s "Fork in the Road" buyout offer, provided early in the Trump administration.

But some are pushing back. In response to potential layoffs under the shutdown, the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on Sept. 30 filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s threats of a mass firing saying it was designed to “inflict punishment on, and further traumatize, federal employees throughout the nation.”

These actions are a “cynical use of federal employees as a pawn in Congressional deliberations should be declared unlawful and enjoined by this Court,” the lawsuit said.

— Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

Federal spending cuts to Democratic states

For the second time today, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced a cut to federal funding to Democratic led states.

On social media Vought said that he would cancel funding for green energy projects in 16 Democrat-led states.

"Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said in a social media post.

He said the cuts would impact California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Earlier in the day Vought announced that $18 million for two of New York city’s largest projects in decades — the 2nd Avenue subway expansion and the Hudson River rail tunnel — were on hold.

Washington's Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriation's Committee, decried the "mafioso tactics."

"We're less than a day into this shutdown, and Trump & Vought are illegally punishing Democrat-led states," Murray said on social media.

- Sarah D. Wire

White House plays AI videos of Jeffries in sombrero

President Donald Trump is doubling down on his portrayal of House Democratic Leader of Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero.

On the first day of a government shutdown, the White House on Tuesday afternoon started playing the controversial AI-generated videos featuring Jefferies in a mustache and sombrero on loop in the press briefing room.

Vice President JD Vance earlier in the day brushed off criticism from Jeffries and other Democrats who have called the videos racist. The videos, which are playing on a pair of large television screens in the briefing room, also include made up audio of Schumer making derogatory comments about immigrants, as mariachi music played in the background.

“The president's joking,” Vance said when asked about the videos. “And we're having a good time.”

The vice president added: “Hakeem Jeffries said it was racist, and I know that he said that, and I honestly don’t even know what that means. Like, is he a Mexican-American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?”

- Joey Garrison

What does a government shutdown mean for student loans? What about FAFSA?

In the event of a government shutdown, borrowers would still be required to make payments on their outstanding student debt.

The Department of Education will continue to disburse Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student loans, according to the department’s contingency plan. As available, permanent and multi-year appropriations will also be used to continue processing Free Applications for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, the plan said.

During a lapse in funding, the department would cease any new grantmaking activities; however, grant programs typically make awards over the summer.

Borrowers with a question or dispute related to their loan may have a tougher time reaching the department, as it plans to furlough the majority of its staff.

Experts say while most borrowers won’t “feel” a short shutdown, more issues could arise the longer it takes those in Washington to make a deal.

− Rachel Barber

Federal agency websites blame Democrats for shutdown

The websites of several Cabinet-level agencies now have banners blaming Democrats for the government shutdown rather than the routine language noting that a “lapse in funding” has occurred and response times might be slower.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development was the first to take a political approach, putting up its banner Tuesday.

The USDA’s website blames “Radical Left Democrat shutdown” for the page not being updated.

The DHS website says “Mission-critical activities of HHS will continue during the Democrat-led government shutdown. Please use this site as a resource as the Trump Administration works to reopen the government for the American people.”

The Justice Department claims “Democrats have shut down the government.”

“Due to the Democrat-led shutdown, website updates will be limited until full operations resume,” the State Department’s site says.

The Treasury Department states “The radical left has chosen to shut down the United States government in the name of reckless spending and obstructionism.”

Several agencies including the Education, Labor and Transportation departments simply refer to a lapse in funding.

- Sarah D. Wire

What does it mean to be furloughed?

A furlough is the "placing of an employee in a temporary nonduty, non-pay status because of lack of work or funds, or other non-disciplinary reasons," according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

When an agency does not have enough funds, such as in the case of a government shutdown, a “shutdown” furlough occurs and those employees not categorized as "excepted," or essential, pause their work.

TSA warns of possible delays

Travelers heading to the airport don’t need to worry about TSA disruptions from the government shutdown – at least for now.

The agency said on X that about 61,000 of its 64,000 employees are considered essential and will continue screening passengers, though their paychecks may be delayed until funding resumes. TSA warned that an extended shutdown could eventually lead to longer wait times, with past shutdowns showing rising absences among TSA and FAA employees can snarl air travel.

For now, flights and security operations are expected to run normally, but travelers should monitor flight status and security line updates if the shutdown continues.

– Zach Wichter

Visitors look through the window of the closed U.S. Botanical Gardens during the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Millions of Medicare recipients could lose access to telehealth, in-home care

Seniors who rely on Medicare could face major changes and new barriers to receiving medical care during the shutdown. Two COVID-era programs that expanded access to healthcare expired on Tuesday, despite having largely bipartisan support: One provided greater flexibility around telehealth and another allowed hospitals to continue high-level care at home.

As part of the shutdown, Congress missed the deadline on extending telehealth programs for Medicare beneficiaries, meaning previous restrictions will go back into place.

Therefore, patients can no longer receive telehealth from home unless they meet specific criteria. Telehealth flexibility will again be limited to rural areas; audio-only visits will no longer be reimbursed for most services; and physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and audiologists will be excluded from telehealth reimbursement.

– Mary Walrath-Holdridge

Yes, Congress and the president receive salaries during a government shutdown

Congressional lawmakers and the president continue to receive paychecks during a shutdown under Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution.

“The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States," the Constitution states.

However, some lawmakers such as New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Florida Rep. Kat Cammack, say they will not take compensation during the shutdown. Trump also receives a salary as president, but the one-time real estate mogul has historically donated his pay.

Will there be layoffs during the government shutdown? OMB director huddles with GOP lawmakers

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought would brief House Republican lawmakers Wednesday about federal government layoffs planned under the shutdown.

Trump has warned “vast” layoffs are possible. Leavitt confirmed a time frame that layoffs are “imminent” and could begin in as little as two days.

“We have to put a plan in place,” Leavitt told reporters.

Is the DMV impacted by the government shutdown?

No. It's business as usual at Department of Motor Vehicles offices across the country. Like the U.S. Postal Service, the agency's operations are not contingent on Congress passing a funding package.

Motor vehicle departments, which are state-run agencies, are largely funded through state budgets and supplemented by fees charged to drivers.

– Amaris Encinas

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), center, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), center back, hold a press conference with House and Senate leadership from the United States Capitol on the morning of the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding compromise.

Vance takes center stage in shutdown fight

Vance made a surprise appearance at a White House press briefing on Wednesday, placing himself at the forefront of the administration's fight with Democrats over government spending.

In remarks to reporters, Vance repeatedly blasted Schumer, who he accused of acting in his own political interests, and threatened mass layoffs for federal workers if the shutdown continues.

"We need to reopen the government," Vance said. "Let's fix America's problems, let's work together to solve them, but let's reopen the government before have our negotiation about healthcare policy."

– Francesca Chambers

What government services will be impacted by shutdown?

Social Security checks will still be delivered. Medicare and Medicaid benefits also will still be paid, but many other aspects of the federal government will grind to a halt during the shutdown.

All federal agencies and services that officials do not deem "essential" must stop working during a shutdown.

Essential services include the U.S. Postal Service, Medicare and Social Security services and air-traffic control. "Nonessential" work, however, must pause, which affects thousands of federal employees and millions of Americans.

Do you have Medicare or Medicaid? Your doctor will see you, for now

If you have Medicare or Medicaid, you should be able to see your doctor without disruption. But if the shutdown drags on several weeks, problems could surface, experts said.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will continue operations during the shutdown.

Doctors, hospitals and other health providers could see delays in Medicare and Medicaid payments during a longer-term shutdown, said Jonathan Burks, executive vice president of health and economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Doctors might be reluctant to schedule appointments for new or existing patients if their payments are delayed, Burks said. Federal law requires hospitals to assess and stabilize anyone who seeks care at an emergency room.

– Ken Alltucker

Trump is no stranger to shutdowns

A shuttered government is familiar territory for Trump, whose first term saw three shutdowns, including a 35-day closure spanning the end of 2018 into early 2019. It remains the longest in U.S. history.

When Congress failed to pass new spending authority Tuesday, it prompted the 4th shutdown of the federal government during a Trump presidency.

When will the government reopen? Here's what would need to happen

The government will remain shut down until Congress can agree on federal funding allocations.

To reopen the government, Congress will need to pass funding appropriations. Trump will then have to sign the appropriations bill into law.

Lawmakers could also pass a temporary spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (or CR, for short), to buy more time for negotiations.

Stocks little changed on shutdown’s first day

U.S. stocks were mixed in the late morning in New York as investors digested the first day of the government shutdown and a weaker-than-expected report about hiring.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 66 points, about 0.1%, to trade near 46,464, while the broader S&P 500 index was down 2 points near 6,687. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was off 25 points, or 0.1%, trading near 22,635. Gold, which investors snatch up during periods of uncertainty, was up $22 near $3,895.

Before the market opened, payroll processor ADP said that private employers had shed a net 32,000 jobs in September. Economists had expected a gain of 50,000 jobs. ADP’s report will likely be the only read on the state of hiring until the shutdown ends, and with the Federal Reserve set to meet during the last week of October, it takes on outsize importance.

The lackluster reading “makes the Fed more likely to cut rates a quarter percent at their next decision in late October,” said Bill Adams, chief economist for Dallas-based Comerica Bank, in an email.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the White House on Sept. 30, 2025, before boarding Marine One to depart for Quantico, Virginia.

How is the IRS impacted by the government shutdown?

The Internal Revenue Service will not immediately be impacted by the government shutdown. More than 74,000 IRS employees are expected to report to work for the first day days after the shutdown's start, per the IRS' government shutdown contingency plan.

The federal government agency will continue operating under the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides supplemental appropriations to the IRS through Sept. 30, 2031, according to the contingency plan. However, the plan does not outline the agency's next steps after Oct. 5.

– Greta Cross

AOC: ‘This is so not about me’

Progressive firebrand New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday that Republicans who are speculating the government shutdown is her fault should negotiate with her on a deal directly.

Her remarks come as some Republicans have argued that Schumer opposed a temporary short-term bill to fund the government because of pressure from progressive Democrats and a potential primary challenge from Ocasio-Cortez in 2028.

Schumer received backlash in March after voting in favor of a Republican-crafted short-term funding bill. Ocasio-Cortez told reporters then that there was "a deep sense of outrage and betrayal" and said Senate Democrats must "correct course." Other House Democrats and New York politicos urged her to mount a primary challenge to him when he is next up for re-election in 2028.

But Ocasio-Cortez said just hours before the government shut down that, “This is so not about me in this moment.”

She added, “I saw some senators speculating about this, and I saw some Republican members of Congress saying, ‘Oh, well, if we have this shutdown, it's because of AOC.’ Well, if that's the case, my office is open and you are free to walk in and negotiate with me directly.”

Schumer shutdown becomes key phrase for congressional Republicans

Congressional Republicans adopted two key phrases at a Wednesday news conference to accuse Democrats of holding the American public “hostage” and blast what they called the “Schumer shutdown.”

Schumer of New York has become the face of the Democratic Party as he negotiates federal funding with Trump. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota; Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming; and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, each called it a “Schumer shutdown.”

“The reason the government is shut down this morning is because the Democrats decided they would rather hold our government hostage and issue a $1.5 trillion random note,” said Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota.

Schumer has highlighted that many people will lose health insurance if federal subsidies aren’t extended under Obamacare as the renewal period begins Nov. 1.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said subsidies could be debated in December before new insurance rates go into effect Jan. 1.

“That is not a decision that has to be made before the end of the year,” Johnson said. “Don’t buy it. They’re grasping at straws.”

Mike Johnson says shutdown ‘opportunity to downsize’ government

Johnson told Fox Business that he has spoken to Trump about using the shutdown to cut the federal government.

“The president and I have talked about this at great length,” Johnson said Wednesday. “While a shutdown is very damaging for real American people who depend on government services, it can provide an opportunity to downsize the scope and the scale of government, which is something that we’ve all always wanted to do.”

Trump is threatening mass layoffs of federal workers. Johnson said the shutdown is an opportunity to do things “we would not otherwise be able to do because we would never get Democrat votes for them.”

‘No way out’: Congressional Republicans push for short-term funding

Republican congressional leaders urged Democrats to support a short-term extension of funding through Nov. 21 and reopen the government while lawmakers continue to debate spending levels.

“There’s no way out,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said at a Wednesday news conference outside the Capitol. “Everybody’s asking the question how does this end.”

The House previously approved the short-term funding extension. Another Senate vote is expected about 11 a.m. on Wednesday. But a 55-45 vote on Tuesday fell short of the 60 votes needed to approve the bill.

“They have taken the American people hostage,” Thune said of Democrats. “This could all end today.”

Does the military still operate during a government shutdown?

Military operations are necessary to national security, so service members will continue to work during the shutdown, according to a Saturday contingency plan published by the Department of War.

However, military members won't get paid while working during the shutdown because their compensation is funded through annual personnel appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of War, according to the Library of Congress.

It's possible that Congress will act to ensure active duty members continue to get paid as they have in past shutdowns. For example, the Pay Our Military Act allowed military members to be paid during a government shutdown in 2013.

National Park site operations will vary during the government shutdown.

National Park operations will vary during the government shutdown.

In general parks will remain open and “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors,” according to newly published contingency plans on the Department of Interior’s website.

Parks with accessible areas that collect fees under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act are to use balances from those fees to continue providing basic visitor services like restroom maintenance and trash collection.

However, the plan says the National Park Service will not operate nor offer visitor services in parks without accessible areas, though essential services like law enforcement and border safety will continue. Also facilities and areas that are typically locked or secured after business hours will largely remain so during the shutdown.

– Eve Chen

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 01: A sign reads, ' This Facility is Closed Due to the Federal Government Shutdown', on the door to a gift shop in the Everglades National Park on October 01, 2025, in Everglades National Park, Florida. The park will remain open to visitors, but with minimal staffing. The U.S. government shut down at midnight, with President Donald Trump and Democrats blaming each other for failing to reach an agreement.

'There’s going to be some pain' Vance says shutdown could hurt.

Vance in a Wednesday appearance on CBS Mornings said Americans could be harmed by the shutdown’s impact on government services.

“There are critical, essential services that the people rely on that are going to suffer because of this,” Vance said, adding: “There’s going to be some pain.”

Vance also appeared on Fox News, where he criticized Democrats’ focus on including an extension of health care subsidies in any government funding bill, saying “you don’t shut down the government because you have a policy disagreement about a totally separate issue.”

Congressional Democratic leaders – Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York – issued a joint statement at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday saying Trump and Republicans shut down the government “because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people.”

Will a government shutdown impact my flight?

For the most part, no. Air passengers should still be able to continue with their flights during a partial government shutdown.

Those workers who screen at airport security checkpoints, give flight clearance, and verify at border control are deemed essential, so they are still required to work.

However, a group representing major U.S. airlines warned that a partial federal government shutdown could strain American aviation and slow flights, as air traffic controllers and security officers would be forced to work without pay and other functions would be halted.

Airline trade group Airlines for America, which represents United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, warned that if funding lapses "the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency" and impacting travelers.

– Kathleen Wong

A sign a government shutdown relief loan is seen outside of the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union in the Hart Senate Office Building on Sept. 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. If lawmakers fail to reach a bipartisan compromise the federal government shutdown will begin at midnight.

About $18 billion in NYC infrastructure funds frozen amid shutdown

The Trump administration has frozen about $18 billion in infrastructure project funds to New York City amid the federal government shutdown. Federal officials on Wednesday alleged discrimination from a city program meant to help underrepresented groups obtain federal contracts.

The federal Department of Transportation said two of the city’s largest projects in decades — the 2nd Avenue subway expansion and the Hudson River rail tunnel — are on hold pending administrative review. An agency news release called the projects “arguably the largest infrastructure initiatives in the Western Hemisphere.”

In an X post, Russ Vought, the director of the federal Office of Management and Budget, said the hold is meant to “ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.”

The Transportation Department cited the city’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, an equity initiative meant to expand participation in federally assisted contracts. Projects, for now, can’t reimbursed, an agency news release said.

A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a New York Democrat, called the hold “political payback and an attack on New York and its residents.”

– Eduardo Cuevas

Smithsonian museums remaining open this week

The Smithsonian Institute’s museums, research centers, and the National Zoo remain open this week despite the government shutdown.

The organization posted on its website that it will use money from the last fiscal year’s budget to stay open at least through Monday, Oct. 6.

The Smithsonian has 17 museums and a zoo in the Washington area plus two museums in New York City.

What does the government shutdown mean for mortgage borrowers?

Americans who are hoping to close on a mortgage soon – whether for a purchase or a refinance – may experience some delays as government functions are curtailed. Here are a few things to know:

Most mortgages that will be assumed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be unaffected, industry participants say. However, if your Social Security number needs to be verified, you may encounter delays.

If your mortgage comes from a rural housing program like those from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, expect delays. As the National Association of Realtors explains in an online memo to members, “new direct and guaranteed home loans, and any scheduled direct‑loan closings will be postponed. Pending conditional commitments for guaranteed loans are still being reviewed.”

If your mortgage comes from the Department of Veterans Affairs, you should also expect delays. “Some VA staff and support functions may be reduced, which may slow down approvals, appraisals and certificate of eligibility requests,” NAR says.

If you are working with a housing counselor affiliated with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, that agency may need to scale back or halt their activities, NAR says.

Buyers in flood-prone areas like Florida and Louisiana might encounter delays because the National Flood Insurance Program will not be funded. Some lenders may allow the purchase to proceed anyway, but that can create problems if a storm happens before insurance can be written, said Jeff Lichtenstein, president and broker of Echo Fine Properties in south Florida.

“Uncertainty in the marketplace might have some buyers just wanting to back out,” Lichtenstein told USA TODAY in an email. “Nothing good ever comes out of these things.”

Live updates: Trump vows sweeping cuts, layoffs as government shutdown hits day 2

Can undocumented immigrants get 'free health care' or Medicaid?

GOP, Trump get more blame for shutdown than Democrats, poll shows

Why is the government shut down? How Medicaid, Obamacare are dividing Congress

Day 1 of the federal government shutdown - what's open and closed?

What happens to student loans when the government shuts down?

ICE enforcement largely continues during government shutdown, DHS says

These people have found their health care at the center of a shutdown showdown

White House website features shutdown clock

Trump is doing everything he can to blame Democrats for the shutdown, including featuring a shutdown clock on the White House website.

The top of the website displays the amount of time since “Democrats have shutdown the government.” There’s also a link to a video with clips of Democrats criticizing past shutdowns.

The Trump administration has used other government channels to blast out highly partisan shutdown messages, including a banner on the Department of Housing and Urban Development website declaring the “radical left” is shutting down the government.

Democrats say blame for the shutdown lies with the GOP.

“Republicans own this shutdown,” the Democratic National Committee posted on social media early Wednesday.

Massive furloughs expected in federal government

About 750,000 federal employees ranging from workers at national parks to financial regulators could be furloughed each day under a shutdown, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, withholding about $400 million in daily compensation.

Other workers in government services that are considered “essential,” such as the military and law enforcement, will continue to work but won’t be paid until a deal is reached.

Trump warns of government layoffs

Trump has also warned Democrats he may lay off federal workers under a shutdown. "We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them ‒ cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things they that they like, cutting programs that they like,” Trump said in the Oval Office, hours before the shutdown.

The president later said: “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns. We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want. They’d be Democrat things.”

The shutdown is the first since 2019, which came during Trump’s first term following Democratic objections over funding Trump’s border wall. It was also the longest shutdown in U.S. history at 35 days, costing the U.S. economy about $3 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Democrats hold out for health-care demands

Democrats have demanded the reversal of Medicaid cuts that Republicans passed this year and the extension of health care subsidies be included in a funding measure.

“He doesn't understand that if the government shuts down, people's healthcare premiums will go up,” Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said of Trump from the Senate Floor on Tuesday.

Trump and Republicans have countered by accusing Democrats of wanting to provide health care for immigrants who are in the country illegally. “That’s what they’re insisting, and obviously, I have an obligation to not accept that,” Trump said. Democrats have called the president's claims a lie, noting that undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for payments from Medicare, Medicaid, or the Affordable Care Act.

ATTACHMENT NINE – FROM USA TODAY via YAHOO (TAKEAWAYS)

White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown slap

By David Morgan, Bo Erickson, Nolan D. McCaskill and Richard Cowan Wed, October 1, 2025 at 3:37 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday froze $26 billion for Democratic-leaning states, following through on a threat to use the government shutdown to target Democratic priorities.

The targeted programs included $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress's top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois. Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, warned that the administration might extend its purge of federal workers if the shutdown lasts more than a few days.

The moves made clear that Trump would carry out his threat to take advantage of the shutdown to punish his political opponents and extend his control over the $7 trillion federal budget, established by the U.S. Constitution as the domain of Congress.

The pressure tactics came as the 15th government shutdown since 1981 suspended scientific research, financial oversight, environmental cleanup efforts and a wide range of other activities.

Some 750,000 federal workers were ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, began to work without pay. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it would provide burials at national cemeteries, but would not erect headstones or mow the grass.

Vance said at a White House briefing that the administration would be forced to resort to layoffs if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, adding to the 300,000 who will be pushed out by December. Previous shutdowns have not resulted in permanent layoffs.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said it would lay off 1% of its 14,000 employees, according to an internal letter seen by Reuters.

SCHUMER ALLEGES SHUTDOWN 'BLACKMAIL'

Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said the funding freeze for subway and harbor projects in his home of New York would throw thousands out of work.

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Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, also from New York, said Trump was targeting regular Americans for partisan aims.

"He is using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail," Schumer said.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was concerned that the freezing of infrastructure funds for New York could make it harder for Congress to exit the shutdown.

"They need to be really careful with that, because they can create a toxic environment here," Tillis said. "So hopefully they're working with the leader, and the leader with them, on not creating more work to get us out of this posture."

Republican Senate Leader John Thune dismissed concerns that the spending freeze amounted to hostage-taking.

"Well, vote to open up the government and that issue goes away, right? I mean, it's pretty straightforward," he said at a press conference.

DIFFERENT DAY, DIFFERENT VOTE, SAME RESULTS

Meanwhile, the Senate again rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through November 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes.

Trump's Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but they need the support of at least seven of Schumer's Democrats to meet the chamber's 60-vote threshold for spending bills.

At issue on the government funding front is $1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

A bipartisan group of senators huddled on the floor during the vote, trying to find a path forward.

"I want to see that a deal is a deal, and I would like to see the Republicans make a commitment to work with us on health care,” said Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who represents many federal workers near the nation's capital. “But I've never said that has to be all I's dotted and T's crossed because that could be complicated."

Democrats are also seeking guarantees that Trump will not be able to ignore spending bills he signs into law, as he has repeatedly done since returning to office.

Both sides sought to pin the blame on the other, looking for advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Democrats said Republicans were responsible for the disruption, as they control the levers of power in Washington.

Republicans said Democrats were surrendering to partisan pressures to oppose Trump, even though they have routinely backed spending bills in the past. They also repeated a false claim that the Democratic proposal would extend health coverage to people who are in the country illegally. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Democratic plan would only restore coverage to certain categories of immigrants who are in the country legally, such as asylum seekers and people on work visas.

Several government agencies posted notices on their websites blaming the "radical left" for the shutdown - a possible violation of a law known as the Hatch Act meant to insulate nuts-and-bolts government services from partisan politics.

The longest U.S. government shutdown, which stretched over 35 days in 2018-2019 during Trump's first term, ended in part after flight delays caused by air traffic controllers calling in sick.

(Reporting by Courtney Rozen, Richard Cowan, Nolan D. McCaskill, Bo Erickson and David Morgan; Additional reporting by Mike Stone, Doina Chacu, Jasper Ward and Katharine Jackson; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Lincoln Feast, Alistair Bell and Daniel Wallis)

Trump, budget chief to discuss cuts on day two of US government shutdown

By Andy Sullivan

Thu, October 2, 2025 at 10:17 a.m. EDT

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said he will meet with his budget director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut, in a sign that he could use the second day of the government shutdown to inflict pain on his political opponents.

"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump said in a social media post.

Trump has already frozen federal transit and green-energy funding for Democratic-leaning states and has threatened to fire more federal workers during the shutdown, which began on Wednesday due to a partisan standoff in Congress. Trump is already on track to push out 300,000 federal workers by the end of the year.

In his post, Trump mentioned Vought's involvement with Project 2025, a plan by the conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for radically downsizing the federal government. Trump's administration has sought to implement many aspects of that plan, such as dismantling the Department of Education and curtailing the government's power to fight pollution.

The government shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, financial oversight, economic data reports, and a wide range of other activities.

Some 750,000 federal workers have been ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, are ordered to work without pay. A prolonged shutdown could disrupt air travel and threaten food aid for 7 million Americans. Major benefit programs, like Social Security, will continue to send out payments.

The shutdown was triggered at midnight Tuesday, when Democrats and Republicans were unable to agree on a spending bill that would have allowed agency operations to continue past October 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Democrats insist that any funding bill must also extend health subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year, while Republicans say the two issues must be dealt with separately.

The shutdown will persist at least until Friday, when the Senate next convenes to address the issue.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Doina Chiacu and Brendan O'Brien; writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Katharine Jackson, Aidan Lewis and Nick Zieminski)

JD Vance Doesn't Expect a Long Shutdown, Sees Democrats "Cracking"

From Bloomberg

Wed, October 1, 2025 at 2:16 p.m. EDT

Vice President JD Vance says he does not think the federal government shutdown is "going to be that long of a shutdown," adding that he sees "some evidence that moderate Democrats are cracking a bit."

Trump eyes cuts to 'Democrat Agencies' in government shutdown

By Andy Sullivan and Doina Chiacu

Thu, October 2, 2025 at 3:52 p.m. EDT

By Andy Sullivan and Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said he will meet with his budget director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine which "Democrat Agencies" to cut, as he looks to inflict pain on his political opposition in the second day of a government shutdown.

"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump said in a social media post.

Trump is already on track to push out 300,000 federal workers by the end of the year.

In his post, Trump mentioned Vought's involvement with Project 2025, a plan by the conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for radically downsizing the federal government. Trump's administration has already pursued many aspects of that plan, such as dismantling the Department of Education and curtailing the government's power to fight pollution.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump could fire thousands of workers, though she did not provide details. Several federal employee unions have filed a lawsuit to prevent that from happening, but federal courts have allowed layoffs to proceed while similar cases are being litigated.

Senator Patty Murray, top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, warned Trump that more firings would not help to end the legislative logjam that has shut the government.

“If the president fires a bunch of people, it’s not because of his shutdown—it’s because HE decided to fire them,” Murray, of Washington state, said on social media. "People aren’t negotiating tools & it's sick that the president is treating federal workers like pawns. Making threats and choosing to hurt people won't win my vote.”

The government shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, financial oversight, economic data reports, and a wide range of other activities. Major benefit programs, like Social Security, will continue to send out payments.

A standoff in Congress has frozen about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual federal spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

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Pay has been suspended for roughly 2 million federal workers, with roughly 750,000 ordered not to work and others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, required to work without pay. Many could face personal hardship if the standoff is not resolved before October 15, when the next paychecks are due to be issued.

A prolonged shutdown could disrupt air travel, threaten food aid for millions of Americans, and weigh on exports and mortgage applications.

However, past shutdowns have not had a lasting impact on the broader U.S. economy. The longest lasted 35 days in 2018 and 2019, during Trump's first term, due to a dispute over immigration.

The shutdown will persist at least until Friday, when the Senate next convenes to address the issue. Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress but Senate rules mean they will need the votes of at least seven Democrats to pass a funding bill.

In the meantime, Trump has made clear he will pile pressure on his opponents by targeting government programs they favor. Democrats have said this amounts to hostage-taking that throws regular Americans out of work and also violates Congress' constitutional authority over federal spending.

Republicans have shown little concern so far, arguing that the administration can prioritize spending as it sees fit if Congress abdicates its responsibility to pass spending bills.

"When Congress turns off the funding and the funding runs out, it is up to the commander in chief, the president of the United States, to determine how those resources will be spent," House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters. "He has that responsibility given to him by the Democrats in the Senate. They can't complain about it."

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Doina Chiacu David Morgan and Brendan O'Brien; writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Nick Zieminski and Alistair Bell)

Democrats say Trump needs to be in the room on shutdown negotiations

Associated Press

Updated Wed, October 1, 2025 at 1:10 p.m. EDT

House Democratic leaders say that President Donald Trump will need to be in the room when it comes to any possible agreement to end a government shutdown.

Live updates: Trump vows sweeping cuts, layoffs as government shutdown hits day 2

Joey Garrison, Bart Jansen and Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY

Thu, October 2, 2025 at 7:32 a.m. EDT

WASHINGTON ‒ The federal government shutdown reached Day Two on Thursday, Oct. 2, as President Donald Trump said he would decide which "Democrat Agencies" to close and congressional Republicans and Democrats showed no signs of ending their impasse over funding the government.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later said Trump would use the shutdown to cut “agencies and programs that do not align with the Administration’s policies and values.”

Trump has already frozen federal transit and green energy funding for Democratic-leaning states and has threatened mass firings of federal workers. "I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," he said on social media.

What federal jobs are at risk? Here's who is furloughed.

With the government out of money after President Donald Trump and lawmakers failed to agree on a deal to keep the lights on, many federal departments and agencies have been closed since midnight. See what remains open and what has closed.

See the impact of the government shutdown as agencies shutter or fight to stay open

1 of 15

People wait in line to enter the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California on October 1, 2025, where services are experiencing significant disruptions due to the federal government shutdown, as essential workers continue working without pay and non-essential federal workers are furloughed.

With the government out of money after President Donald Trump and lawmakers failed to agree on a deal to keep the lights on, many federal departments and agencies have been closed since midnight. See what remains open and what has closed.

Hanging over the stalemate is Trump’s threat to cull federal workers. White House officials warned mass firings are “imminent” under a shutdown. Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told Republican lawmakers in a private call on Oct. 1 that mass reductions in force will begin in “a day or two.”

The main sticking point remains Democratic demands to restore funding to Medicaid and Obamacare after cuts Trump signed into law this year that the Congressional Budget Office says will leave 10.9 million people without health insurance. Republicans want to keep the government operating at existing funding levels, but they lack a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate despite their majority.

White House ballroom work continues amid shutdown

Government shutdown or not, construction on President Trump’s pet project, a 90,000-square-foot ballroom replacing a large part of the East Wing, is continuing apace.

Construction begins on White House ballroom, its largest renovation since the 1940s

The $200 million dollar project, unveiled in July, will feature gilded interiors and seat 900 people.

A White House official told USA TODAY that because the project is being sponsored by Trump and private donors, it is not impacted by the shutdown.

Construction began in September and is expected to be completed before the end of Trump’s term in 2028.

--Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

Government out-of-office emails blame Dems for shutdown

Official email accounts at the U.S. Department of Education began sending out-of-office messages are pointing fingers at Democrats for the funding crisis.

More: How are SNAP benefits, food banks impacted by a government shutdown?

"Thank you for contacting me," said one message. "On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations."

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The automatic response is the latest example of the Trump administration using the formal levers of government in new, controversial ways to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown. Other federal agencies have crafted similarly partisan messages from the typically apolitical civil service amid a legislative standoff largely over disagreements related to health care cuts.

--Zachary Schermele

More: Out-of-office emails at Education Department blame Democrats for shutdown

Senate will vote to end shutdown but outcome is uncertain

The Senate will vote again Oct. 3 on whether to end the shutdown and reopen the government.

A series of votes is scheduled at 1:30 p.m., including one on the measure to extend funding temporarily until Nov. 21.

But two previous votes of 55-45 on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 failed to advance the legislation, which needs a 60-vote majority.

Three senators who caucus with Democrats – John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Angus King of Maine – joined Republicans in supporting the bill. But GOP needs five more Democrats.

--Bart Jansen

Whither the Smithsonian Panda Cam?

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is still running its Giant Panda Cam, a live broadcast featuring pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao, on its website despite the government being shut down.

More: Smithsonian's 'Giant Panda Cam' remains active despite government shutdown

A giant panda eats bamboo during the the public debut of giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 2025.

The camera shows images of the pandas' living quarters as well as occasional appearances of the animals themselves. The camera is live from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time daily, according to the Smithsonian’s website.

The Smithsonian, a federal government entity, says on its website that it will use money from the last fiscal year’s budget to stay open at least through Monday, Oct. 6.

--Sudiksha Kochi and Erin Mansfield

HUD Secretary not 'at all' worried partisan messages break the law

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s aggressive messaging about the shutdown on its website, blasting the “radical left,” has drawn complaints from Democrats about its legality.

But HUD Secretary Scott Turner told NewsNation he’s not “at all” worried.

Housing Secretary Scott Turner, seen here with President Trump on Sept. 8 at the Museum of the Bible, said messages on his department's website blaming the shutdown on the "radical left" do not violate the Hatch Act barring political work by government employees.

The 1939 Hatch Act limits the political activities of federal employees. Democrats have pointed to the law to criticize the Trump administration for using official government channels to blast a highly partisan message.

"I’ve heard all the cries and the outcry and people saying this is propaganda, that it’s a violation of the Hatch Act," Turner said, calling the criticism an effort by "Democrats and the far left" to distract from their "irresponsible actions."

The HUD website currently states: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”

--Zac Anderson

More Americans blame Trump and GOP for shutdown, poll says

Close to half of Americans blame President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for the government partially shutting down, according to a new poll.

Not really: Can undocumented immigrants get 'free health care' or Medicaid?

In a survey conducted by the Washington Post on Oct. 1 – the first day of the shutdown – 47% said they blamed Trump and Republicans in Congress for the ongoing impasse that has left thousands of federal workers without pay and halted various government activities.

Another 30% blame the crisis on congressional Democrats, and 23% said they were "not sure" when asked who they think is "mainly responsible" for the shutdown.

--Kathryn Palmer

Who's responsible? GOP, Trump get more blame for shutdown than Democrats, poll shows

How does the government shutdown impact WIC?

If the shutdown continues, the WIC nutritional program will likely run out of funding within one or two weeks, National WIC Association President and CEO Georgia Machell said in a Sept. 30 news release.

More: SNAP benefit changes set in as government shuts down. How may food stamps be affected?

Until then, WIC will continue operating under available funding, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contingency plan.

WIC is a federal nutrition program that provides food, education and counseling to nearly 7 million at-risk pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers, as well as infants and children up to 5 years old.

WIC can "recover and reallocate unused grant funds from the previous fiscal year" for state-level activity, but federal activities will cease once funding is unavailable, the plan says.

--Greta Cross

What's behind White House claims of 'illegal' immigrants on Medicaid?

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified the Trump administration’s opposition to immigrants participating in Medicaid after entering the country temporarily.

Leavitt said the Biden administration allowed in millions of immigrants under humanitarian “parole” or under temporary programs for economic or environmental crises in their home countries.

How the government shuts down and what it means for you

Administration officials have referred to these immigrants as “illegal,” but they were admitted under formal government programs.

“It was a complete abuse of our immigration system,” Leavitt told reporters Oct. 2 at the White House. “They slapped a Band-Aid. They called it Temporary Protected Status.”

The Biden administration admitted about 3 million immigrants under parole and 1.4 million from 16 countries were granted acceptance into Temporary Protected Status, according to House testimony and the Judiciary Committee.

What is Trump's approval rating? Here's what polls said before the government shutdown

“You know who would like free benefits? Hard-working Americans who work their butts off every day,” Leavitt said. “That is fundamentally unfair and this administration is not going to support it."

But immigrants admitted under parole of less than a year, those seeking asylum and those under Temporary Protected Status are generally barred from Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

While undocumented immigrants are barred from receiving federal health benefits, eligible immigrants who are in the country legally make up 6% of the total enrollment in Medicaid and the CHIP child health care program, according to the health policy nonprofit KFF.

Senate Democrats are refusing to fund the government until majority Republicans restore cuts to Medicaid and Obamacare that the Congressional Budget Office says will end health insurance from 10.9 million people.

--Bart Jansen

Trump has power to fire workers, shutter agencies: Speaker Johnson

House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Trump was given “the keys to the kingdom” to lay off federal workers and close agencies during the shutdown.

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“This is the way the system works,” Johnson, R-Louisiana, told reporters Oct. 2. “When Congress turns off the funding, and the funding runs out, it’s up to the commander in chief, the president of the United States, will determine how those resources will be spent.”

Johnson was asked if it was appropriate for Trump to target political opponents with spending cuts, after the administration halted $18 billion in funding for two New York City transit projects, a Second Avenue subway and Hudson River tunnel. New York is home of both congressional Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

“When they are tasked with determining what the priorities are, obviously they are going to follow their principles and priorities and not the other team,” Johnson said of Trump and the administration. “That’s the results of an election that everyone voted in.”

--Bart Jansen

Shutdown unlikely to end today

The Senate does not have votes scheduled Thursday in observance of Yom Kippur.

It is scheduled to return Friday, when Senate Majority Leader John Thune of North Dakota is expected to make his next attempt at passing the GOP spending bill.

Though the House is also expected to return Friday, the chamber has already passed the GOP bill and all action is expected to be on the Senate side of the Capitol building.

--Sarah D. Wire

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Speaker Johnson urges colleagues to ignore sombreros

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he urged his Democratic counterpart, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, to ignore social-media memes he called “games” and “sideshows” to help reopen the government.

President Donald Trump had posted a clip of Jeffries at the White House wearing a fake sombrero and mustache, which Jeffries called racist. The White House ran the clip on a loop in the briefing room for hours on Oct. 1.

Johnson said all lawmakers become the butt of internet jokes. Johnson noted that California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted a meme of the speaker as a cartoon Minion.

“To my friend Hakeem: ‘Man, just ignore it,’” Johnson added. “Gavin Newsom was trolling me last night. He painted me like a Minion. He painted me yellow with big glasses and overalls. I thought it was hilarious. You don’t respond to it.”

--Bart Jansen

Prolonged shutdown could have a big impact on child care

Federal dollars and programs support child care facilities across the country, including Head Start and Child Care and Development Block Grants. Head Start programs with grant cycles that begin in October will likely experience disruptions in the short term, according to First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy nonprofit focused on supports for women and children. A prolonged shutdown could mean shuttered classrooms.

Most federal Head Start programs are not likely to be impacted, said Sydney Petersen of the National Women’s Law Center. “But that could change if the shutdown drags on.” There are few Head Start programs – impacting roughly 6,500 children and families – that have funding cycles that began Oct. 1.

First Five Years Fund, another organization building federal support for early childhood learning programs, posted about the shutdown on Oct. 1 saying there is “cause for watchful concern but not for panic.” There’s unlikely to be disrupted child care services in the short term, the analysis reads, but “the longer a shutdown continues, the more likely it is that Head Start programs could see a disruption.”

Working caregivers are especially vulnerable to the effects of a government shutdown, according to research from the Society for Human Resource Management.

-- Madeline Mitchell

What’s open during a government shutdown?

There are some services that still remain open despite the government being shut down.

These include the U.S. postal service, banks, air-traffic control and courts. Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA and prison staff, will remain operational. The Secret Service and Coast Guard will continue their duties.

All active-duty personnel stay on the job, but nearly half of the Department of War's 741,477 civilian employees could face furloughs.

In general, national parks will remain open “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors," according to the Department of Interior's contingency plan.

-- Sudiksha Kochi, Natalie Neysa Alund and Saman Shafiq

Some lawmakers request their pay be withheld while shutdown continues

Lawmakers will continue to receive paychecks during a shutdown under Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution, which protects Congress' pay.

But some members have said that they’ve requested that their pay be withheld until the shutdown is over. Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan wrote on X that she did not take a salary during the last government shutdown and won’t take one now.

Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy and Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio posted images of letters they each wrote addressed to Catherine Szpindor, the chief administrative officer of the House, asking for their pay to be withheld.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Democratic lawmakers who continue to accept their salary while the shutdown will delay paychecks for 1.3 million active-duty military troops, 150,000 federal law enforcement officers and 13,000 air-traffic controllers until the spending dispute is resolved.

“I saw some Democrat members today saying they are still going to accept their paychecks because they have three kids at home and they have mouths to feed,” Leavitt told reporters Oct. 1. “Well, so do these federal workers who those same Democrats just voted to shut down the government and turn off their pay. We think that’s very unfair.”

-- Sudiksha Kochi and Bart Jansen

Trump looks to cut 'Democrat agencies'

President Donald Trump he would meet with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to determine which “Democrat Agencies” to eliminate to save money during the shutdown.

Trump has warned of “irreversible” cuts during the shutdown and “vast” layoffs will be easier to accomplish during the shutdown because there is no congressional spending legislation in place to fund the government. Vought helped draft a Project 2025 report with recommendations and widespread agency cuts.

“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” Trump said in a social media post Oct. 2.--Bart Jansen

DOJ asks to delay court cases in shutdown

The Justice Department has begun asking federal courts to delay pending litigation during the shutdown by arguing that lawyers and other staffers are mostly forbidden from working even on a voluntary basis.

But lawyers opposing the government in at least two of the cases opposed the requests. One case involves Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran immigrant fighting deportation to Eswatini. The other case involves DC trying to block President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in the federal city.

Until Congress reaches a funding compromise to reopen the government, Justice lawyers and employees of federal defendants “are prohibited from working, even on a voluntary basis” except in “emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property,” according to a filing led by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate.

But he noted Garcia opposes the request.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland set a hearing Oct. 24 to hear arguments about either blocking the deportation or dismissing the case – unless she grants the government’s request for a delay.

In the DC case, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb set a series of filing deadlines this month Shumate asked to postpone. But DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb said the department’s shutdown guidance allows working on motions to block government actions despite a lapse in appropriations.

“This case is a poor candidate in which to make an exception from that approach,” Schwalb wrote in a filing. “More than 2,300 armed National Guard troops are currently patrolling the District unlawfully. That unprecedented deployment is inflicting irreparable harm to the District’s sovereignty, its economy, and public safety.”

--Bart Jansen

Trump takes back seat on first day of shutdown

Trump made no public appearances on the first day of the shutdown, with the White House instead deploying Vice President JD Vance to address the media. Vance blamed the “Chuck Schumer-AOC wing” of the Democratic Party for what he called a “Democrat shutdown.”

Vance called for Democrats to vote to reopen the government before and then engage later in separate negotiations over health-care policy. But Democrats in Congress continued to demand the reversal of Medicaid cuts that Republicans passed this year and the extension of health care subsidies be included in a funding measure.

More: Why is the government shut down? How Medicaid, Obamacare are dividing Congress

“Donald Trump and Republicans shut the federal government down because they don’t want to provide health care to working-class Americans,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.

Trump and Republicans have countered by accusing Democrats of wanting to provide health care for immigrants who are in the country illegally. Democrats have called the claims a lie, noting that undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for payments from Medicare, Medicaid, or the Affordable Care Act.

‒ Joey Garrison

What government services are impacted by a shutdown? Is Social Security at risk?

Social Security checks will still be delivered during the shutdown. Medicare and Medicaid benefits also will still be paid, but many other aspects of the federal government have halted during the shutdown.

All federal agencies and services that officials do not deem "essential" must stop working during a shutdown.

About 750,000 "nonessential" federal employees ranging from workers at national parks to financial regulators could be furloughed each day under a shutdown, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, withholding about $400 million in daily compensation.

Federal workers in essential services such as the Postal Service, Medicare and Social Security services, air-traffic control and the military will continue to work but won't be paid until the government reopens.

White House keeps trolling Jeffries with sombrero video

Trump has no plans to meet with Democratic congressional leaders again following their meeting earlier in the week. And in a sign of the divide, the White House keeps trolling Jeffries with videos portraying the Democratic leader in a fake mustache and sombrero.

Trump posted the AI-generated videos on his social media accounts ahead of the shutdown. By Wednesday afternoon, the White House was playing the controversial ads on loop on televisions in the press briefing room.

More: 'Joking,' Vance dismisses criticism over AI video of Jeffries in a sombrero

Vance brushed off criticism from Jeffries and other Democrats who have called the videos racist. The videos also include made up audio of Schumer making derogatory comments about immigrants, as mariachi music played in the background.

“The president's joking,” Vance said Wednesay when asked about the videos. “And we're having a good time.”

‒ Joey Garrison

Mass layoffs of federal workers to begin imminently, White House says

Vought, the White House's budget chief, told House Republicans in a private call Wednesday that mass layoffs of federal workers will begin in "a day or two," according to a lawmaker on the call.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during a briefing with reporters, did not elaborate on which federal departments could be affected, or how many workers could be fired. But she said layoffs are "imminent."

More: Trump budget boss on shutdown: Mass federal firings will begin in 'a day or two'

Historically, nonessential federal workers are placed on furloughs during government shutdowns, but they are not part of widespread federal workforce layoffs. Trump has also said he might use a government shutdown to eliminate federal programs he opposes. "A lot of good can come down from shutdowns," Trump said on Sept. 30. "We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want."

Trump's threats come after his administration has already fired tens of thousands of federal workers as part of his Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to downsize the federal government.

‒ Joey Garrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Government shutdown live updates. Trump warns of mass firings, layoffs

ATTACHMENT TEN – FROM CBS

Government shutdown to continue into next week after Senate votes fail again

Updated on: October 3, 2025 / 5:05 PM EDT / CBS News

What to know on Day 3 of the government shutdown:

· The Senate on Friday failed to advance competing plans to extend federal funding and end the government shutdown, likely pushing the funding lapse into at least next week.

· A Republican plan that has already passed the House failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance for a fourth time, with three Democrats joining Republicans in voting to move forward. A Democratic counterproposal also failed.

· As the shutdown stretched into its third day, there were no signs of senators resolving the deadlock. Majority Leader John Thune said before the votes that the upper chamber would likely not vote over the weekend if the GOP plan falls short.

· The GOP bill would fund the government until Nov. 21. The Democratic version extends funding through October and includes an extension of health care tax credits, the key Democratic demand. Republican leaders have demanded Democrats vote to reopen the government before negotiating over health care, but GOP senators need Democratic votes to pass their bill in the upper chamber.

· In an effort to increase pressure on the Senate, House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled plans to have the lower chamber return to Washington next week, saying members could instead remain in their districts.

51m ago 4:09PM and back

House Republicans to hold a member call Saturday morning

House Republicans will hold a phone call with members Saturday morning, according to two sources familiar with the plans.

With Friday's schedule change, the lower chamber isn't set to return to Washington until Oct. 14.

By Nikole Killion

Senate adjourns until Monday at 3 p.m.

The Senate adjourned at 3:57 p.m. for the weekend. The chamber will reconvene at 3 p.m. on Monday with votes on the pair of continuing resolutions at 5:30 p.m., meaning the shutdown will last at least until then.

By Stefan Becket

4:06 PM

Schumer says House Republicans "care more about protecting the Epstein files" than ending shutdown

In a news conference with Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Schumer criticized Johnson for keeping the House away from Washington next week.

"Well, we just heard that Speaker Johnson said the House is out again," Schumer told reporters. "Johnson and House Republicans care more about protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people."

Schumer was referencing Johnson slow-walking the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on Sept. 23 to fill the seat of her late father in Arizona. Grijalva is expected to be the final signature on a discharge petition to force a vote to compel the Trump administration to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Johnson said earlier this week that Grijalva would be sworn in "as soon as we're back in session."

Schumer also faulted Republicans for running "the same play" and getting "the same result," referring to Friday's votes.

"The question is, will they change course?" Schumer asked. "The votes aren't there."

Schumer said Democrats "need the president to be involved" in health care negotiations.

Klobuchar also criticized the president for posting fake videos to social media making fun of Democrats and making light of the shutdown situation.

"He thinks this is funny. He thinks that people are going to joke about this. I promise you, they are not. They are seeing their premiums double right now," Klobuchar said.

Caitlin Yilek and Kathryn Watson

3:43 PM

House cancels plans to return next week as Johnson ramps up pressure on Senate

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, officially extended the lower chamber's recess by another week.

During the House's brief pro forma session Friday afternoon, the House clerk read a notice from the speaker: "I hereby designate the period from Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, through Monday Oct. 13, 2025, as a district work period."

The House was last in session on Sept. 19, when it passed the GOP measure. It was originally scheduled to be back in session on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30, ahead of the shutdown deadline, but Johnson canceled votes. The House was then expected to be back Oct. 7.

Johnson alluded to his plans earlier in the day, telling reporters the House will return "as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government."

By Caitlin Yilek

3:21 PM

Thune says he had "brief chat" with Schumer

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said he had a "brief chat" on the Senate floor with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, during votes. But Thune said he expects conversations with Democrats outside of leadership to be more fruitful.

"I think the path forward on this is more likely to be achieved with rank-and-file members who actually want to have an appropriations process, want to get us back on track," he said.

Thune said he's likely to head back to South Dakota this weekend amid the stalemate.

By Nikole Killion

3:04 PM

GOP bill fails again, extending shutdown into next week

Democrats held firm in their opposition to the House-passed Republican bill, making it all but certain the shutdown will extend into next week barring any last-minute breakthrough.

The Senate failed to advance the GOP measure in a 54 to 44 vote. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the sole Republican to oppose it.

Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada voted in favor, as did independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.

No additional Democrats defected to the GOP side, an indication that the Republicans' pressure campaign has so far failed to win over more senators from across the aisle.

Two senators did not vote: Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware and Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas.

By Caitlin Yilek

2:54 PM

Jeffries says Democrats have heard "radio silence" from GOP as Trump "continues to hide behind deepfake videos"

On Friday morning, Jeffries went on MSNBC and said Mr. Trump is in the "presidential witness protection program." A reporter asked Jeffries in the afternoon to elaborate on what he meant.

"Donald Trump continues to hide behind deepfake videos since the meeting in the Oval Office on Monday," Jeffries said, a reference to AI-generated videos that the president's accounts have posted on social media in recent days. "And it's reasonable for the American people to wonder, what's going on? Why is there no presidential leadership?"

He continued: "Vice President Vance offered to come up to Capitol Hill. I've been here all week. We've heard nothing, radio silence from the White House, radio silence from House Republicans, and radio silence from Senate Republicans because they're not serious. They wanted to shut the government down."

By Kathryn Watson

2:42 PM

Senate voting on advancing House-passed GOP bill

The Senate is now moving on to a procedural vote on the House-passed Republican funding patch.

The votes of seven Democratic senators who helped advance a Republican plan to keep the government funded in March, but have so far opposed the GOP bill, will be closely watched. They include:

· Dick Durbin of Illinois

· Kirsten Gillibrand of New York

· Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire

· Gary Peters of Michigan

· Brian Schatz of Hawaii

· Chuck Schumer of New York

· Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire

Republicans need at least five more Democrats to drop their opposition in order to advance their latest plan, in addition to the three Democratic senators who are already on board.

By Caitlin Yilek

2:39 PM

Democratic funding bill fails again in 46-52 vote

Democrats' counterproposal to open the government failed to advance in a vote of 46 in favor to 52 against. The chamber is taking up a procedural vote on the GOP bill next.

By Caitlin Yilek

2:30 PM

Tillis expresses doubt about bipartisan negotiations

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said bipartisan talks are going "nowhere" based on conversations he has had.

"I can only speak for myself. I'm not involved in any formal discussions, but I'm involved in several individual ones, and those suggest to me, there aren't any formal discussions going on," Tillis told reporters.

The retiring senator, who has occasionally bucked his own party to vote against President Trump's priorities, criticized recent moves by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, saying they risk future bipartisan agreements because they destroy trust.

"That digs us a deeper hole. I think if you do that, you're going to create a bad faith environment here that could put us further out. They need to be very judicious, and they should be consulting with Senate leadership and House leadership before they do it. If they do it on their own, then they can own some of the reason why we get to an impasse," he said. "This institution requires 60 votes for the heavy lift stuff. If OMB goes about canceling things just like the rescissions that were foundational to past compromises, you destroy the credibility of future compromises."

By Caitlin Yilek

2:29 PM

Fetterman says he doesn't expect more Democrats to flip

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has voted in favor of the GOP bill, said he does not expect Democratic support for the bill to grow in the upcoming vote.

"I don't think these votes will be any different than anything in the past," he said. "That would be a shock to me."

Fetterman said he has not appealed to his colleagues to support the bill.

By Nikole Killion

2:15 PM

Senate begins 4th vote on advancing Democratic funding bill

The Senate is holding another procedural vote on Democrats' counterproposal, which is expected to again fall short of the 60-vote threshold.

No Republicans have supported the bill in the three previous votes on the measure.

By Caitlin Yilek

1:07 PM

Shaheen says bipartisan talks continue

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, one of the Democrats seen as a potential to vote in favor of the House-passed bill, said bipartisan talks are still happening and she expected conversations to carry through the weekend.

"People are still talking," she said. "Hopefully we can move people on both sides of the aisle to get some agreement."

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators that included Shaheen huddled on the floor during procedural votes to try to find a potential solution.

Shaheen would not say how she planned to vote on the GOP bill later in the afternoon.

By Nikole Killion

12:44 PM

Elizabeth Warren says she is "confident that it is a righteous fight"

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said she believed her party would stick together in opposing the GOP bill, saying she is "confident that it is a righteous fight to keep health care premiums from going up for tens of millions of families."

"This is not about holding out," she told reporters at the Capitol. "This is about fighting, and I think this is a righteous fight."

By Grace Kazarian

12:08 PM

Republicans hope to peel off Democratic senators with 4th vote

Republican senators are hoping that the pressure of the ongoing shutdown and the White House's moves to freeze funding and threaten layoffs will be enough to peel off Democrats in the upcoming vote on advancing the House-passed continuing resolution.

The vote on Friday afternoon will be the fourth in the upper chamber on advancing or passing the resolution, which extends funding for seven weeks. The last two votes on Tuesday and Wednesday saw three Democrats defect and vote with Republicans:

· Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada

· John Fetterman of Pennsylvania

· Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats

The resolution needs 60 votes to advance, and Republicans control 53 seats. GOP Sen. Rand Paul is opposed to the bill, meaning eight Democrats would be needed for it to proceed to a final vote.

No other Democrats have publicly said they will support the GOP bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday that the Senate will likely adjourn for the weekend if the vote fails again, pushing the shutdown into next week.

By Stefan Becket

11:46 AM

Thune and Johnson stand firm on demands to end shutdown, with speaker saying Trump is "trolling" Democrats

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune stood firm in their decision to stick with a clean continuing resolution, rather than negotiate with Democrats over health care while the government is shut down. Johnson said the seven-week funding extension that passed the House would provide breathing room to negotiate with Democrats on long-term funding and their health care priorities.

"At some point, reason, good sense, common sense, has to take effect here," Thune said.

Johnson said the president "takes no pleasure" in the government shutdown, but acknowledged he's "trolling the Democrats" and "having fun with" them in the meantime.

"Now, are they taking great pleasure in that? No," Johnson said of the federal government's funding freezes and potential cuts. "Is he trolling the Democrats? Yes. I mean, yes. Because that's what President Trump does, and people are having fun with this. But at the end of the day, the decisions are tough ones."

Johnson said he spoke "at length" with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on Thursday, and Vought "takes no pleasure" in federal workers losing jobs.

"The president takes no pleasure in this," Johnson said of impending federal layoffs and funding cuts. "But if Chuck Schumer's going to give Donald Trump the opportunity to determine what the opportunities are, he's going to exercise that opportunity, and that's where we are."

Johnson was asked how the president could be both taking no pleasure in federal cuts and "having fun" with the shutdown situation.

"So the effects are very serious on real people, real Americans," Johnson said. "We support federal employees who do a great job in all these different areas. But what they're trying to have fun with, trying to make light of, is to point out the absurdity of the Democrats' position. And they're using memes and all the tools of social media to do that. Some people find that entertaining, but at the end of the day, the decisions are hard ones, and I'm telling you they're not taking any pleasure in that."

By Kathryn Watson

11:04 AM

Johnson says Trump is "anxious" to end shutdown, applauds pressure on Democrats

Asked about the White House's decisions to freeze infrastructure funding in New York City and Chicago, Johnson said, "I don't know, I didn't make those decisions. You have to ask the White House."

But Johnson didn't deny that the president could be "trying to apply pressure" so the government reopens.

Asked whether the decision to freeze infrastructure funding in blue cities and states could complicate shutdown negotiations with Democrats, Johnson claimed the president is "just as anxious as we are to get the government back open, because real Americans are being harmed by the Democrat shenanigans."

"Is he trying to apply pressure to make that happen? He probably is, yeah, and I applaud that," Johnson said.

By Patrick Maguire

10:29 AM

Poll finds 78% say Obamacare tax credits should be extended

A poll by KFF released Friday found that a large majority of Americans say tax credits for those who purchase health insurance on marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act should be extended. Democrats have made extending those credits their key demand in the shutdown fight.

The KFF poll found 78% of U.S. adults say Congress should renew the credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Ninety-two percent of Democrats support the extension, as well as 82% of independents and 59% of Republicans.

KFF noted that "[b]oth parties could face political fallout if the enhanced tax credits are not extended, though the public says they will place most of the blame on those currently in charge." The poll found that 39% said the president would deserve most of the blame if the credits aren't extended, compared to 37% who said the same of Republicans in Congress and 22% who said Democratic lawmakers.

However, the poll also found that most Americans have not heard much about the tax credits, with roughly 6 in 10 saying they have heard "a little" or "nothing at all." The number who say they have heard "a lot" or "some" stood at 39%, an increase from 27% when the question was asked in June. KFF noted that the 78% of adults who said the credits should be extended did so after being informed that they are due to expire. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Republican leaders have said they are willing to negotiate with Democrats about extending the subsidies, but not in the context of funding the government, and not until Democrats agree to end the shutdown.

By Stefan Becket

Updated 9:27 AM

The Senate is expected to hold several votes Friday afternoon, including another round of procedural votes on the House-passed Republican measure to keep the government funded until Nov. 21 and a separate measure from Democrats to fund the government through October.

Both measures include security funding for lawmakers and other federal officials, but the Democratic measure would also make expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits permanent.

Republicans say negotiations on the tax credits, which expire at the end of the year, can happen once the government reopens.

The House-passed bill and its counterpart failed twice in the Senate last month. A procedural vote on each also failed Wednesday.

The Senate was in session Thursday, but no votes were held in observance of the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur.

By Kaia Hubbard

Updated 9:35 AM

Vought pauses $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure projects

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced on the third day of the shutdown that the Trump administration is halting $2.1 billion in transit-related projects for Chicago.

"$2.1 billion in Chicago infrastructure projects — specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project — have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting," Vought wrote on X.

He said the Department of Transportation would release more information on the funding pause.

As the lapse in federal funding has continued, Vought has made a series of announcements stripping or halting funding for projects in states represented by Democratic senators. The Trump administration has frozen $18 billion in infrastructure projects in New York, home to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

It has also canceled nearly $8 billion in climate-related projects in 16 states, all represented by Democratic senators.

By Melissa Quinn

Updated 9:27 AM

What has the Senate voted on so far?

Senators first voted on the dueling measures to fund the government on Sept. 19, after the House passed the GOP-led bill that would fund the government until Nov. 21. The Democratic proposal, which no Republicans have supported, would fund the government until Oct. 31 and extend health insurance tax credits that Democrats have made a top priority.

On Tuesday, with hours before the funding deadline, the Republican proposal picked up support from Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, and Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who had previously supported the measure, also voted in favor.

Republicans had been hoping to gain more Democratic support in Wednesday's vote, but the outcome remained unchanged at 55 to 45. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has consistently opposed stopgap measures to keep the government funded, again voted against it.

Senate Republicans are seeking to peel off more Democrats to support their proposal with Friday's vote.

"They'll have a fourth chance tomorrow to vote to open up the government," Thune said. "And if that fails, then we'll give them the weekend to think about it, we'll come back and we'll vote again on Monday."

On Thursday, the Senate was briefly in session, but held no votes as senators observed Yom Kippur.

By Kaia Hubbard

Updated 9:27 AM

Senate "unlikely" to work through the weekend

The Senate is "unlikely" to be in session over the weekend, according to Majority Leader John Thune.

On Thursday, the South Dakota Republican said if Friday's vote on the House-passed continuing resolution fails, then "we'll give them the weekend to think about it, we'll come back and we'll vote again on Monday."

By Kaia Hubbard

Updated 9:30 AM

Jeffries says Republicans have shown "zero interest" in having a conversation; Johnson says there's no reason to talk

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said Thursday afternoon that Republicans have shown "zero interest" in having a conversation after congressional leaders met with President Trump at the White House on Monday.

"Leader Schumer and myself haven't gotten a single phone call as it relates to a follow-up conversation," Jeffries told reporters.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said earlier Thursday that he wasn't negotiating with Democratic leaders because "I quite literally have nothing to negotiate."

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN – FROM TIME

Oct 2, 2025 7:58 AM ET

Trump Doubles Down Amid Government Shutdown as Layoffs Loom: ‘Cry All You Want’

By Callum Sutherland

President Donald Trump has delivered a pointed message to his critics amid the government shutdown and his renewed threat of impending layoffs for federal workers.

Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, late Wednesday night, Trump d an image posted by one of his supporters. The portrait of Trump signing a document in the Oval Office was emblazoned with the statement: “Cry all you want. He’s doing exactly what I hired him for.”

Just moments before the repost, Trump delivered a firm message online, seemingly reaffirming that his Administration intends to seize the shutdown as an opportunity to carry out mass layoffs and reshape the federal workforce.

“Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat-forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud,” Trump stated, before going on to claim that “billions of dollars” could be saved.

The President earlier indicated that Democrats would feel the main brunt of the layoffs, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “We’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected, and they’re Democrats. They’re gonna be Democrats.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that “layoffs are imminent” and that Trump has “directed his cabinet, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is working with agencies to identify where cuts can be made.”

Leavitt said more announcements would be made soon regarding the hits to the federal workforce, which are expected to begin within the next two days.

The action of pursuing layoffs is a step away from the standard procedure of furloughing workers until government funds resume. The Trump Administration’s eagerness to pursue further layoffs has received heavy criticism from Democratic lawmakers. One Step Beyond

House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries referred to the impending layoffs as “cruelty” and pointed to the mass federal dismissals and office shutterings that have already taken place since Trump returned to office.

“These are all the things that the Trump Administration has been doing since January 20,” Jeffries said, seemingly referencing the widespread layoffs and spending cuts led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), previously overseen by Elon Musk.

DOGE said it cut government spending by $55 billion within the first month of Trump’s second term, but a TIME review of the itemized savings posted on DOGE’s website found it only accounted for about $16 billion in savings.

Meanwhile, in what appears to be a sign of the lapsed communication between Republicans and Democrats, Jeffries also said that he hasn’t heard from the White House since Monday.

The government has been in shutdown—its first in almost seven years—since midnight on Oct. 1, after a bitter stalemate in Congress between the Republicans and Democrats. The political parties are locked in a dispute over spending and enhanced Obamacare subsidies. An eleventh-hour attempt to find common ground failed on Tuesday night when almost all Senate Democrats voted to reject a House-passed Republican bill that would have extended funding until Nov. 21. The bill did not meet the Democrats’ core demand that Affordable Care Act subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, should be extended, nor did it move to reverse the deep cuts to Medicaid that featured in Trump’s "Big, Beautiful Bill" that was signed into law on July 4.

A blame game has ensued in light of the shutdown, with both political parties holding each other responsible for the halt in government activities.

The President and Congress still get paid during a shutdown, but amid concerns over layoffs and the impact on federal workers and everyday Americans, some lawmakers have pledged to forgo their own paychecks in solidarity, until the government is back up and running.

Republican Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas has requested that his salary be put on hold in response to the shutdown, for as long as the government closure lasts.

“Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have pushed Congress into another Schumer shutdown. During a government shutdown, members of Congress still receive their paychecks. This is unfair when some federal employees are furloughed and/or don’t receive their paychecks,” Estes said via social media on Wednesday morning, sharing a letter requesting his salary be withheld.

Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey is also among the lawmakers who will refuse to accept his own salary.

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – FROM IUK

Republicans and Democrats prepare for a long government shutdown

By Eric Garcia Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Well, they went and did it. So, now what?

On Tuesday evening, Democrats voted against a stopgap spending bill the House of Representatives passed last month to keep the government open, triggering a government shutdown.

The minority party did so on the premise that they wanted the continuing resolution vote to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplace put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, which received another extension in 2022.

Needless to say, neither side has a political incentive to give an inch, which means this could be a long shutdown.

“They don't have the high ground in this, in this situation,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told The Independent. “It warms my heart to say it, because I don't, I don't recall a time ever when Republicans have had the high ground during a government shutdown.”

Republicans think they can make the shutdown as painful for Democrats as possible and many Republican voters already don’t believe in government.

“Well, most of them are cheering us on,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Independent about his constituents. “They like the idea that government's shut down, they think it's too big anyway.”

Andrew Feinberg: JD Vance calls Trump the ‘trolling master’ as he pins government shutdown on Democrats
Ariana Baio: Mike Johnson makes dire prediction amid government shutdown about what Democrats will do to Trump if they retake House

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think it’s funny. The president is joking and we’re having a good time.Vice President JD Vance in response to a video President Donald Trump posted of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero.

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN – FROM FOX

Government shutdown sparks GOP plan to penalize lawmakers with new salary tax

Ohio Republican plans daily tax on Congress members as government closure enters 3rd day

By Alex Miller Published October 3, 2025 9:11am EDT

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to ensure that lawmakers feel the pain in their wallets as the federal government shutdown drags on.

Members of Congress, unlike other federal employees, are guaranteed to get paid during a government shutdown. But Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wants to impose a tax on lawmakers that would eat away at their paychecks.

Moreno plans to introduce the Stop Holding Up Taxpayers, Deny Wages On Washington’s Negligence (SHUTDOWN) Act, which would create a new tax specifically for lawmakers.

The shutdown has trudged on to a third day with no clear off-ramp in sight. The Senate is again set to vote on the GOP’s short-term funding extension on Friday, but Senate Democrats are again expected to block it.

"Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries want to get paid for shutting the government down," Moreno said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "That’s ridiculous. If Congress can’t do the bare minimum, we don’t deserve a paycheck."

Then there is the 27th Amendment, which was ratified in 1992, that prevents Congress from passing a law affecting its pay during the current congressional term.

Moreno’s bill could circumvent those guardrails by imposing a daily tax on lawmakers that would rise each day that members are in session and that a shutdown continues.

Meanwhile, the likelihood that the shutdown ends this week is low. Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are firmly rooted in their position that unless a deal is struck on expiring Obamacare tax credits, they’ll continue to block the GOP’s continuing resolution (CR).

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to keep bringing the same bill, which the House passed last week, in a bid to chip away at Senate Democrats. So far, only three members of the Democratic caucus — Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, joined Republicans to vote for the bill.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN – FROM iuk

Trump calls Democrats ‘the party of hate, evil, and Satan’ in late-night Truth Social rant

President continues social media attacks on opposition over government shutdown

By Joe Sommerlad Friday 03 October 2025 15:19 BST

President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of being “the party of hate, evil, and Satan” on Truth Social in his latest broadside in response to the U.S. government shutdown.

Below that, the post declared: “The Democratic Party is Dead! They have no leadership! No message! No hope! Their only message for America is to hate Trump.”

A meme posted by President Donald Trump accusing the opposition Democrats of being ‘the party of Satan’ (Donald J Trump/Truth Social)

Despite the Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, the GOP could not secure the support of the seven Democrats it needed in the Senate to pass a House resolution that would have secured fresh funding for government agencies before Tuesday’s midnight deadline.

While two Democrats and a left-leaning independent did cross the aisle during the 55-45 vote, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul likewise broke ranks to side with the opposition in obstructing the stopgap bill, which the Democrats refused to support without an extension of Covid-era healthcare premium subsidies for Obamacare being included.

Trump threatens Portland after police arrest a MAGA influencer

Without such a measure, they argued, premiums for more than 20 million American citizens could more than double each month from $888 to $1,904 once the subsidies expire on December 31.

The result leaves as many as 750,000 federal employees going unpaid and public services cut to a minimum until lawmakers on Capitol Hill can find common ground.

Earlier Thursday, Trump said he would be meeting with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought “to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”

Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown but has arguably inflamed the situation by taunting the opposition rather than playing mediator (AP)

He added that he “can’t believe” that “Radical Left Democrats” have given him the “unprecedented opportunity” to do so.

However, many will argue that the president himself bears significant responsibility for the failure to avert the shutdown, having cancelled a meeting with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week, meeting them only belatedly in the Oval Office on Monday without reaching an agreement and then taunting both men with a brace of AI-edited memes depicting Jeffries as a sombrero-wearing mariachi musician.

Trump has meanwhile not publicly offered any concessions to the opposition, preferring to insist instead that they simply abandon their concerns and fall into line with his demands.

He has equally made no attempt to cool his rhetoric at a time of heightened tensions and political division in the U.S. in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last month, despite calls from politicians on both sides for all parties to adopt a more measured tone.

ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN – FROM cnbc

‘There will start to be layoffs’ if Trump decides shutdown talks have stalled, Hassett says

By Erin Doherty Published Sun, Oct 5 202511:44 AM EDTUpdated 5 Hours Ago

Key Points

· White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said that layoffs for federal government employees will begin if President Donald Trump decides that negotiations to end the government shutdown “are absolutely going nowhere.”

· Hassett expressed optimism that negotiations this week could resolve the impasse.

· His comments come as the government shutdown enters a new week, with no clear offramp in sight.

His comments come as the government shutdown enters its fifth day, with no clear offramp in sight.

Democrats are holding their ground on their health-care demands, pushing to include a permanent extension of enhanced premium tax credits in any government funding legislation.

· ‘There will start to be layoffs’ if Trump decides shutdown talks have stalled, Hassett says

· Treasury weighs minting $1 coin with Trump’s face for U.S. 250th anniversary

· Government shutdown: Senate funding measures fail again as deadlock continues

· Watch: Trump details plan to end Israel war with Hamas in Gaza

· Democrats refuse to cave on health care before Trump government shutdown meeting

· Trump bashes Zohran Mamdani after Eric Adams drops out of New York mayor’s race

· Trump ‘Truths’ about tariffs on films and furniture raise questions on details

· Trump threatens mass firings if shutdown isn’t averted: NBC News

· Republicans say Obamacare tax credit fight can wait until after shutdown averted

· JD Vance on Tiktok: U.S. ‘successfully separated’ TikTok from China’s ByteDance

· Eric Adams drops out of New York City mayoral race

· President Trump posts cartoon image depicting him firing Fed Chief Powell

Republicans, however, argue that those conversations should happen in December — not as part of government shutdown negotiations — escalating the standoff.

Democrats continue to dig in on their demands as the shutdown enters a new week.

The Senate again on Friday failed to pass two funding bills that would have ended the shutdown. The Republican measure would have funded the government through late November, while Democrats’ version included additional health-care funding.

The resolutions previously failed multiple times in the upper chamber last week.

The Trump administration has repeatedly warned of mass layoffs during a government shutdown, saying last week that they would be “imminent.”

Trump also said that the shutdown offered him an “unprecedented opportunity” to slash the size of federal agencies and lay off government workers, although the administration has not yet followed through on its threat.

Hassett said Sunday that Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought are “lining things up and getting ready to act if they have to, but hoping that they don’t.”

Still, Hassett expressed optimism that negotiations this week could resolve the impasse.

“We think the Democrats, there’s a chance that they’ll be reasonable once they get back into town on Monday,” Hassett said on CNN.

“And if they are, then I think there’s no reason for those layoffs.

ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN – FROM HUFFPOST

Donald Trump Spends Night 2 Of Shutdown Flooding The Internet With AI Nonsense

The president served up some prime slop to his MAGA base.

By Lee Moran Oct 3, 2025, 04:22 AM EDT

|Updated 9 hours ago

The second night of the current government shutdown saw Donald Trump doing the incredibly essential work of... serving up AI slop to supporters via his various social media feeds.

One AI-generated video d by the president appeared to show him throwing a cap emblazoned with the slogan “Trump 2028” onto the head of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) during their ultimately fruitless Oval Office meeting to avert the shutdown.

The clip was set to the song that Trump came out on stage to during his campaign ― The Village People’s “Y. M. C. A.” ― and ended with Trump cracking up in laughter at his move. See the video here.

The president also posted a six-second clip of what appeared to be him in a cape and a cap, on a mountain. In another video, Trump appeared as the Grim Reaper with Vice President JD Vance playing drums.

He also d on Facebook a deepfake of Jeffries wearing a sombrero and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slamming Democrats as “woke pieces of shit.”

On Wednesday, when White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about another ridiculous AI-generated video that Trump had d online, she said, “he has the right to do that, it’s his social media.”

She also hailed Trump as “incredibly transparent,” highlighted his love of sharing memes and videos, and claimed it’s “quite refreshing” that he’s “so open and honest.”

ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN – FROM CBS

CBS News poll finds few feel shutdown is worth it, low marks for Republicans, Democrats and Trump's handling

By Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus, Kabir Khanna Updated on: October 5, 2025 / 8:19 PM EDT / CBS News

For many Americans, across party lines, concern over the government shutdown means concern about its potential impact on the economy, among other things.

Therefore, many don't think either party's position is worth having a shutdown over.

Given that, no one is looking especially good politically at the moment. President Trump, congressional Democrats, and Republicans are all net negative on their handling of the shutdown thus far.

Neither party is on very solid footing. The top descriptor Americans pick for the Democratic Party overall is "weak;" the party trails the GOP on being described as "effective" and "strong," and their favorables trail the GOP's. The top descriptor for Republicans, though, is "extreme."

All of it looks to the public like another distraction from larger matters of concern. A sizable majority of the country says the Trump administration isn't focused enough on lowering prices, and is focused too much on tariffs, as they have been for months. Reflecting some of that, many still describe the president himself as "energetic," but fewer describe him now as "focused" than did at the start of his term.

Relatively few Americans say the Democrats' or Republicans' positions are worth a shutdown. As it is still fairly recent, many aren't sure yet.

For the Democrats, only half their rank and file think their party's positions are worth a shutdown, and even fewer Republicans say that of the GOP's positions. That said, they don't blame their respective parties for the situation, either.

There's plenty of that blame to go around. Republicans and the president get relatively more than congressional Democrats, but taken together with Americans who blame both equally, a majority of the country holds all of them responsible.

When asked what the shutdown debate is mainly about, health care is the top response from a list of issues, and those following the matter more closely pick that more often. That may speak to the parties' respective arguments getting at least to their bases.

The percentage very concerned about the impact on the economy is higher than for other items.

People also express concern, to a lesser degree, about the effects of the shutdown on federal employees. Also, the military, transportation and air travel, and Social Security and Medicare, which, even if they are not directly part of the negotiations, likely show that people tend to associate these programs with the government, generally.

Still, overall views and descriptors of the parties aren't positive ones. Each has underwater favorability ratings overall, with the Republicans getting slightly better ratings than the Democrats.

From a list of descriptors of the parties, it's a case of weak (the way most of the nation describes the Democratic Party) versus extreme (the most often-picked label for the GOP).

The Republican Party greatly outpaces the Democrats on being called "effective" and "strong."

Over four in 10 rank-and-file Democrats describe their own party as weak.

The economy and the president

Against the backdrop of the shutdown, and helping explain why so many are concerned about its economic impact, inflation and the economy continue to be seen as the nation's top issues. And as has been the case for a while, a large majority says the Trump administration isn't focused enough on lowering prices. And most continue to say it is focused too much on tariffs.

And most say Trump's policies are costing jobs in the U.S., rather than creating jobs.

That's combined with Americans' view that Trump's policies aren't making them better off and are still making prices go up. On balance, the president's handling of inflation, specifically, has ticked down again.

Fewer Americans now describe the president as "focused" than did at the start of his second term. His top descriptors remain "tough" and "energetic," but the percentage who call him "effective" is also down compared to February.

More broadly — and not specifically related to the shutdown, but perhaps pertinent given that situation — Americans still say it's Congress, not the president, who should have the most authority over federal spending. That's a view held by majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans.

Donald Trump's overall approval rating, at 42%, is now back down to what it was in July, after hitting 44% last month. He remains bolstered by support from his Republican base, and still gets better marks on his deportation program and immigration than on inflation and the economy overall.

At 43%, the president's approval rating on handling the conflict between Israel and Hamas is similar to what it was this summer, and higher than his approval ratings on economic issues. (This polling was conducted before reports of a possible ceasefire deal.)

Troops and U.S. cities

The idea of troops going to U.S. cities remains divisive. It's backed staunchly by the president's Republican base, especially those who identify as MAGA, but finds far less backing beyond it.

Whether it's the National Guard specifically or active-duty military troops going to cities, views are similar. Much of it, beyond the partisan breaks, is tied to where one sees threats to the U.S. originating.

Those who support troops in cities tend to see threats from inside the country, subscribing to some of the arguments made by the administration, that threats are coming from domestic enemies.

But for the majority of Americans who see dangers more from economic forces, or who feel the U.S. military's overall focus ought to be outside the U.S., it is much less so.

For decades now, a majority of Americans have backed having women who serve in the military participating in combat roles, and that continues to be the case today, at three-quarters, a view d equally by men and women. The quarter of Americans who do not think women in the military should participate in combat roles tend to be more conservative.

This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,441 U.S. adults interviewed between October 1-3, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.3 points.

ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN – FROM GUK

The shutdown fight has finally given Democrats leverage. They should use it

The government has effectively been shut down since Trump returned to office, as officials clamp down on work they oppose

Robert Reich Thu 2 Oct 2025 06.00 EDT

The United States government is officially closed.

Starting on Wednesday at 12.01am Washington time, the federal government ran out of money.

Agencies and departments designed to protect consumers, workers and investors are now officially closed, as are national parks and museums.

Most federal workers are not being paid – as many as 750,000 could be furloughed – including those who are required to remain on the job, like air-traffic controllers or members of the US military.

So-called “mandatory” spending, including Social Security and Medicare payments, are continuing, although checks could be delayed. The construction of Trump’s new White House ballroom won’t be affected.

Shutdowns are symptoms of a government off the rails.

I’ve been directly involved in two, one when I was secretary of labor. It’s hard for me to describe the fear, frustration and chaos that ensued. I recall spending the first day consoling employees – many in tears as they headed out the door.

There have been eight shutdowns since 1990. Trump has now presided over four.

But this shutdown is different.

For one thing, it’s the consequence of a decision, made in July by Trump and Senate Republicans, to pass Trump’s gigantic “big beautiful bill” (which I prefer to term “the big ugly” bill) without any Democratic votes.

They could do that because of an arcane Senate procedure called “reconciliation”, which allowed the big ugly to get through with just 51 votes rather than the normal 60 required to overcome a filibuster.

The final tally was a squeaker. All Senate Democrats opposed the legislation. When three Senate Republicans joined them, JD Vance was called in to break a tie. Some Republicans bragged that they didn’t need a single Democrat.

The big ugly fundamentally altered the priorities of the United States government. It cut about $1tn from healthcare programs, including Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, meaning that health insurance premiums for tens of millions of Americans will soar starting in January.

The big ugly also cut nutrition assistance and environmental protection, while bulking up immigration enforcement and cutting the taxes of wealthy Americans and big corporations.

Trump and Senate Republicans didn’t need a single Democrat then. But this time, Republicans couldn’t use the arcane reconciliation process to pass a bill to keep the government going.

Now they needed Senate Democratic votes.

Yet keeping the government going meant keeping all the priorities included in the big ugly bill that all Senate Democrats opposed.

Which is why Senate Democrats refused to sign on unless most of the big ugly’s cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act were restored, so health insurance premiums won’t soar next year.

Even if Senate Democrats had obtained that concession, the Republican bill to keep the government going would retain all the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations contained in the big ugly, along with all the cuts in nutrition assistance, and all the increased funding for immigration enforcement.

There’s a deeper irony here.

As a practical matter, the US government has been “shut down” for more than eight months, since Trump took office this second time.

Trump and the sycophants surrounding him, such as Russell Vought, the director of the office of management and budget, and, before him, Elon Musk, have had no compunction about shutting down parts of the government they don’t like – such as USAID.

They’ve also moved to fire, furlough or extend buyouts to hundreds of thousands of federal employees doing work they don’t value, such as those working at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

They’ve impounded appropriations from Congress for activities they oppose, ranging across the entire federal government.

On the first day of the shutdown, Vought announced that the administration was freezing $18bn that Congress had appropriated for funding infrastructure in New York City (home to the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and the House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries).

All of this is illegal, but it seems unlikely that courts will act soon enough to prevent the administration from harming vast numbers of Americans.

Vought threatened to permanently fire more federal employees if the Democrats didn’t vote to continue funding the government. But nothing stopped Vought from doing it before the shutdown, and the shutdown presents no greater opportunity for him to do so.

In fact, the eagerness of Trump and his lapdogs over the last eight months to disregard the will of Congress and close whatever they want of the government offers another reason why Democrats shouldn’t have caved in.

Had Democrats voted to keep the government going, what guarantee would they have had that Trump would in fact keep the government going?

Democrats finally have some bargaining leverage. They should use it.

If tens of millions of Americans lose their health insurance starting in January because they can no longer afford to pay sky-high premiums, Trump and his Republicans will be blamed.

It would be Trump’s and his Republicans fault anyway – it’s part of their big ugly bill – but this way, in the fight over whether to reopen the government, Americans will have a chance to see Democrats standing up for them.

· Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now

ATTACHMENT NINETEEN – FROM GUK

Travel, national parks and housing: what does the US government shutdown mean for everyday people?

Several thousand federal employees will be furloughed or must do unpaid work. Regular people will feel it differently

Marina Dunbar Thu 2 Oct 2025 14.51 EDT

Here’s what it means for everyday people:

1. Paychecks and federal workers

Who keeps working?

Large portions of several agencies are furloughed, meaning they are not working or being payed because their jobs are not considered “essential” to immediate government operations.

How many people are affected?

Hundreds of thousands of workers are impacted by the shutdown.

The Department of Homeland Security is only 5% furloughed, but most staff remains unpaid until funding returns. The VA estimates that 97% of its employees would continue to work during a shutdown.

2. Travel and transportation

Will my flight still take off?

Yes. Air traffic controllers and TSA officers are still working, but without pay. Expect possible long lines or delays if staffing becomes strained.

Can I get a passport or visa?

Yes, passport and visa services continue, but delays are possible if the shutdown drags on.

3. Benefits and health

Will I still get social security, Medicare or Medicaid?

Yes. Benefits continue, but customer service (like benefit verification or replacement cards) may be delayed.

Will I still get Snap (food stamps) or WIC (special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children)?

Yes, these nutrition programs continue.

What about healthcare and research?

4. National parks

Can I visit a national park?

5. Smithsonian museums

Are the Smithsonian museums open?

What about the Kennedy Center?

6. Housing

How is the housing market affected?

7. Consumer protections

What about other implications for consumers?

8. In summary

o You’ll still get your social security and Medicare.

o Flights will keep going, but with unpaid and possibly limited staff.

o Most parks will remain open, but will probably be under-maintained.

o Smithsonian museums and the National zoo are open through at least 6 October.

o Federal workers are the hardest hit, with many being unpaid or furloughed.

o Consumer protections, which have already been hit hard by cuts, are at risk of incapacity.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY – FROM msnbc

Democrats shouldn’t bail out Trump as the government shutdown drags on

The best time for the opposition to take a stand, rather than settle for untrustworthy promises, is right now.

By Nicholas Grossman, political science professor at the University of Illinois Oct. 5, 2025, 6:00 AM EDT

OMB director has an 'animosity toward federal employees': Author of book on Project 2025

This isn’t a normal government shutdown, and past shutdowns shouldn’t be treated as models for how Democrats respond to their current crisis.

Trump lashing out over the shutdown is an opportunity for Democrats to get more Americans to confront the country’s slide into authoritarianism.

Refusing to help the Republican majority pass a budget and end the current shutdown is about more than energizing the Democratic base. Shutdowns inevitably harm federal workers and the millions of Americans who rely on their services, but the Trump administration is illegally removing federal employees and dismantling government programs already, part of its broader attack on constitutional checks and balances.

Painful as it may be, Democrats should refuse to play ball with the Trump administration.

Unfortunately, making things better for the American people coming out of this shutdown is probably not an option. Either Trump makes things worse with Democratic affirmation, or Trump makes things worse despite Democratic opposition. But in these unusual circumstances, things getting worse — and faster — could actually help pull America back from the brink of dictatorship.

Painful as it may be, Democrats should refuse to play ball with the Trump administration. This White House cannot credibly commit to following the law, and rather than enter budget negotiations in good faith, it threatens even more lawbreaking to force Democratic acquiescence. No matter what beneficial government programs a deal with Trump preserves on paper, making any deal with him signals acceptance of a situation Democrats should treat as untenable.

The United States government is not currently operating under the Constitution. The executive branch has usurped congressional authority, ignores numerous court orders and violates rights — transforming the country from a rule-of-law democracy into a deepening authoritarianism. The administration is consolidating institutional power at agencies that used to be professional and partially independent, most visibly at the Department of Justice. Broader regime consolidation is also happening outside government, as Trump-allied oligarchs take over more of the information ecosystem.

That requires a different counterstrategy than typical politics.

'Feds are traumatized': Furloughed Federal Worker on Trump threats of mass firings and gov. shutdown

When the law required Trump to leave power after losing re-election in 2020, he attempted a self-coup — and that was before the Supreme Court majority helped him escape legal accountability for it — so there’s reason to fear he won’t step down as constitutionally required at the end of this term. In the meantime, the White House’s institutional control is likely to increase, even if it weakens the institutions in the process.

That means the best time for the opposition to take a stand, rather than settle for untrustworthy promises, is right now.

The administration’s desire for dominance is bottomless, but its capacity is not. The Trump White House is abusing power and hurting people but faces resistance from a deeply ingrained liberal and democratic American culture.

The main counterforce to Trump’s authoritarian ambitions is his deep and growing unpopularity. Trump’s approval rating is down to the high 30s, and he’s underwater on nearly every issue, even on supposed signatures like the economy and immigration.

The bigger the backlash to Trump’s overreach, the bigger a blue wave.

Growing societal opposition means more civil society leaders willing to say “no” — such as Disney/ABC reinstating Jimmy Kimmel after consumer pressure, or UC Berkeley law dean Erwin Chemerinsky calling Trump’s proposed deals with universities “extortion” and urging collective refusal.

Actions like these counteract Trump’s intimidation, making him seem smaller. By contrast, corporations, universities and other institutions surrendering without being forced makes him seem stronger, like the winds are blowing his way.

Societal opposition also has an institutional impact via state and congressional elections. Republicans are trying to corrupt them, such as with extreme red-state gerrymanders, some transparently aimed at disenfranchising Black voters.

Stephen Miller's treatment of vulnerable refugees isn't just immoral — it's illegal

Rep. Jamie Raskin

Pete Hegseth insulted military leaders — now they have the chance to reject his message

Michael Steele

But enough votes can overcome that, especially if retaliatory gerrymanders in California and other blue states help keep the playing field near even. However he might like to, Trump doesn’t currently hold enough power to rig independent elections in 50 states.

The bigger the backlash to Trump’s overreach, the bigger a blue wave. Democrats stand a decent chance of getting control of the House, which gives them powers of agenda setting, oversight and a piece of whatever remains of legislation. A big enough wave and they’ll capture the Senate too, but that’s a long shot given the seats up for election this year. Still, any gains in the Senate increase Democrats’ institutional leverage and their chance of taking control after the next election.

Government shutdown delays jobs report as pessimism on economy reaches all-time high

In normal politics, sustaining budget fights is hard for Democrats, because they’re the party more interested in government functioning. In 2011, a GOP-led House wrung big spending cuts out of the Obama administration by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, thereby holding America’s credit hostage. But Democratic opposition to Trump’s lawbreaking is a stronger principle and message, and so serious that taking a stand is worth whatever short-term pain it causes.

Ever the bully, Trump’s instinct is to threaten and escalate. Instead of cowing before that, pro-democracy forces should welcome it. The president acting like a repressive dictator now — instead of waiting for consolidated power — plays to the opposition’s advantage.

For example, Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced $8 billion in cuts to green energy funds from selected states, all of which have two Democratic senators and voted for Kamala Harris. That’s no less than taxation without representation. Those blue states — which include the biggest “donor states” that pay more in federal taxes than they get back, effectively subsidizing the rest — will have federal outlays unconstitutionally canceled, in violation of law duly passed by representatives from those states, among others.

Don’t buy the canard that this is retaliation for Democratic intransigence, or that shutdowns grant the executive branch vast new powers. Vought has advocated this sort of illegal rescission for years, including as the lead author of Project 2025.

Trump’s instinct is to threaten and escalate. Instead of cowing before that, pro-democracy forces should welcome it.

It’s hard in today’s information environment, but the more Americans see stuff like this, the better. In that sense, ICE reportedly planning to target Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show could yield something productive. While the actions themselves would be awful, seeing the cruelty and inhumanity play out during the year’s most watched event would force more Americans to reckon with the Trump administration’s attacks on rights.

“Win the shutdown” in the old sense does not apply. Trump and the Republicans control the White House, House and Senate, along with the Supreme Court. They can pass a budget on their own if they want. Yes, the filibuster sets a 60-vote threshold in the Senate, but a simple majority can easily change that, like Republicans recently did so they could confirm 48 judges at once.

Democrats should ignore hand-wringing pundits whose minds are stuck in the past, remember that the next national election is over a year away, and use that time to rally Americans against the forces destroying their democracy, strengthening the opposition’s hand for the even bigger fights to come.

Instead of rescuing Trump and Republicans from themselves, take an unwavering stand against their attack on constitutional democracy.

And screw the workers and public!!!

Nicholas Grossman

ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE – FROM FOX

Government limps deeper into shutdown crisis with no deal in sight

Republicans need 8 Democratic votes to reopen government, with Republican Sen Rand Paul opposing GOP bill

By Alex Miller Fox News

Published October 7, 2025 12:11pm EDT

4 min

The Senate remains deadlocked on a path to end the shutdown as it nears its second week, and Republicans’ meager support across the aisle to reopen the government may be crumbling.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Senate Democratic caucus members to join Republicans to reopen the government, given that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has consistently voted against the GOP’s bill.

So far, a trio of Democratic caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have crossed the aisle to reopen the government.

SCHUMER'S SHUTDOWN HOLDS AS SENATE DEMS BLOCK GOP BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

That group has joined Republicans in nearly all five attempts to reopen the government.

But, as time drags on and a deal remains out of reach, at least one is considering changing his vote.

King said ahead of the fifth vote to reopen the government on Monday that he was considering flipping his support of the GOP’s bill, and he argued that he needed "more specificity about addressing the problem" of the expiring ObamaCare tax credits.

"I think this problem is urgent, and just saying, as the leader did on Friday, ‘well, we'll have conversations about it,’ is not adequate," he said.

King’s possible defection comes as Republicans and Democrats engage in low-level conversations on a path out of the shutdown. Those impromptu dialogues have so far not morphed into real negotiations, however.

SCHUMER'S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON

And the stalemate in the upper chamber has only further solidified both sides’ positions.

Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., want a firm deal in place to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies. Senate Republicans have said that they will negotiate a deal only after the government is reopened and want reforms to the program that they charge has been inflationary and further increased the cost of healthcare for Americans.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has circulated an early plan that includes a discussion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that could be a way out of the shutdown, but so far, it's in its preliminary stages.

"It suggests that there be a conversation on the ACA extension for the premium tax credits after we reopen the government," she said. "But there will be a commitment to having that discussion."

President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that he would be open to a deal on the subsidies, and he said that negotiations with Democrats were ongoing.

However, Schumer pushed back and called Trump’s assertion "not true." The top Senate Democrat has also shifted the onus of the shutdown, and lack of negotiations, directly onto House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

"Clearly, at this point, he is the main obstacle," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "So ending this shutdown will require Donald Trump to step in and push Speaker Johnson to negotiate."

Meanwhile, the White House is exerting more pressure on Senate Democrats to cave and reopen the government. A new memo reported by Axios suggested that furloughed federal employees may not have to receive back pay, running counter to a law that Trump signed in 2019 that guaranteed furloughed workers would receive back pay in future shutdowns.

That comes on the heels of a memo from the Office of Management and Budget last month that signaled mass firings beyond the typical furloughs of nonessential federal workers, and it follows the withholding of nearly $30 billion in federal funds for blue cities and states.

Thune argued that "if you're the executive branch of the government, you've got to manage a shutdown."

"At some point, you're going to have to make some decisions about who gets paid, who doesn't get paid, which agencies and departments get priorities and prioritized and which ones don't," Thune said. "I mean, I think that's a fairly standard practice in the event of a government shutdown. Now, hopefully that doesn't affect back pay … but again, it's just that simple: open up the government."

ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO – FROM USA TODAY

Trump budget boss on shutdown: Mass federal firings will begin in 'a day or two'

By Joey Garrison

WASHINGTON ‒ Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told House Republicans in a private call on Oct. 1 that mass layoffs of federal workers will begin in "a day or two" if the government shutdown continues, according to a lawmaker on the call.

Vought's timeline for "reductions in force" of federal workers comes as President Donald Trump has warned Democrats that he may eliminate "vast numbers" of federal employees under a government shutdown, which began at midnight on Oct. 1.

Leavitt said Trump has directed the OMB to work with agencies to identify where cuts can be made. "They are, unfortunately, a consequence of this government shutdown," she said, though she stopped short of providing a precise deadline. "Two days, imminent, very soon," Leavitt said.

Trump's threats come after his administration has already fired tens of thousands of federal worke(rs as part of his Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to downsize the federal government.

Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 17, 2025.

On the first day of the shutdown, Vought announced plans to freeze $18 million in federal funding allocated for infrastructure projects in New York, the home state of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Vought said funding for New York City's 2nd Avenue subway expansion and Hudson River rail tunnel was halted "to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles."

He later announced the Trump administration is canceling $8 billion in "Green New Scam funding" for projects in 16 Democratic-led states.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE – FROM AP

By KEVIN FREKING and JOSH BOAK Updated 2:50 PM EDT, October 6, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers provided few public signs of meaningful negotiations to break an impasse on reopening the federal government as the shutdown entered its sixth day. House Speaker Mike Johnson said “there’s nothing for us to negotiate” while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries declared the “time is now” to work out a deal on health care.

Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Monday that they could stop asking why he wasn’t negotiating an end to the impasse and that it was up to a handful of Democrats to “stop the madness” and pass a stopgap spending bill that had earlier passed the House.

“We did the job to keep the government open, and now it’s on the Senate Democrats,” Johnson said.

The House is not expected to be in session this week, focusing attention on the Senate to take the lead on any deal in the Republican-led Congress. Yet even with House lawmakers away, the Republican and Democratic leaders have been holding almost daily briefings as they frame their arguments and seek to shift blame for the shutdown.

Democrats are insisting on renewing subsidies to cover health insurance costs for millions of households, while President Donald Trump wants to preserve existing spending levels for now as he believes that Democrats will have to fold because of the jobs and federal infrastructure and energy projects being put at risk.

Shutdown talk heats up as Democrats insist on stopping health care cuts

Hopes fade for quick end to government shutdown

Senate rejects competing bills to avoid government shutdown

Jeffries said in an NBC “The Today Show” interview Monday that notices have already started to go out to Americans enrolled in health insurance exchanges established through the Affordable Care Act, with those notices showing dramatic increases in premiums next year.

“That’s what people are facing right now, which is why we need to address it,” Jeffries said.

Turmoil for the economy

The stalemate comes at a moment of troubling economic uncertainty. While the U.S. economy has continued to grow this year, hiring has slowed and inflation remains elevated as the Republican president’s import taxes have created a series of disruptions for businesses and hurt confidence in his leadership. At the same time, there is a recognition that the nearly $2 trillion annual budget deficit is financially unsustainable.

The Trump administration sees the shutdown as an opening to wield greater power over the budget, with multiple officials saying they will save money as workers are furloughed by imposing permanent job cuts on thousands of government workers, a tactic that has never been used before.

Trump had seemingly suggested Sunday night that layoffs were already taking place, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was talking about furloughs. Under a furlough, workers cannot report to work, but they will return to their job and get paid retroactively after the shutdown ends. She said layoffs were still planned if the shutdown continues.

The talk of layoffs has escalated an already tense situation in which Washington lawmakers have struggled to find common ground and build mutual trust. Leaders in both parties are betting that public sentiment has swung their way, putting pressure on the other side to cave.

Democrats say a promise is not enough

Even though it would be Trump’s choice to cut jobs, Republicans are putting the blame on the Democrats because of the shutdown.

Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California defended his party’s stance on the shutdown, saying the possible increase in health care costs for millions of Americans would make insurance unaffordable. He called it a “crisis.”

But Schiff also noted that the Trump administration has stopped congressionally approved spending. That essentially undermines the value of Democrats trying to seek compromises on the budget since the administration could block the spending of money from any deal. The Trump administration sent Congress roughly $4.9 billion in what are called pocket rescissions on foreign aid, a process that meant the money was withheld without time for Congress to weigh in before the previous fiscal year ended last month.

“We need both to address the health care crisis, and we need some written assurance in the law — I won’t take a promise — that they’re not going to renege on any deal we make,” Schiff said.

But a deal appears a long way off. The two parties do not appear to be having productive conversations with each other in private, even as Republicans insist they are in conversation with their Democratic colleagues.

In the Senate, a stubborn stalemate

The Senate has voted multiple times on the same legislation to reopen the government, only to have it fail each time.

The last vote came on Friday, as Republican bill that would reopen the government failed to notch the necessary 60 votes to end a filibuster in the 100-member chamber.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said Sunday that the shutdown on discretionary spending, the furloughing of federal workers and requirements that other federal employees work without pay will continue so long as Democrats vote no.

“They’ll get another chance on Monday to vote again,” Thune said. “And I’m hoping that some of them have a change of heart.”

___

Schiff appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and Thune was on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

JOSH BOAK

Boak covers the White House and economic policy for The Associated Press. He joined the AP in 2013.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR – FROM NBC

What happens when the government shuts down

Federal departments and agencies have put out guidance about which programs will stay open and which ones won't during the funding lapse.

No end in sight after first day of federal government shutdown

By Raquel Coronell Uribe and Megan Lebowitz Oct. 2, 2025, 10:41 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 3, 2025, 1:13 PM EDT

The federal government shut down Wednesday after lawmakers left the Capitol without passing a funding bill.

Agencies and departments each have their own operational procedures during a shutdown, and they have issued guidance about what to expect as the money runs out.

Here’s what's happening as the shutdown continues.

Will federal workers be paid during a shutdown? What about layoffs?

No, federal workers will largely not be paid during a shutdown. Employees who are considered essential must still report to work, although they will not be paid until the government reopens.

Furloughed and essential employees will receive back pay after a shutdown ends.

President Donald Trump and members of Congress, however, are continuing to receive paychecks during a shutdown. Their pay is constitutionally protected.

Follow live updates on the government shutdown

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that layoffs would be "imminent.” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought also told House Republicans during the day that federal employees would begin to be fired in “one to two” days, according to sources.

On Thursday, Trump said in a Truth Social post that he would meet with Vought to decide which “Democrat Agencies” the OMB director “recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”

Trump, like other Republican leaders, blamed Democratic leaders in Congress for the shutdown and warned them about the impact, writing, “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity."

How does a shutdown affect the military?

The majority of veteran benefits and military operations will continue to be funded regardless of the shutdown. However, pay for military and civilian workers will be delayed until a funding deal is reached, forcing them to continue their duties without compensation.

Military personnel on active duty, including active guard reserves, remain on duty, but no new orders may be issued except for extenuating circumstances — such as disaster response or national security. Some National Guard members serving through federal funding could have their orders terminated unless performing an essential duty.

Ahead of the shutdown, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it expected 97% of its employees to work, though regional offices would be closed. Some death benefits, such as the placement of permanent headstones at VA cemeteries and ground maintenance, are expected to cease. Communication lines, including hotlines, emails, social media and responses to press inquiries, are expected to be affected a well.

The Army and Navy said in social media posts that they will provide "limited updates" on their websites during the shutdown. The Air Force and Space Force said their websites are "not being updated."

How is air travel affected?

Air traffic control services will continue, allowing more than 13,000 air traffic controllers to work through a shutdown — but without pay until the government is funded again. Other essential services are also still occurring, such as the certification and oversight of commercial airplanes and engines, and limited air traffic safety oversight.

Still, the Department of Transportation has stopped other activities, including the hiring and field training of air traffic controllers, facility security inspections and support for law enforcement.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement Wednesday that shutdowns "reduce the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS) and erode the layers of safety that allow the flying public to arrive safely and on-time to their destinations."

"During a shutdown, critical safety support staff are furloughed, and support programs are suspended, making it difficult for air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals to perform at optimum levels," the group said.

Will Social Security checks still go out?

Social Security benefits, considered mandatory under law, continue regardless of a shutdown, so recipients can expect to continue receiving their payments. However, the Social Security Administration could face a furloughed workforce. Fewer workers could mean that processing new Social Security applications could be delayed.

How does the shutdown affect the Department of Health and Human Services?

The Department of Health and Human Services — home to agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration — said in its contingency plan that it expects more than 32,000 of its nearly 80,000 workers to be furloughed during the shutdown.

HHS said “excepted activities” will continue, offering as an example responses to pandemic, flu and hurricanes. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health is still conducting research and clinical services necessary to protect human life and government property.

But research contracts and grants to external organizations, such as universities, are now frozen, and NIH will not admit new patients to its research hospital unless medically necessary. HHS also said it will not process Freedom of Information Act requests during a shutdown.

How is the FDA affected?

The FDA will continue certain exempt activities, including drug and medical device reviews and recalls, monitoring and response of foodborne illnesses and the flu, pursuing some investigations when the agency believes the public is at risk, and screening food and medical products imported to the U.S.

Government Shutdown Here's what happens on key dates during the shutdown

Supreme CourtSupreme Court allows Trump to revoke protected immigration status for thousands of Venezuelans

The agency warned it will end its ability to monitor the use of new ingredients in animal food, and thus will not be able to ensure that meat, milk and eggs of livestock are safe for the public to eat. Long-term food safety initiatives are also expected to be stop during the shutdown.

The FDA is not processing new drug applications and medical device submissions. The agency warned it will not support staff that oversee protection of unsafe or ineffective drugs unless it is an imminent threat.

Are students able to get loans for school?

The Department of Education continues to disburse student aid through Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans — assistance that goes to nearly 10 million students at 5,400 schools, the department said.

Borrowers still need to make their loan payments during a shutdown, the memo added.

In the first week of a government shutdown, the department said it would furlough about 95% of staff who don’t work on federal student aid. The department is also halting new grant-making activities during a lapse in funding.

What is the impact on the CDC?

The CDC will continue to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks, but it will be hampered in providing the public with health-related information, its contingency plan said.

The agency also won’t be able to provide state and local health departments with guidance on issues like preventing opioid overdoses, HIV and diabetes.

Certain other operations are also being halted, including responses to inquiries about public health issues and the analysis of surveillance data for certain diseases, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

The department also said ahead of the shutdown that slightly more than a third of the staff at the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will continue working during the shutdown.

How are nutritional programs for the the poor and women and children affected?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will continue to provide benefits during the shutdown “subject to the availability of funding," according to the Department of Agriculture’s contingency plans posted Tuesday afternoon.

The document added that a May letter from the Office of Management and Budget previously committed funds for SNAP for October, ensuring the programs would run through that month. It added that SNAP has multiyear contingency funds available, but did not specify how long those funds would last.

However, the Department of Agriculture, which houses WIC, said in a letter to state agency directors of the program on Wednesday saying they would not receive their next funding allocation as a shutdown continues.

The nonprofit group National WIC Association warned that a shutdown that lasts longer than one or two weeks could cause "devastating disruptions" for people who rely on the program.

On Friday, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the program "will run out of money this month, meaning that women and children would no longer receive benefits."

The White House and House Republicans put $600 million into the GOP's short-term spending bill "to avoid this outcome," the spokesperson said, "but unfortunately Democrats are okay with women and children losing benefits.”

Will national parks stay open?

A National Park Service contingency plan released Tuesday night said parks remain partially open during the shutdown.

Open-air sites — such as park roads, outlooks, trails and some memorials — remain accessible to the public. Restrooms remain open, and trash is still being collected.

The National Park Service advised, however, that emergency services will be limited.

Buildings that require staffing, such as visitor centers or sites like the Washington Monument, are closed. The agency said it will not issue new permits during a shutdown, either.

The National Park Service's contingency plan said certain excepted activities would continue during a shutdown, including trying to suppress active fires, sewage treatment operations and the protection of borders and coasts.

Can I still go to Smithsonian museums or the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.?

The Smithsonian Institution’s museums and National Zoo — major draws for visitors to the nation’s capital — said Friday that they will use funds from the previous year to remain open to the public at least through Oct. 11.

An FAQ page on the zoo’s website said animals at the zoo and the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute will continue to be fed and cared for, but animal cams will no longer broadcast.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE – FROM FOX

The September jobs report is delayed by the government shutdown - what was it expected to show?

By Eric Revell Published October 3, 2025 8:35am EDT

The ongoing partial government shutdown prevented the Labor Department from releasing the anticipated September jobs report as scheduled on Friday, causing economic data watchers to turn their attention to alternative sources to gauge labor market conditions.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' September jobs report was expected to show the economy added 50,000 jobs in September, according to economists polled by LSEG.

That would continue the trend of soft jobs reports in recent months, with August's initial print at 22,000 jobs, while the first revision of July's jobs data showed a gain of 79,000 jobs and the final June revision found a loss of 13,000 jobs in that month.

A labor market measurement tool developed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago provides a real-time forecast of the unemployment rate, as well as tracking hiring rates for unemployed workers and the rate of layoffs or other separations.

The Chicago Fed's Labor Market Indicators report released Thursday forecasted the real-time unemployment rate would tick slightly higher for September, rising to 4.34% from the 4.32% reading last month and the 4.09% reading in September 2024.

Economists polled by LSEG also estimated the unemployment rate would be essentially flat in September at 4.3%.

The Chicago Fed's tool estimated the hiring rate for unemployed workers ticked down slightly in September, declining to 45.22% last month from the 45.61% reading in August. It also estimated the layoffs and separations rate ticked slightly higher to 2.10% – up from 2.09% in August and 2.06% last September.

A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS LOOMING: HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE ECONOMY?

It's unclear when the government shutdown will end, although the BLS will likely publish the September jobs report relatively soon after its conclusion based on past instances in which the jobs report was delayed due to a government shutdown.

A similar delay occurred in early 1996, when the December 1995 jobs report was supposed to be released in early January but was delayed until the middle of the month because of a shutdown.

During the last partial government shutdown in the winter of 2018-19 that lasted more than a month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was funded under a previously-enacted appropriations bill and didn't have to delay a jobs report.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BEGINS BUT ANALYSTS SAY MARKETS HISTORICALLY WEATHER DISRUPTIONS WELL

Holly Wade, executive director of the NFIB Research Center, told FOX Business that NFIB's survey of small businesses that are members of the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that 32% of small business owners reported they had job openings they couldn't fill.

Of the respondents, 28% said the job openings were for skilled workers, while 13% have openings for unskilled labor. Additionally, a seasonally adjusted net 16% of small business owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months – up a point from August and the fourth straight monthly increase.

"The labor market has been a challenge for a lot of small business owners over the last number of years," Wade said. "It continues to be a challenge for some small business owners going forward," she explained, adding that overall, most small business owners said they're doing well in NFIB's broader report from August which suggests there "don't appear to be any hints of moving into recession."

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Wade noted that NFIB has observed a "jobless recovery" in its data, explaining that while some small businesses are unable to find qualified applicants for open roles there are also "other business owners who have kind of satisfied their level of workforce… or they're uncertain about economic conditions going forward and are a bit more hesitant about expanding their workforce and waiting on the sidelines to see where the economy moves from here."

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX – FROM TASS

Ukraine denies reports that US shutdown affecting weapons supplies, drone deal talks

MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. Ukraine’s foreign ministry claims that the US federal government shutdown has not disrupted weapons supplies, nor has it had any impact on the drone deal.

"False. Ukraine-US drone deal talks are proceeding as planned and shipments continue to arrive," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhiy wrote on his X page.

The US government suspended its operations on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year amid disputes between Republican and Democrat representatives on a number of expenditure items, including public health spending. They accuse each other of provoking and prolonging the shutdown for political purposes.

A Ukrainian negotiating team arrived in Washington on October 1 for talks on the so-called drone deal providing for the joint production of drones worth up to $50 billion. Some Western media reported following the shutdown that the talks had been cancelled. Apart from that, according to the US media, supplies of US weapons to Ukraine could be delayed amid the shutdown.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN – FROM LE MONDE (FR,)

Trump turns the government shutdown into a political weapon

The American president considers the partial halt of government operations − triggered by budget disagreements between Republicans and Democrats − an opportunity to further dismantle the federal state and win a PR war against his opponents.

By Nicolas Chapuis (New York (United States) correspondent)

Published on October 4, 2025, at 3:21 am (Paris)

Donald Trump did not try to hide his good mood on Thursday, October 2, the second day of the government shutdown. The American president sees the closure of much of the government, brought on by budget disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, as a double opportunity: to further dismantle the federal state and to win a PR battle against his opponents by turning the negotiations over healthcare coverage for the poorest Americans – at the heart of the standoff – into a debate about immigration. "I can't believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," he posted on his social network, Truth Social.

Trump had already sent out a warning: If the shutdown led to hundreds of thousands of federal employees being furloughed, many might not get their jobs back once the standoff ended. "I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent," he posted Thursday.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT – FROM THE DAILY SUN (BANGLADESH)

Trump administration declares US cities war zones

Publish: Sunday, 05 October, 2025 22:08

The Trump administration branded Chicago a "war zone" Sunday as a justification for deploying soldiers against the will of local Democratic officials, while a judge blocked the White House from sending troops to another Democratic-run city.

An escalating political crisis across the country pits President Donald Trump's anti-crime and migration crackdown against opposition Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab.

In the newest flashpoint, Trump late Saturday authorized deployment of 300 National Guard soldiers to Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, despite the opposition of elected leaders including the mayor and state Governor JB Pritzker.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the move on Sunday, claiming on Fox News that Chicago is "a war zone."

But Pritzker, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" show, accused Republicans of aiming to sow "mayhem on the ground. They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops."

"They need to get the heck out," he said.

A CBS poll released Sunday found that 42 percent of Americans favor deploying the National Guard to cities, compared to 58 percent who oppose it.

Trump -- who last Tuesday spoke of using the military for a "war from within" -- shows no sign of backing off his hardline campaign.

In an untrue claim Sunday, he said: "Portland is burning to the ground. It's insurrectionists all over the place."

Key ally Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, echoed the president's rhetoric Sunday, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that National Guard troops deployed in the US capital Washington had responded to a "literal war zone."

- No to 'martial law' -

But Trump's campaign to use the military on home soil hit a roadblock late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, when a court ruled the deployment was unlawful.

Trump has repeatedly called Portland "war-ravaged," but US District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary block, saying "the president's determination was simply untethered to the facts."

"This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law," Immergut wrote in her ruling.

Although Portland has seen scattered attacks on federal officers and property, the Trump administration failed to demonstrate "that those episodes of violence were part of an organized attempt to overthrow the government as a whole" -- thereby justifying military force, she said.

One of Trump's key advisors, Stephen Miller, called the judge's order "legal insurrection."

- Chicago shooting -

Aside from the deployment of troops, the Trump crackdown is being spearheaded by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The department is being rapidly expanded both in personnel and duties.

ICE raids around the country -- primarily in cities run by Democrats -- have seen groups of masked, armed men in unmarked cars and armored vehicles target residential neighborhoods and businesses, sparking protests.

Days of tense scenes in Chicago turned violent Saturday when a federal officer shot a motorist that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said had been armed and rammed one of their patrol vehicles.

DHS officials have said that ICE officers also shot and killed 38-year-old immigrant Silverio Villegas Gonzalez during a traffic stop on 12 September, accusing him of allegedly trying to flee the scene and dragging an ICE officer with the vehicle.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE – FROM TIME

Oct 2, 2025 6:27 PM ET

Trump’s Promised Shutdown Layoffs Could Be Stuck in Court for Months

By Brian Bennett Oct 2, 2025 6:27 PM ET

Bennett is the senior White House correspondent at TIME.

On Thursday morning, the second day of the partial government shutdown, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he was meeting soon with Russell Vought, his Office of Management and Budget Director, to decide where to start cutting the federal workforce. He said the shutdown has given him an “unprecedented opportunity” to pick and choose which agencies to target for layoffs.

One problem with the President’s plan: enacting permanent staffing cuts during a shutdown may be illegal under federal law. If Trump moves forward with layoffs, his action could be mired in court for months.

Trump and other Administration officials began last month threatening widespread layoffs of federal workers in the event of a shutdown. On Thursday, Trump seemed to relish the position he found himself in, with Senate Democrats depriving Republicans of the handful of votes they need to keep the government funded. “I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” Trump wrote, giving a nod to Vought’s role as the lead author of Project 2025, a blueprint for remaking the federal government he’s largely followed since taking office but disavowed during his campaign. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.”

When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked what parts of the government Trump was referring to as “Democrat agencies,” she said the White House is looking at “agencies that don’t align with this Administration’s values that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer’s dollars.” The day before, Leavitt had told reporters, “we believe that layoffs are imminent.”

Normally during a shutdown, a large portion of the federal workforce is furloughed on a temporary basis until Congress passes a spending bill to reopen the government and give workers back pay. Many agencies have published their plans for how many workers will be temporarily sent home during this shutdown. Agencies slated to furlough the largest percentages of their workers are the Environmental Protection Agency, the Education Department, the Commerce Department, the Labor Department, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Trump also chose to shut down operations of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an office that had been established by the Inspector General Reform Act of 2008 to improve oversight of waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government. On Thursday afternoon, the agency’s websites—including oversight.gov—and links to reports, manuals and training schedules showed a white screen and the message, “Due to a lack of apportionment of funds, this website is currently unavailable.” It’s unclear if the office going dark is temporary or permanent.

But Trump, Leavitt, Vought and Vice President J.D. Vance have all said that some federal workers could be permanently fired while the government is unfunded. In a rare appearance during the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Vance framed the potential layoffs, which are also called reductions in force, or RIFs, as necessary to ensure essential services can continue as the shutdown drags on.

Hours before the shutdown began, the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers filed a lawsuit in court seeking to block Trump from using the shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees. The lawsuit argues that the Administration doesn’t have legal authority to permanently fire federal employees during a shutdown. The Antideficiency Act, first passed in 1870, forbids the federal government from spending money not appropriated by Congress, and guides much of what the federal government can and can’t do during a shutdown.

Reductions in force, on the other hand, are guided by regulations stemming from the Veterans’ Preference Act of 1944 and other statutes, according to the lawsuit, which argues that those statutes are not applicable during a shutdown.

Trump officials have been warned internally that permanent firings during the shutdown could be effectively challenged as violations of appropriations law, according to a senior government official.

But the Administration’s budget officials aren’t convinced. “It’s called the Constitution,” OMB spokeswoman Rachel Cauley replied in an email when asked what authority the Office of Management and Budget would use to move forward with reductions in force. “Issuing RIFs is an excepted activity to fulfill the President’s constitutional authority to supervise and control the Executive Branch, similar to conducting foreign policy,” Cauley wrote in a statement.

The lawsuit, which was filed by the unions in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is asking the court to to block any efforts by the Administration to issue reductions in force, and to declare that the Administration exceeded its authority in even telling agencies to prepare to fire workers during the shutdown.

“The Trump administration must not be allowed to use a shutdown as an excuse for yet another illegal attack on federal workers,” Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund and one of the attorneys that filed the lawsuit, said in a statement.

Must-Reads from TIME

· Vance Warns Federal Layoffs Could Come Soon If Shutdown Drags On

· Trump Touts Meeting With Vought to Discuss Cuts to ‘Democrat Agencies’ as Shutdown Impasse Continues

· The Federal Government Has Shut Down. Here’s How It Could Affect Your Life

· Federal Workers Brace for Mass Layoffs as Shutdown Looms

· Trump Administration Halts $2.1 billion in Chicago Infrastructure Projects Amid Government Shutdown

· ‘Get Lost’: Democrats Refuse to Back Down in Shutdown Standoff as the White House Threatens Mass Firings

ATTACHMENT THIRTY - FROM USA Today

Reopening government may hinge on Republicans agreeing to health care negotiations

Democrats demand repealing health care spending cuts to reopen the government, but Republicans refuse to negotiate during a shutdown.

WASHINGTON – When will the government shutdown end? That's the question lawmakers were hearing from constituents after the failure of another Senate vote to end the shutdown Oct. 3, despite President Donald Trump warning of "vast" layoffs and weighing which agencies to eliminate.

"I don’t know how many times we’re going to give them a chance to vote no," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said of Democrats. "Hopefully over the weekend they’ll have a chance to think about it."

Democrats are demanding negotiations to restore subsidies for lower-income families to buy health insurance, which are set to expire Dec. 31. Republicans have said they are open to talks but not while the shutdown continues.

“This madness must end," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House.

The fight is over a House-approved extension of funding until Nov. 21, to give lawmakers time to approve full-year spending legislation for the year that began Oct. 1. Democrats want to overturn spending cuts Republicans approved earlier in the year for Medicaid, which provides health insurance for Americans living in or near poverty, and extend insurance subsidies created by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. An estimated 10 million Americans could lose health insurance if the Medicaid cuts and Obamacare subsidy expiration moves forward as planned.

“Everybody’s now asking the question: How does this end?" Thune said Oct. 1. "Well, it ends when Senate Democrats pick this bill up, passed by the House of Representatives, and vote for it.”

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said “cracks started to appear” in the Democratic front Sept. 30, when three senators who caucus with Democrats sided with Republicans to keep the government open.

The Senate has 53 Republicans and 47 Democratic caucus members, and 60 votes are needed to approve the spending bill.

Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, joined Republicans in 55-45 votes to keep the government open or reopen it, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, voting against it. The Oct. 3 vote was 54-44, due to one senator from each party not being present. At least another five Democrats are needed to end the shut down and six if Paul remains an opponent.

“They know the American people are hurt when the government shuts down,” Barrasso said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, center, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, center back, hold a press conference with House and Senate leadership from the United States Capitol on the morning of the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding compromise.

Trump ratchets up partisan pressure on Democrats to end shutdown

Trump has warned of “vast” layoffs, rather than traditional temporary furloughs of federal workers, if the shutdown continues. He also threatened to eliminate “Democrat Agencies” more easily in the funding lapse and met with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to determine which ones to target.

“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” Trump said in a social media post Oct. 2

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said more Democrats would join Republicans as they see the impact of the shutdown.

“I think that number is going to rise dramatically as the pain increases and it is pain that they have caused,” Johnson said.

Unions of federal workers including the American Federation of Government Employees; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and the AFL-CIO have filed a lawsuit arguing Trump doesn't have the authority to lay off workers and dismantle agencies during a shutdown. The unions asked a federal court in California to block Trump.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, attend a press conference following a meeting with President Donald Trump and top Republican congressional leaders at the White House, just ahead of a September 30 deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29, 2025.

Vance talks with Senate Democrats about 'critical needs'

Vice President JD Vance, a former Ohio senator and now president of the Senate, told reporters Oct. 1 that he and Trump were talking to a number of Democrats, who break down into two categories of demands.

Vance said one portion of Democrats are making unreasonable demands to restore more than $1 trillion over the next decade in healthcare spending that was cut earlier this year.

“We just write those people off because they are not negotiating in good faith,” Vance said. “Frankly, we don’t need them.”

Another faction of Democrats is open to discussing how to fix "critical needs" over the next few months, Vance said.

“A lot of them will admit in private that it’s kind of absurd to shut down the people’s government over these disagreements,” Vance said. “That’s really where we’re going to focus on – getting those five additional Democrats.”

Is this government shutdown different? Here's what we know now

Government shutdown will crash into the weekend as Senate votes fail

Is the Smithsonian open during the shutdown? Temporarily, yes.

As Trump withholds funds from blue states, red state Florida just got $608 million

Who is Russ Vought? OMB director expected to play major role in shutdown.

Health care talks plant seeds to resolve shutdown

Federal subsidies for people to participate in the Affordable Care Act, which is nicknamed Obamacare, are expiring at the end of the year. Without subsidies, premiums are expected to double, according to research organization KFF.

Democrats want to extend the subsidies and many states with Republican majorities have large populations of Obamacare participants. Trump and GOP congressional leaders said they are open to talks – but only after the government reopens.

Thune, the Senate GOP leader, said he couldn't promise the restore the subsidies because it's not clear the votes would support that.

"What I’ve said is I’m open to having conversations with our Democrat colleagues about how to address that issue," Thune said. "That can’t happen when the government is shut down."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said Republicans are committed to health care for Americans but could seek "reforms" to Obamacare during negotiations with Democrats. He said the issue does not have "an easy solution" and "we can't snap our fingers and say this is how the resolution works."

“Congress has three months to negotiate that," Johnson said. "Certainly, we could work on it during the month of October to find some consensus and figure that out."

ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE – FROM CNN (TIMELINE TUES. 10/7)

Live Updates

Staffing shortages cause air travel delays as the government shutdown nears the one-week mark

By Maureen Chowdhury, Elise Hammond and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 5:23 PM EDT, Tue October 7, 2025

00:32

Where things stand

• No votes tonight: The Senate has not scheduled votes on any government funding bills this evening, which means the shutdown is likely to continue tomorrow. Democrats and Republicans continue to be at odds over enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

• Shut down for nearly a week: President Donald Trump suggested that some federal workers don’t deserve back pay. The president also said he’ll soon announce which government programs he intends to permanently eliminate amid the shutdown.

• Travel woes: Travelers are starting to feel the impacts of the shutdown as US as air traffic controller staffing issues are leading to delays at airports in major cities, like Houston, Newark, Las Vegas, Nashville and the Boston area.

26 Posts

47 min ago 1646 of 1723

White House says it will use tariff revenue to fund federal food aid for mothers and young children

From CNN's Tami Luhby and Samantha Waldenberg

The Trump administration said Tuesday it will use tariff funds to keep afloat a federal food assistance program for nearly 7 million pregnant women, new moms and young children during the government shutdown.

The program, known as WIC, was expected to run out of money soon because Congress has yet to approve a federal spending package for fiscal year 2026, which started on October 1. The National WIC Association has predicted that the program’s funding would last only a week or two into the shutdown.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the tariff idea in a post on X.

“The Democrats are so cruel in their continual votes to shut down the government that they forced the WIC program for the most vulnerable women and children to run out this week,” she wrote. “Thankfully, President Trump and the White House have identified a creative solution to transfer resources from Section 232 tariff revenue to this critical program.”

WIC, which has long had bipartisan support, has emerged as a talking point among Republicans on how the shutdown is hurting Americans. House Speaker Mike Johnson previously called his Democratic colleagues “shameful” and blamed them for how the government shutdown has impacted WIC.

Axios first reported the White House effort.

Some context: President Donald Trump has been adding and increasing tariffs on a wide swath of products and countries, which he argues will spur more manufacturing in the US and bolster national security. Tariff collections have totaled $190 billion so far this year. Section 232 tariffs are imposed on national security grounds.

The tariff money goes into a general fund managed by the Treasury Department. The Treasury refers to that account as “America’s checkbook,” because it’s used to pay some of the government’s pre-existing bills, such as distributing tax refunds.

But the general fund is essentially frozen until a bill is passed to fund the government. Congress and Trump could get around that by passing a measure designating the tariff revenue for a specific use. However, neither party appears keen on that.

CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald contributed to this post.

1 hr 48 min ago

Nashville air traffic control facility will close tonight due to short staffing

From CNN's Pete Muntean and Aaron Cooper

The air traffic control facility responsible for flights approaching and departing Nashville International Airport will close for five hours tonight due to short staffing.

This is the second time in two days that a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility has closed due to staffing problems.

What does this mean: In Nashville, between 7 p.m. and midnight ET (6 p.m. and 11 p.m. local) flights will be allowed to continue flying, but pilots will have to contact the regional air traffic control center in Memphis to obtain clearance to enter the airspace.

The reason for the staff shortage was not immediately clear, but Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said yesterday that an increased number of controllers have called out sick since the start of the shutdown.

Contributing to delays, Nashville also experienced strong thunderstorms this afternoon, with heavy rain, winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour and visibility of three miles.

CNN’s Brandon Miller contributed to this report.

1 hr 20 min ago 1603

Schumer insists GOP "feeling the heat" from public pressure on health care issues

From CNN’s Alison Main

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer brushed off suggestions that Democrats may ultimately not be able to extract concessions from a prolonged shutdown standoff, insisting that his party was winning the political argument that Americans want to see enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies extended.

He insisted the GOP is “feeling the heat,” quipping that Speaker Mike Johnson “couldn’t look straight in the camera” while talking about Republicans’ openness to address the issue once the government reopens and noting that President Donald Trump suggested on Monday he could get behind a health care deal.

Schumer denied that he’s bowing to political pressure — and a potential primary challenge — from the left wing of his party, telling reporters, “the bottom line is very simple. We’re fighting for the American people.”

2 hr 30 min ago 1453

The air traffic tower at Chicago's O'Hare is one of the FAA facilities facing staffing shortage

From CNN’s Pete Muntean, Alexandra Skores and Aaron Cooper

The Federal Aviation Administration expanded the list of air traffic control facilities experiencing staffing shortages today, including one of the busiest towers in the country.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport air traffic control tower will be short staffed from 3 p.m. to midnight ET, the FAA said in its operations plan.

Nashville International Airport’s tower will not have all of its controllers from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. ET. The FAA ground delay program means flights from all US cities scheduled to arrive in Nashville between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET will have to wait to take off from their origin airport. That means the shortage could cause delays averaging more than two hours at the airport tonight.

The towers are not expected to shut down, as happened yesterday at Hollywood Burbank airport in California, but without a full staff of controllers, delays are likely.

Other facilities with short staffing include the approach and departure facilities for Houston, Newark and Las Vegas and flights in the Boston area.

Houston’s two major airports, Hobby and Bush George Bush Intercontinental Airport are both expected to see ground delays because of the staffing shortage.

The FAA does not detail the reasons for the short staffing, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted Monday that an increased number of air traffic controllers have called out sick since the start of the shutdown.

This post has been updated with additional information about Nashville International Airport.

3 hr 28 min ago 1355

Speaker Johnson tells reporters back pay uncertainty should “turn up the pressure” on Democrats

From CNN's Ellis Kim

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, DC. on Tuesday.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Speaker Johnson told reporters after visiting Senate Republicans’ lunch that he believes furloughed workers are entitled to back pay, but there’s “some legal analysis that says that may not be the appropriate thing legally.”

“So we’ll see how that shakes out,” he said, noting he hadn’t read into the analysis.

The speaker argued the uncertainty surrounding back pay should “turn up the pressure on the Democrats to get serious” about reopening the government.

“I mean, when you’re withholding paychecks and there’s a prospect that they – back pay may not be allowed to furloughed federal workers, civilian workers who rely upon those paychecks, that means the political games just got that much more heated,” he said.

He went on, “There’s one way to make all this stop. Come in here tomorrow and vote to open the government. That would be their next opportunity. And I hope you’ll all ask them why they won’t do that.”

Speaker Johnson’s visit to the Senate Republicans’ lunch was a brief one. He told reporters that there was a “great spirit” in the room and that Republicans were completely united over the issue of government funding.

“I can tell you that the members in that room are just as resolved as the members are in the House that we are going to hold the line and do the right thing for the people. The Democrats have to come to their senses,” he said.

He said senators did not discuss doing away with the filibuster at lunch.

4 hr ago 1323

Union is discouraging air traffic controllers from calling out sick to protest shutdown

From CNN’s Alexandra Skores

The Department of Transportation has seen an uptick in air traffic controllers calling out sick since the federal government shutdown almost a week ago, while the union representing them has disavowed any coordinated work actions.

Controllers, like Transportation Security Administration officers, are considered necessary employees and are working despite the government’s lapse in funding.

On October 14, air traffic controllers would be paid for any time worked before the shutdown started, and October 28 would be the first scheduled pay day controllers aren’t paid at all.

“There’s controllers that have called up sick, and we’re tracking it,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said yesterday.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association — which represents nearly 20,000 controllers, engineers and other aviation professionals — called it “normal” for a few controllers to call in sick on any given day. The union has been discouraging controllers from calling out sick to protest the shutdown.

“We must also recognize that in the current political climate, federal employees are under heightened scrutiny,” NATCA said in a message to members on its website. “We cannot stress enough that it is essential to avoid any actions that could reflect poorly on you, our Union, or our professions.”

Still, controllers can call out if they are actually sick, but there are regulations.

Organized job actions like strikes or sickouts are prohibited by federal law, but since air traffic control staffing is so tight, a small number of employees taking unscheduled time off could be enough to cause problems.

4 hr 35 min ago 1248

The government shutdown is impacting FAA facilities across the country. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

The US Capitol dome is pictured at dawn on Tuesday.

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Yesterday, sick calls by air traffic controllers at the Hollywood Burbank airport control tower forced it to close in the late afternoon.

Flights still were able to take off and land but had to operate using rules typically used by smaller airports with no control tower. Delays stretched more than two hours.

Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the shutdown, but are not being paid.

More Federal Aviation Administration facilities are reporting staffing shortages as the government shutdown continues. .

Here are the latest headlines:

· FAA warns of staffing shortages at 4 facilities today

· A “chat line” for pilots took over when the Burbank control tower shut down

· Trump casts shutdown-related airport issues as “Democrat delays”

4 hr 36 min ago 1247

Republican lawmaker questions legality of withholding back pay, as others slam Democrats

From CNN's Alison Main, Arlette Saenz, Ellis Kim and Logan Schiciano

CNN caught up with some Republican senators to ask them their thoughts on the ongoing shutdown. Here’s what they told us:

Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said he didn’t know whether it was legal for the Trump administration to withhold back pay for federal workers, while other Republicans continued to blame Democrats for continuing the shutdown in the first place.

Hawley pointed out the many Americans who will be impacted by a prolonged shutdown, including veterans who can’t receive full Veterans Affairs benefits, people who can’t enroll in Medicare and military service members who won’t be paid.

“You talk about health care crisis. They’re not gonna be able to take their kids to the doctor. They’re not gonna be able to buy groceries. I mean, this is really, this is ridiculous,” he said.

Fellow Missouri GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt claimed he hadn’t seen the back pay memo reporting, but reiterated that reopening the government is key to further negotiations with Democrats, saying once that happens, “we can have lots of policy discussions.”

In the meantime, South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds said it’s up to the president to make decisions about how to run the federal government, especially as Congress remains at a stalemate over funding.

“If the Senate Democrats don’t feel that these jobs are important enough to where they’ll actually pay them to do it, and if they want to shut down government, (Trump) is saying perhaps some of these jobs maybe don’t have to be filled in the first place,” he told CNN.

4 hr 44 min ago 1239

Trump casts shutdown-related airport issues as "Democrat delays"

From CNN's Betsy Klein

A plane takes off from Hollywood Burbank Airport in Burbank, California, on Monday, when the Federal Aviation Administration stated the airport had no air traffic controllers in its tower amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

President Donald Trump responded for the first time Tuesday to the government shutdown’s impact on American airports, framing any issues people are experiencing as “Democrat delays.”

The shutdown has led to air traffic controller staffing issues, prompting delays at major airports and forcing pilots in some areas to pivot to alternative workflows. Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the shutdown, but are not being paid. And the number of controllers calling out sick has increased since the start of the shutdown, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said.

Asked by CNN’s Paula Newton whether he was concerned about those delays, the president offered his own branding.

“Oh, sure — I mean — they’re all Democrat delays. There are delays at the airport. That’s standard,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

A longtime businessman and marketer, Trump has long turned to bite-size, memorable taglines — from “Make America Great Again” to “Sleepy Joe” to “TrumpRx” — to drive a narrative, this time turning to the tactic to place blame for real impacts from the government shutdown.

4 hr 49 min ago 1234

GOP senator says there's no off-ramp to end the shutdown this week

From CNN's Morgan Rimmer

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis told CNN Tuesday that “no,” he doesn’t see a viable off-ramp to end the shutdown this week.

And not guaranteeing back pay for furloughed federal employees, he warned, would be a “strategic mistake.”

“I believe it’s a strategic mistake to now let those folks know, or let them think that they could potentially not get back pay. If I were them, I’d start looking for another job. And there’s a lot of good, hard-working people out there,” he said.

Tillis pushed for Democrats to vote for the GOP-backed stopgap funding bill to reopen the government, and punt on health care negotiations for later in the year.

“I know there’s a lot of hard-working people that are at home right now or not working because the Democrats refuse to continue the current spending levels. That’s all we ask that they do,” he said.

4 hr 54 min ago 1229

Trump compares Democrats to "insurrectionists"

From CNN's Kit Maher

US President Donald Trump during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday.

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

President Donald Trump on Tuesday compared Democrats to “insurrectionists” when describing the passage of his “big, beautiful bill” over the summer.

“I was greatly helped by our speaker, Mike Johnson, and by the Senate. … I said, let’s see if we can get it all done, because these Democrats are like insurrectionists, OK — they’re so bad for our country, so their policy is so bad for our country,” Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney.

Trump often points out how not a single Democrat voted for his bill.

“Everybody said, ‘It’s not doable,’ because it’s the biggest bill ever passed in the history of our country, and we got it all done,” Trump continued.

Some context: The president has frequently attached the “insurrection” label to things and people he opposes, including Antifa, his baseless claims of a “stolen” 2020 election, and former President Joe Biden.

4 hr 52 min ago 1231

Trump says he'll unveil permanent cuts to government programs soon

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’ll announce soon which government programs he intends to permanently eliminate amid the ongoing shutdown.

“We have a lot,” he said in the Oval Office. “I’m not going to tell you, but we’ll be announcing it pretty soon. But we have a lot of things that we’re going to eliminate and permanently eliminate.”

The White House has warned that thousands of federal workers could be permanently laid off as a result of the lapse in funding, and has already paused federal funding for projects in mostly blue states.

Trump said the shutdown provided him an “advantage” in pursuing his goals of slimming down the federal bureaucracy.

“Because of the shutdown, which I think they made a big mistake, we’re able to take out billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse, and they’ve handed it to you on a silver platter,” he said.

Pointing to his budget director, Russell Vought, Trump said work was underway to prepare for the cuts.

“He’s a serious person, very serious person. And he’s sitting there and he’s getting ready to cut things,” Trump said. “And this is something that was handed to us by, I assume, (Senate Democratic leader Chuck) Schumer.”

4 hr 58 min ago 1225

Senate Democrats warn of legal costs if Trump admin refuses to back pay furloughed workers

From CNN's Alison Main, Arlette Saenz, Ellis Kim and Logan Schiciano

Senate Democrats warned the Trump administration not to withhold back pay for federal workers furloughed during the shutdown, but did not show signs of wavering in their commitment to using the stalled funding issue to force Republicans to the table on health care issues.

Sen. Tim Kaine, who was instrumental in passing the 2019 legislation that guaranteed back pay to furloughed workers, pointed out the irony of the draft White House memo, since Trump was the one to sign it into law.

“The president’s team is suggesting that he break his own word and punish people. I mean, I hope they’ll remember that this was a bill that he signed, and he should implement it,” he said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal argued the White House is “potentially defying the law” and that all senators should have “basic agreement” that federal workers are entitled to pay.

The Connecticut Democrat predicted that “ultimately, the costs will be higher” for the administration if they carry out mass firings and withhold pay from furloughed workers due to steep legal fees when the actions are challenged in court.

“The cost will be greater than any kind of boasted savings. Defying the law ultimately is pretty costly, because people are entitled to not only back pay, but potentially to damages,” he said.

5 hr ago 1223

FAA warns of staffing shortages at 4 facilities today

From CNN’s Pete Muntean, Alexandra Skores and Aaron Cooper

A view of the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting short staffing at four facilities today, according an operations plan that was just published.

“Staffing triggers” were noted at Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which handle planes in flight between airports, around Indianapolis until 2 p.m. ET, Albuquerque until 4 p.m. ET and Boston from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. ET.

The facility, which handles flights approaching and departing Newark Liberty International Airport, also is expecting staffing shortages from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET. Staffing shortages at that FAA facility snarled travel at the airport earlier this year before the agency cut the number of flights that were permitted.

Yesterday, 12 facilities — including three control towers — saw staffing shortages.

Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the shutdown, but are not being paid.

Staffing triggers do not always mean delays for flights but are a notation that the FAA will have to take action to manage operations with fewer people working. Options can also include closing some airspace and rerouting flights.

5 hr 8 min ago 1215

Trump doesn't commit to paying all furloughed federal workers: "It depends on who we're talking about"

From CNN's Betsy Klein

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Donald Trump did not commit Tuesday to offering back pay to all federal workers once the government shutdown ends.

Such a move would stand as a remarkable break in precedent.

Pressed on whether furloughed federal employees would be paid once the government is funded – in line with current law – the president suggested the federal workforce would be paid “for the most part,” but that it might depend on the worker.

“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about. I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you’re talking about. But for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way,” Trump said.

Trump did not elaborate on who would or would not receive payment, but his remarks come as a draft White House memo suggested furloughed federal employees need not be paid for time they didn’t work during the government shutdown, marking a new interpretation of the law that is likely to generate significant controversy on Capitol Hill and among government workers.

Asked later asked to detail why some federal workers would not receive back pay, he did not offer an explanation.

“You’re gonna have to figure that out. Ask the Democrats that question,” Trump from the Oval Office, adding: “I follow the law. And what the law says is correct.”

Some context: Congress passed a bill during Trump’s first term guaranteeing back pay for federal workers affected by shutdowns and the president signed it into law. The White House memo contends that law – the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) – has either been misinterpreted or is “deficient.”

CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo and Tami Luhby contributed to this report.

5 hr 12 min ago 1211

A "chat line" for pilots took over when the Burbank air traffic control tower shut down

From CNN’s Alexandra Skores

A plane takes off near the Hollywood Burbank Airport air traffic control tower in Burbank, California, on Monday.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

When the air traffic controllers scheduled to work in the tower in Burbank, California, called out sick yesterday, control of the airport fell to pilots themselves, eliminating one layer of safety.

Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the shutdown, but are not being paid.

Flights used a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency, known as CTAF, to announce intentions and positions of their aircraft.

It’s a way for pilots to communicate when no tower is present, but it is most commonly used at much smaller airports.

“What happens is the pilots have to act like general aviation pilots – pilots who fly without air traffic control,” Mary Schiavo, CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general told CNN this morning. “They can do it, but you have to use a communications line that’s sort of like a common chat line.”

The FAA recommends pilots of inbound traffic monitor and communicate on the designated CTAF from 10 miles to landing.“It’s doable but it adds a margin of danger,” Schiavo said.

Southern California TRACON, a facility located in San Diego, took over some other aspects of the Burbank tower’s responsibilities, including clearing aircraft into the airspace.

Only the air traffic control tower in Burbank closed last night, but 11 other Federal Aviation Administration facilities saw staffing shortages.

5 hr 20 min ago 1203

Top House Democrat rules out short-term extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies as nonstarter

From CNN's Sarah Ferris

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference at the US Capitol on Tuesday.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has batted down several ideas floated by rank-and-file Republicans about how to potentially end a stalemate over enhanced American Care Act subsidies.

One of those ideas is a one-year extension of the subsidies, floated by GOP Sen. Mike Rounds.

“A one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies is not acceptable. It’s a non-starter,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries also dismissed the idea of capping the ACA program enrollment, another idea from Republicans to overhaul the program.

He said the idea that Republicans want to overhaul subsidies for lower- and middle-income Americans after permanently extending tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans was “the irony of all ironies.”

“If that’s their position, they can take a hike,” Jeffries said.

Separately, the Democratic House leader vowed his party would force the Trump administration to follow current law and pay furloughed workers back pay after the government shutdown ends.

“The law is clear: Every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to back pay. Period full stop. The law is clear, and we will make sure that that law is followed,” Jeffries said.

5 hr 26 min ago 1157

Top Senate Republican says it's his understanding furloughed federal workers would get paid

From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Ted Barrett

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said today he’s not aware of any change in policy on back pay for furloughed federal employees during the government shutdown.

It’s his understanding, Thune told reporters, that they would all be paid. When pressed on the issue, he argued the quickest way to ensure everyone gets their paychecks is to reopen the government.

“I don’t know what statute they’re using. My understanding is yes, that they would get paid. I’ll find out. I haven’t heard this up until now,” he said.

“But again, it’s a very straightforward proposition, and you guys keep chasing that … narrative that they got going down at the White House and up here with the Democrats,” Thune added.

Thune suggested Democrats could make furloughed employee pay “a nonissue.”

“When it’s all done, all you have to do is deliver a handful of votes, the government reopens, and this question of whether people get paid or not is a nonissue.”

During Trump’s first term, after the most recent government shutdown ended, Congress passed a law guaranteeing back pay for federal workers affected by the shutdowns.

6 hr 29 min ago 1054

Speaker Johnson says he and Trump both want furloughed workers to receive back pay

From CNN's Sarah Ferris

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol on Tuesday.

Kent Nishimura/Reuters

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he and President Donald Trump want furloughed federal workers to receive back pay once the government shutdown ends, even as some in the White House are questioning whether it’s necessary.

Johnson said he hasn’t spoken with anyone in the White House about furloughed employee back pay, which is currently guaranteed under a law Trump signed in his first term. But he acknowledged “there will be a lot of discussion about that.”

“There are some legal analysts who are saying that may not be appropriate or necessary,” Johnson said.

Asked whether he personally supported the current law, Johnson said he and Trump both did.

“I hope that furloughed workers receive back pay, of course. We have some extraordinary Americans who serve the federal government, they serve valiantly and they work hard,” Johnson said. “They serve in these various agencies doing really important work and I can tell you, the president believes that as well. He doesn’t want people to go without pay. That’s why he pleaded with Chuck Schumer to do the right thing.”

Asked about his party’s willingness to negotiate Affordable Care Act subsidies, Johnson said Republicans were “always planning to have those discussions in October,” but noted there would need to be “pretty dramatic changes to even be considered on the floor.”

Johnson, asked to address Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s criticism the GOP doesn’t have a plan to deal with a spike in health care premiums, said: “Congresswoman Greene does not serve on the committees of jurisdiction to deal with those specialist issues. She’s probably not read in on that.”

7 hr 3 min ago 1020

Possibility of withholding back pay of furloughed federal workers is "an outrage," Sen. Durbin says

From CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury

Sen. Dick Durbin speaks with CNN on Tuesday.

CNN

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin is responding to a draft White House memo suggesting that furloughed federal employees do not need to be paid for time they didn’t work during the shutdown:

“Well, I can tell you I’m very concerned about it. I think the law is clear. These federal workers will have their paycheck delayed, but not eliminated. If the Trump administration is now arguing that they’re going to eliminate the paychecks of those who are furloughed, that is an outrage. It is in violation of the law,” Durbin told “CNN News Central” this morning.

An administration official told CNN about the draft memo.

Durbin went on to say that Democrats are still holding firm on their push to extend Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.

“What is this all about? We believe it’s about the health care expenses that American families are simply sit down and agree with us that they made a mistake in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ in jeopardizing the helping hand that we give to people who have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act,” Durbin said. “This should be the subject of a negotiation this afternoon and the end of this standoff when it comes to the budget of the United States.”

Durbin added that Democrats need a “clear resolution that’s going to work, not a promise in the future.”

8 hr 13 min ago 0910

"So far so good": Federal Aviation Administration says it is not facing critical staffing shortages today

From CNN’s Pete Muntean

Air travel in the United States was off to a positive start today, a day after staffing shortages caused, in part, by controllers calling out sick led to delays and a closed air traffic control tower.

“So far so good,” a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said this morning.

The publicly available operations plan published at 8 a.m. ET showed no staffing shortages forecast for today.

Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the shutdown, but are not being paid.

Yesterday, sick calls by controllers at the Hollywood Burbank airport control tower led it to close at 4:15 p.m. local time.

Flights still were able to take off and land but had to operate using rules typically used by smaller airports with no control tower. Delays stretched more than two hours.

8 hr 10 min ago 0913

White House draft memo questions back pay for furloughed workers

From CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo and Tami Luhby

A draft White House memo suggests that furloughed federal employees need not be paid for time they didn’t work during the government shutdown, an administration official told CNN.

The move would represent a new interpretation of the law that is likely to generate significant controversy on Capitol Hill and among government workers.

CNN has not reviewed the memo itself, and it is not clear how seriously the idea was being considered. Axios was first to report on the draft memo.

The updated memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget contends that the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) has either been misinterpreted or is “deficient,” the official confirmed to CNN.

More about GEFTA: The act has commonly been understood to guarantee that furloughed workers would receive compensation after any future shutdowns. Trump signed it into law during the most recent government shutdown, which ended in late January 2019 after a record 35 days.

Prior to the law, Congress traditionally approved measures to provide back pay for federal workers affected by shutdowns once lawmakers approved a funding package to reopen the government. But the lack of a guarantee often left workers on edge.

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed during this shutdown, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. More staffers will continue having to do their jobs but without pay until the impasse is resolved.

8 hr 39 min ago 0844

As the shutdown drags on, here's what's on Trump's schedule today

Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office on Monday.

Kent Nishimura/Reuters

We could hear more from President Donald Trump on the government shutdown and other topics today. This is what’s on his public schedule:

• 11:30 a.m. ET: Trump greets the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney.

• 11:45 a.m. ET: Trump and Carney hold a bilateral meeting.

• 12:15 p.m. ET: Trump and Carney have lunch, which is closed to press.

• 3 p.m. ET: Trump meets with freed Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, which is also closed to press.

Meanwhile, in Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. ET.

9 hr 8 min ago 0815

Government contractors worry how they will feed their families or pay bills during shutdown

From CNN's Matt Egan

There are hundreds of thousands of federal government contractors whose livelihoods are being threatened by the political dysfunction in Washington, DC.

Unlike federal employees, contractors typically don’t receive backpay when the government reopens from a shutdown. Low-wage service workers — including cleaners, janitors, security guards, cafeteria workers and other staffers who keep buildings operating — are often out of luck.

This is what some of them told us:

Audrey Murray, 65, has worked as a cleaner at the Smithsonian Museum of American History for nearly three decades.

“It’s so sad that they think they can play with people’s lives,” Murray told CNN while fighting back tears.

“I don’t know how I’m going to feed my kids or pay my mortgage. It’s not about me. I don’t care if I don’t eat, but I want them to,” said Murray.

Tiara Roberts, a single mom in Maryland with three children, is concerned about how she will get by if her contract job providing security at a Smithsonian museum is derailed by the shutdown.

“This affects me to the extreme. It really triggers me,” said Roberts, whose children include a 6-month-old and a 3-year-old. “I have a lot on my plate already, and this is just an added-on stressor.”

Maria Madonado, a single mother of three who lives in New Carrolton, Maryland, told CNN through a translator that her work as a contracted cleaner at the IRS headquarters is being impacted by the shutdown. She fears she won’t be able to pay her bills.

“It’s really strange because you think you’re more secure in a government job than in a regular job,” she said. “And today I realized that’s not the case.”

Read more about how the shutdown is affecting these workers.

9 hr 31 min ago 0752

Here's what Bill Nye has to say about Trump's plan to cut NASA funding

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins speaks with Bill Nye “The Science Guy” about the potential impact of proposed massive cuts to NASA’s budget.

9 hr 31 min ago 0752

Government shutdown is affecting airports and passengers

From CNN's Alexandra Skores, Pete Muntean and Aaron Cooper

The government shutdown, now entering its seventh day, is delaying flights and threatening funding to small cities that depend on it to get air service.

Here’s a glance at what we’ve learned:

• Staffers calling in sick: Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said yesterday that an increased number of air traffic controllers have already called out sick during the shutdown. The increase has varied by facility but “there’s been a 50% reduction” in staffing in some areas, he said. Controllers are considered essential workers, so they must work during the government shutdown, but are not currently being paid.

• Flights delayed: As a result of air traffic controller staffing shortages, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is delaying flights into major airports in Newark and Denver.

• Subsidies threatened: The Essential Air Service program, a program that provides subsidies for flights to small cites that otherwise might not receive air service, will run out of funding Sunday, the Department of Transportation said. The DOT said it had “exhausted every resource” to prolong the shortfall.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO – FROM AXIOS

White House memo says furloughed federal workers aren't entitled to back pay

By Marc Caputo

Furloughed federal workers aren't guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, according to a draft White House memo described to Axios by three sources.

Why it matters: If the White House acts on that legal analysis, it would dramatically escalate President Trump's pressure on Senate Democrats to end the week-old shutdown by denying back pay to as many as 750,000 federal workers after the shutdown. Trump wants the Democrats to back a continuing resolution to fund the government with no strings about healthcare subsidies attached.

· "This would not have happened if Democrats voted for the clean CR," a senior administration official said.

The big picture: Under Trump, the executive branch is grabbing more power than ever — a trend that's accelerating during the shutdown that began last week.

Zoom in: At issue is the ''Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019" that Trump signed during the last government shutdown, which lasted a record 35 days.

· Called GEFTA, the law has been widely interpreted as ensuring that furloughed workers automatically would be compensated after future shutdowns.

· But the new White House memo from the Office of Management and Budget argues that GEFTA has been misconstrued or, in the words of one source, is "deficient" because it was amended nine days later, on Jan. 25, 2019.

· "Does this law cover all these furloughed employees automatically? The conventional wisdom is: Yes, it does. Our view is: No, it doesn't," a senior White House official said.

Friction point: The new OMB analysis is a major departure from the administration's own guidance issued by the Council of Economic Advisers this month and the Office of Personnel Management last month. Both said furloughed workers should get automatic back pay after the shutdown.

· "OMB is in charge," a senior White House official said.

The fine print: The White House's stance revolves around the law's amended version, which added a phrase saying furloughed workers shall be compensated "subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse." That's a technical phrase for shutdown.

· To the White House, that means money for those workers needs to be specifically appropriated by Congress. The joint resolution containing that amendment to the law specified that the U.S. government would pay "obligations incurred" during that 2019 shutdown.

· "If it [GEFTA] was self-executing" in future shutdowns, "why did Congress do that? It's precedent," the White House official said, calling any other interpretation "ridiculous."

What they're saying: Those who represent federal workers or advocate on their behalf say the White House is misreading the clear intent of the law.

· "There is no legal authority to support that interpretation of the statute," said Nekeisha Campbell, labor attorney with Alan Lescht & Associates.

· "When the language of a statute is plain, courts must apply it except in the rare circumstance when there is a clearly expressed legislative intent to the contrary, or when a literal application would frustrate the statute's purpose or lead to an absurd result."

· "The law here is quite clear. The caveat is, if you follow the law," said Sam Berger, senior fellow at the Center for Policy and Budget Priorities. He called the amended language a simple recognition of the appropriations process, not a restriction on compensating furloughed workers.

Between the lines: The White House believes that although furloughed workers aren't guaranteed back pay unless specified by Congress, non-furloughed government employees who are now working without pay are automatically entitled to back pay after the shutdown.

State of play: The White House analysis of the law reflects the administration's multipronged effort to make the shutdown unbearable for Democrats.

· Federal workers overwhelmingly made campaign contributions to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris last year, Trump Republicans note.

· The furlough of hundreds of thousands of workers each day follows the administration's widespread, DOGE-led cuts to the federal workforce earlier this year.

· "This is not being done simply as a pain-point for Democrats," a second senior administration official told Axios. "We're seeking clarity. We believe the existing language is unclear. And the administration is looking for clarity."

OMB Director Russ Vought has an expansive view of executive authority that has tested the constitutional limits of the president's powers (successfully so far).

· Vought's office has outlined how the administration could conduct mass firings of federal workers as a consequence of the shutdown — which critics say would be illegal.

· Trump posted a video Friday comparing Vought to the Grim Reaper.

· The Supreme Court last week gave Trump a green light to withhold congressionally authorized foreign aid money under what's called a "pocket rescission" that Vought pushed.

After the shutdown began last Wednesday, Vought also announced the administration is withholding as much as $28 billion in infrastructure and energy-related projects in mostly Democratic states and cities, including New York City, home to the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate.

· Another Trump adviser said the GOP-led Congress is deferring more to the executive branch at the same time the Supreme Court is, emboldening the president.

· "Trump will take his chances in court," the adviser said. "Why not?"

This story has been updated with context including the positions of the Council of Economic Advisers and the Office of Personnel Management.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE – FROM TIME

Oct 7, 2025 4:57 PM ET

Trump Says Some People ‘Don’t Deserve to Be Taken Care Of’ During Shutdown

by Nik Popli and Chantelle Lee

President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that some federal workers “don’t deserve to be taken care of” during the ongoing government shutdown, signaling that his Administration is open to denying back pay to hundreds of thousands of furloughed employees once the impasse ends.

“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said when asked whether furloughed employees would receive pay once the shutdown lifts. “For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

He did not elaborate or clarify which federal workers “don’t deserve to be taken care of.” But his comments signal a growing willingness inside the White House to use the shutdown as leverage in its broader effort to shrink the federal government.

The remarks come as a new legal analysis from the White House claims that furloughed workers are not entitled to back pay when they return, an administration official told TIME. The memo, first reported by Axios, says that Congress must specifically appropriate funds for back pay, contradicting previous understandings of the law.

The memo appears to contradict the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act—a law Congress passed and Trump signed in 2019 after the longest shutdown in U.S. history—which states that federal employees “shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations.” But the White House memo argues that the phrase “subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse” means Congress must specifically appropriate those funds. Mark Paoletta, the White House budget office’s general counsel, wrote that back pay could not be issued automatically and would require separate legislation after the shutdown ends.

That interpretation of GEFTA appears to contradict guidance from the Office of Personnel Management issued in September, which told agencies that federal law required the government “to provide retroactive pay…regardless of scheduled pay dates, and subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse.” A frequently asked questions document on the White House’s website also said as of Sept. 30 that “both furloughed and excepted employees will be paid retroactively.” That document was later amended Friday to take out the reference to the 2019 law.

The White House did not return a request for comment on whether it intends to follow through on the interpretation outlined in the memo, but the issue has already become a flashpoint in the broader funding impasse.

David Super, a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, says that Trump’s remarks on Tuesday were “vague,” but that if the President is referring to “regular government employees, the law is very clear—they do get back pay.”

“What [GEFTA] says is that either government employees who are furloughed or government employees who are required to work shall be paid as soon as possible after the lapse in appropriations ends,” Super says. “That seems to be inconsistent with what the President is saying.” Independent contractors, however, do not receive the same protections, according to Super.

If the Trump Administration follows through on denying back pay to furloughed workers, Super says he expects this would be challenged through a lawsuit that “would rapidly succeed.”

Even some Republicans expressed confusion over the Administration’s legal stance. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who voted for the 2019 law guaranteeing back pay, told reporters Tuesday that “there will be a lot of discussion about” the White House memo—but added: “I hope that the furloughed workers receive back pay.”

“There are legal analysts who think that that is not something that government should do,” Johnson said. “If that is true, that should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the Democrats doing the right thing here.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said back pay was “a fairly standard practice” and that he was not familiar with OMB’s argument. “My understanding is, yes, that they would get paid,” he said.

Democrats on Tuesday accused the Trump Administration of attempting to weaponize the shutdown to weaken the civil service and pressure them at the negotiating table. “The law is clear—every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to back pay period, full stop,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference. “The law is clear, and we will make sure that that law is followed.”

The federal government has been partially closed for more than a week, with roughly 750,000 employees furloughed and many others working without pay. Negotiations in Congress have stalled, with Democrats insisting that any spending bill include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end—a demand Republicans have so far rejected. On Monday, both the House and Senate failed to pass competing short-term funding measures, and no votes are scheduled this week.

Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have repeatedly threatened mass layoffs at agencies they have labeled “Democrat strongholds.” No firings have yet been announced.

Asked how many permanent jobs could be eliminated, Trump said on Tuesday: “I’ll be able to tell you that in four or five days if this keeps going on.”

“If this keeps going on, it’ll be substantial,” he added. “And a lot of those jobs will never come back. But you’re going to have a lot closer to a balanced budget actually.”

Must-Reads from TIME

· Government Shutdown Could Drag On Into Next Week

· Federal Workers Brace for Mass Layoffs as Shutdown Looms

· How Close Are We to a Government Shutdown?

· Here Are the Senate Democrats Who Helped Republicans Avert a Shutdown

· What Happens to Federal Workers and Their Pay During a Shutdown

· How the Government Shutdown Will Affect National Parks

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR – FROM USA TODAY

President Trump says some furloughed federal workers ‘don’t deserve’ back pay

By Joey Garrison and Zac Anderson

WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump threatened to block furloughed federal workers from receiving back pay once the government shutdown is over, claiming some of the employees "don't deserve" the compensation.

Trump's warning ratcheted up his pressure on Senate Democrats to end the standoff over funding the government and invited new legal scrutiny over the White House's tactics on the seventh day of the shutdown.

“It depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said Oct. 7 in the Oval Office, responding to a question from a reporter about whether furloughed workers are owed back pay. “I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy."

Trump added: “For the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way."

Trump’s threat comes as the White House has floated a new legal analysis claiming the 750,000 employees furloughed during the shutdown are not entitled to back pay when they return. A Trump administration official confirmed the analysis to USA TODAY.

Withholding payments to furloughed workers when they return would mark a dramatic departure from previous shutdowns, including the government's last shutdown in 2019, when Trump was president.

White House claims loophole on back pay

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which was passed during the last shutdown, says that federal workers who are furloughed during a lapse in government funding “shall be paid for the period of the lapse.” The law states that it applies to any government funding lapse after Dec. 22, 2018.

The amendment states that furloughed workers would be paid back "subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse."

More: Trump says he's open to striking deal with Democrats on extending health care subsidies

Yet the White House's new interpretation undermines the Trump administration's own Office of Personnel Management guidance, which released a memo in September that said furloughed workers would get paid.

“After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were required to perform excepted work during the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those work periods,” the OPM memo says.

Layoffs loom

Trump's threat to deny furloughed federal workers their pay comes as he's vowed to eliminate "Democrat agencies" from the government, cut programs and pursue mass layoffs of federal workers if the government remains shut down. The Trump administration has also withheld funding for infastructure projects in Democratic-led states and cities.

"Oh, sure," Trump said when asked whether the White House has identified which programs it will cut. "We'll be announcing it pretty soon. But we have a lot of things that we're going to eliminate and permanently eliminate."

The White House last week said layoffs were "imminent." Russell Vought, the White House director of the Office of Management and Budget, told Republican lawmakers on Oct 1. that reductions in force would begin in "a day or two."

Yet despite the threats, no layoffs have taken place.

Trump on Oct. 7 suggested layoff could happen by the end of the week if Republicans and Democrats don't reach a deal to end the shutdown. "I'll be able to tell you that in four or five days if this keeps going on," the president said when asked how many workers could be fired.

Democrats have pushed for health care policy changes in any funding bill to reopen the government. They rejected the White House's claim that back pay isn't guaranteed to furloughed workers.

"This is just more fear mongering from a president who wants a blank check for lawlessness. It won't work," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Oct. 7 referenced the White House's new analysis on back pay as he called on Democrats to vote for a Republican-backed bill to fund the government at existing levels through Nov. 21.

“If that is true, that should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the Democrats doing the right thing here,” Johnson said. Johnson added that he hopes federal workers get back pay, and said Trump has told him he feels the same way.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE – FROM THE HILL via 1440

White House memo argues furloughed workers not guaranteed back pay

by Brett Samuels - 10/07/25 9:34 AM ET

A draft memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is raising the possibility that furloughed federal workers may not be entitled to back pay from their time off during the government shutdown.

An administration official confirmed to The Hill that the memo, which was first reported by Axios, hinges on an aggressive interpretation of the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which President Trump signed during the last government shutdown.

The OMB memo argues the law does not automatically guarantee that all furloughed employees are guaranteed back pay. It cites a line in the amended version of the law, which states that furloughed workers will receive back pay “subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse.”

Attempts to withhold back pay for furloughed workers would face legal challenges from employees’ unions. It would also be at odds with guidance issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) last month ahead of the ongoing government shutdown.

The OPM guidance features answers to frequently asked questions, including whether furloughed employees will get paid.

“Yes. After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough periods,” the guidance states. “Retroactive pay will be provided on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who serves as the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pushed back on the OMB memo as a “baseless attempt to try and scare & intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards.”

“The letter of the law is as plain as can be—federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their back pay following a shutdown,” Murray said.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, called the OMB memo an “obvious misinterpretation of the law.”

“As we’ve said before, the livelihoods of the patriotic Americans serving their country in the federal government are not bargaining chips in a political game,” Kelley said in a statement. “It’s long past time for these attacks on federal employees to stop and for Congress to come together, resolve their differences, and end this shutdown.”

The memo on back pay is the latest example of how the Trump administration is threatening action against federal workers amid the shutdown.

White House officials have for days warned of widespread layoffs across the government if the shutdown continues, even though past shutdowns have led to furloughs but not firings.

“We don’t want to see people laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday.

The Senate on Monday pushed the government shutdown to the one-week mark as Democrats blocked the GOP’s “clean” stopgap funding bill from advancing for a fifth time.

Democrats are demanding the stopgap bill include an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits that are slated to expire at the end of the year.

Updated at 10:37 a.m. EDT

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX – FROM USA TODAY

TSA and FAA still working as shutdown continues (for now)

by Zach Wichter

As the government shutdown drags into a second calendar week, travelers may start to worry about how it will impact their airport plans.

Transportation Security Administration officers and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers are considered essential employees, which means they're supposed to work without pay during the shutdown, with promises of receiving back-pay from the government once funding is restored.

Impacts on air travel have been negligible so far.

USA TODAY journalists who traveled over the weekend reported that lines at TSA checkpoints were normal at multiple airports. Data from FlightAware showed just 32 flight cancellations nationwide on Saturday and 70 on Sunday.

Still, the longer the shutdown drags on, the more likely disruptions become.

In a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Oct. 6, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said some air traffic control facilities were already seeing increased numbers of sick calls. Though he added that the absences were isolated, and the agency is prepared to slow air traffic as needed to meet controller staffing levels.

Duffy also warned that a prolonged shutdown could impact the Essential Air Service, which helps maintain flights to smaller communities nationwide, and could hinder training for new air traffic controllers, slowing the DOT's efforts to increase staffing levels across the national airspace system.

The DOT does not oversee the TSA, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security; however, that agency is also preparing for potential issues if the shutdown continues.

"While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time," a social media post from the agency said.

As past shutdowns dragged on, FAA and TSA employees began calling out sick in significant numbers as they started to miss paychecks. Those absences were considered key factors in ending previous shutdowns as travelers started to feel the impact at airports.

Contributing: Josh Rivera and Eve Chen, USA TODAY

(This story was updated to add new information.)

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN – FROM IUK

Trump labels Democrats ‘insurrectionists’ as he threatens ‘Grim Reaper’ Vought to start cutting American jobs in ‘4 to 5 days’

Trump made the incendiary comments during a bilateral meeting alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

By Andrew Feinberg

Tuesday 07 October 2025 19:24 BST

Trump calls Democrats 'insurrectionists' during meeting with Canadian PM

President Donald Trump hit out at Democrats with a rabidly partisan attack during a meeting with a foreign leader on Tuesday, dubbing the opposition party as “insurrectionists” and threatening to give his budget director free rein to slash government jobs and programs as he answered questions alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office.

Trump was in the middle of a long-winded soliloquy about the benefits of his Big Beautiful Bill tax cut and spending package when he laid into Democrats for having opposed the legislation.

“I was greatly helped by our speaker, Mike Johnson and by the Senate. I'll tell you what, John Thune has been — both of those guys have been incredible ... because these Democrats are like insurrectionists ... they're so bad for our country, so their policy is so bad for our country,” he said.

Trump was also asked whether his administration intends to honor a law he signed during his first term, the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which requires furloughed workers to be paid “at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends.”

Although the law is clear on the subject, the Office of Management and Budget recently rewrote their shutdown guidance to cast doubt on whether workers will be made whole after going without pay since last Tuesday.

Trump replied that it would “depend on who we’re talking about” and blamed Democrats for having “put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy” while suggesting that some workers don’t deserve back pay.

“For the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way,” he ominously said.

Trump’s implicit threat not to pay federal workers despite the clearly written law enacted during his first four years in the White House is consistent with a long history of failing to pay contractors and vendors during his many years as a businessman and hotel/casino operator.

In 2016, USA Today reported that he’d stiffed “hundreds of people” including carpenters, painters, dishwashers, and even attorneys who worked for him.

He told the newspaper at the time that he’d routinely “deduct” from what he owed vendors if he disliked their work.

“Let’s say that they do a job that’s not good, or a job that they didn’t finish, or a job that was way late. I’ll deduct from their contract, absolutely,” Trump said.

Pressed further on whether federal workers will be paid as the law requires, Trump later told reporters: “I follow the law and what the law says is correct.”

The president’s comments came on the seventh day of the first government shutdown since a 35-day lapse in appropriations during his first term.

Hundreds of thousands of workers were furloughed or forced to work without pay starting one week ago when legislators failed to advance a Republican-authored temporary funding bill, with most Democratic senators stating that they won’t vote for any legislation that doesn’t extend tax credits that help approximately 10 million Americans purchase health insurance.

Trump has threatened to use the temporary shutdown to permanently gut programs favored by Democrats and fire federal workers who his supporters view as “deep state” members opposed to him and his administration.

During his sit-down with Carney, he threatened to allow Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to begin slashing things “pretty soon” when asked if he has a list of programs to eliminate.

“We have a lot of things that we're going to eliminate and permanently eliminate,” he said.

The president described Vought, a longtime GOP activist who was depicted as the Grim Reaper in an AI-generated video he posted over the weekend, as a “very serious person” who is currently “sitting there and getting ready to cut things.”

When pressed further on whether there’s a list of programs to cut, he said he’d be able to reveal it “in four or five days” if the shutdown continues.

“If this keeps going on, it'll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back,” he said.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY EIGHT – FROM google ai overview

AI Overview

In response to the US government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, the international press has portrayed American politics as increasingly unstable, dysfunctional, and damaging to its global credibility and economy

. International coverage focuses on the self-inflicted nature of the crisis and its potential repercussions, including market uncertainty and reduced American soft power.

Key international press opinions

Dysfunctional and polarized politics

· A "self-inflicted wound": Outlets widely describe the shutdown as an avoidable consequence of extreme polarization and political gamesmanship, particularly criticizing the Republican-led Congress and the Trump administration.

· Eroding credibility: Foreign commentators frequently note that the recurring budget battles damage America's image as a stable global leader. A former NATO official in a New York Times report described the dismantling of US information agencies like Voice of America (VOA) during the crisis as "soft power suicide," incomprehensible to outside observers.

· Hostage to extremism: Some coverage paints a picture of a US political system held hostage by its most extreme factions. The New York Times reported on the Trump administration's "gleeful" embrace of the shutdown and its threats to make permanent cuts to government, highlighting the use of federal workers as political pawns.

Economic and market impacts

· "Fiscal follies": While some financial institutions like Morgan Stanley and Invesco believe the impact on markets will likely be limited in the short term, they also recognize that a prolonged shutdown could damage the US and global economies.

· Uncertainty and instability: Analysts quoted by CNBC and S&P Global highlighted that the impasse adds to global uncertainty and erodes confidence in US institutions and fiscal management.

· Risk aversion: Investment firms noted that the shutdown encourages a "risk-off" sentiment among investors, who may shift toward safer assets during the political standoff.

Damage to international influence

· Soft power decline: European and Middle Eastern outlets have reported on the specific damage caused by the Trump administration's decision to defund the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees outlets like VOA.

· Propaganda opportunities: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned that silencing USAGM outlets sends a "chilling signal" to authoritarian regimes like China and Russia, giving them "free rein to spread their propaganda unchecked".

· Information vacuum: A DW report focused on Turkey noted that the VOA shutdown was particularly damaging in countries with limited press freedom, as it eliminated a crucial source of balanced information.

Widespread public fatigue

· Global audience fatigue: Coverage suggests that the repeated government shutdowns are no longer shocking to a global audience but have instead become a predictable sign of American political dysfunction.

· US public sentiment: While reporting on the shutdown's impact within the US, international outlets also noted a deep public frustration, with a majority of Americans believing the country's political divides are irreparable.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY NINE – FROM NBC

IRS to furlough nearly half its workforce as shutdown drags on

The move comes a week before a payment deadline for taxpayers who received extensions on their 2024 filings.

Oct. 8, 2025, 3:42 PM EDT / Updated Oct. 8, 2025, 3:53 PM EDT

By Steve Kopack

The Internal Revenue Service said it is placing more than 34,000 employees, or about 46% of its workforce, on furlough starting Wednesday as the government shutdown stretches into its second week.

The agency will also temporarily pause many taxpayer services, such as answering phone calls. The independent Taxpayer Advocate Service will also cease operations due to the lapse in funding.

The agency added that most administrative functions will also come to a halt, as will many planning activities.

ADVERTISING

"Today, due to the government shutdown the American people lost access to many vital services provided by the IRS when the agency furloughed thousands of employees," national Treasury employees union president Doreen Greenwald said.

Americans can now expect longer wait times, delays in changes to the tax code and backlogs, she said. "Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week."

Filing deadlines still apply for taxpayers during a government shutdown. Oct. 15 is the deadline for those who secured an extension on their 2024 taxes.

Greenwald said that many employees faced a "lack of planning" about their job status until supervisors and managers informed employees of the furloughs Wednesday.

“This is not the way our government should treat its dedicated nonpartisan public servants,” she added.

Furloughs are a temporary unpaid leave. Workers are expected to return to their roles once government funding is replenished by Congress. Historically, workers who remain on the job can be unpaid but receive back pay once the shutdown is resolved.

President Donald Trump and his administration have threatened permanent job cuts and back pay denials in addition to furloughs. On Tuesday, a draft White House memo came to light in which the administration argued that federal workers may not be entitled to back pay. It's unclear whether it's part of negotiating tactics, however.

Few operations will continue, although nearly 40,000 employees will remain paid and on the job preparing for the coming tax season, according to a shutdown plan released Wednesday.

IRS functions that are required to keep the Social Security Administration running will also continue.

The IRS declined to comment beyond the shutdown plan.

ATTACHMENT FORTY – FROM usa today via Delaware news journal

How long is government shutdown 2025 going to last? Odds, update on Senate vote today

By Maria Francis

The United States federal government shutdown has now entered Day 8 since it began Oct. 1, 2025, but how much longer will it last? Here's what to know about the longest shutdowns in history and the updated betting odds on when a Senate vote will pass a funding bill to reopen.

The next Senate vote expected on legislation to fund the government will be today around 11:20 a.m. Oct. 8, according to reports.

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans hit a stalemate with Democrats over health-care policy changes and failed to reach an agreement in the funding bill on Sept. 30. Democrats blocked a Republican proposal to keep the government operating at existing funding levels through Nov. 21, resulting in the 11th government shutdown since 1980.

U.S. government shutdowns occur when funding legislation to finance the federal government is not passed before the next fiscal year begins. This causes federal agencies to shut down services and non-essential operations and furlough non-essential workers.

Essential government services that protect human life or property such as the military, air travel and law enforcement continue to keep working.

Here's what to know about how long this government shutdown 2025 might last and what history shows.

How long will the government shutdown last?

There is no end in sight to the current government shutdown that started on Oct. 1, 2025 and confidence in how long it will last or when it will end are just as unsure, according to the betting odds on Polymarket.

· 76% believe it will end after Oct. 15th

· 23% believing it will end between Oct. 10-14

· less than 1% confidence that it will reopen this week, between Oct. 6-9

Will Senate vote today be enough to reopen government?

The Senate is expected to vote for the sixth time on legislation to fund the government around 11:20 a.m. today, Oct. 8, according to reports.

The Polymarket betting odds are rising against the chance that Congress will pass a funding bill any time soon. Last week's odds showed 56% believed it would pass by Oct 15; today, only 26% believe it will happen by then.

Last week, 87% were betting that a bill would pass before Oct. 31; that has dropped to 76%. There is now a 96% confidence expressed in the odds that it will pass by Nov. 30.

These Polymarket odds were posted as of Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025 at 9:26 a.m.

If these odds were to pan out, it may not be the longest shutdown in U.S. history, but still among the most significant.

What was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history?

The last and longest government shutdown was in 2018-2019 during President Donald Trump's first term. That 35-day shutdown was caused by disputes over expanding barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to that, there was a 21-day shutdown in 1995-1996 during Bill Clinton's presidency over major spending cuts and the 16-day shutdown in 2013 during Barack Obama's administration over implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

The other seven government shutdowns since 1980 lasted anywhere from a few hours to five days.

ATTACHMENT FORTY ONE – FROM GOOGLE AI

Following a U.S. government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, online prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi are being used to bet on how long the closure will last. Traders and investors are closely following these odds as negotiations in Washington have stalled.

As of October 8, 2025, the latest gambling odds and news related to the government shutdown include:

· A prolonged shutdown is expected. On October 8, Yahoo News reported on Polymarket odds showing a shift in expectations, with users now less confident that a funding bill will pass by October 15. Earlier in the week, other reports noted high probabilities on both Polymarket and Kalshi that the shutdown would last more than two weeks.

· Betting odds have changed over time. At the start of the shutdown on October 1, odds showed roughly a 70% chance it would last until at least October 15. However, as the stalemate continued, the odds for a longer shutdown have increased.

· Investors are using betting odds to forecast economic impact. With a lack of government data due to the shutdown, investors and bond traders are looking to these prediction markets for signals on the economy. Reports from Bloomberg highlight how traders are using betting odds to gauge the potential duration of the shutdown and its effects on interest rates.

· The total amount wagered is in the millions. The volume of betting on shutdown outcomes is significant. As of October 6, traders had wagered more than $2.5 million on the prediction market Kalshi alone.

· The current shutdown started on October 1, 2025, following a failure by congressional Republicans and Democrats to reach an agreement on federal funding. Some reports indicate that a dispute over health care funding, particularly ACA subsidies, is a major sticking point.

ATTACHMENT FORTY TWO – FROM TIME

WASHINGTON CAN’T EVEN AGREE IF THE TWO SIDES ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SHUTDOWN

BY PHILIP ELLIOTT
Senior Correspondent, TIME

Talk to Republicans around Washington and you’ll get a smattering of reasons why the government shutdown is coasting into its second week: taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries, health care for undocumented immigrants, “massive handouts” to folks who should be deported.

Talk to Democrats, and you get a similarly disjointed litany of reasons: millions of Americans could lose their health coverage, those lucky to dodge the axe will get much higher bills—this is what voters sent them to Washington to do. Even Jeffrey Epstein comes up.

The two parties cannot even agree on whether they’re talking to each other. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the White House was having conversations with Democratic lawmakers about finding an off-ramp to the shutdown, which started last Wednesday. The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, issued a statement basically saying nuh-uh, but he’d be open to it.

“Well, there aren’t any official talks going on,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, said while leaving the Capitol on Monday. The clear-eyed legislator is not running for another term next year, making her an honest broker in these talks. That does not mean she has the power to unjam a standoff that has become fiercely personal to both sides.

Meanwhile, staffers on Capitol Hill and their lobbying pals on K Street are treating this week as a wash. In chats and texts with a dozen or so staffers, the widespread expectation is that the lapse in government funding—impacting about 750,000 feds and costing $400 million a day—is here for a spell. Congressional offices and the administration alike have been nixing meetings that are not explicitly about the shutdown, killing any sidebar conversations about other legislation.

Put in the most basic of terms, D.C. is a mess, everyone knows it, and no one seems eager to find the exit. It’s as if everyone is aboard the Speed bus but not looking for a way to help Keanu stop the chaos, to steal an analogy from one former Senate chief of staff, a Democrat. Another GOP aide was more blunt: “Totally F—ed is our soundtrack,” she said, taking a lyric from the Broadway burner Spring Awakening. A third Hill insider, a former member of Democratic Leadership, was even more cynical. “Can you even tell me what we are fighting about at this point?” he asked.

Judging from the impasse at the Capitol, the answer is a resolute no. That does not mean it’s any closer to ending.

Trump, it seems, understands that the shutdown isn’t playing well. White House aides are snipping at Republican colleagues on the Hill that this is on them to sort out. No one—not the White House, not Hill Republicans, not Hill Democrats—is on solid footing right now; Trump and congressional Republicans are at a 52% disapproval number, while congressional Democrats are at 49%, according to CBS News’ polling.

Those numbers are national. An informal gut check of my Rolodex indicates it’s even worse locally. At the Environmental Protection Agency, 89% of staffers have been furloughed, according to one tally. At the Education Department, that rate is 87%. Commerce? 81%. Labor? 76%. Housing and Urban Development? 71%.

Bluntly, it’s a bloodbath for career feds who monitor clean air, administer student loans, promote American businesses, track American workers, and house our poorest neighbors. Many are trying to stay optimistic, but few believe this will be short-lived.

By a constellation of good luck and better politics, most federal employees got their last paycheck in the final hours before the shutdown. Their next check—covering pre-shutdown work—should still arrive. That means real pain—workers who cannot pay bills, make rent, cover day-to-day life—won’t hit until the end of this month for some civilians in corners of the government that still have funding. That spares lawmakers any real costs right away, but the upcoming holiday weekend might dog them at home with their neighbors. But some could miss pay as soon as Friday. Military members are eyeing Oct. 15, when their next paycheck could be in limbo.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is not calling back his Republican members this week, sparing them from the uncomfortable questions in hallways at the Capitol. The Senate remains in town, but on Monday dismissed for a fifth time another attempt to pass a stopgap spending bill that would get them through most of November. And on Tuesday, Senators used an acrimonious oversight hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi to press her on politically sensitive decisions made in the case against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that may have shielded powerful players—including Trump—from scrutiny.

(The House, too, has its own Epstein troubles, as Johnson has refused to swear-in a new Democratic member from Arizona who would shrink his majority and perhaps force a tricky vote to see what the Justice Department knows about the man who died while awaiting trial on further charges.)

Also on Tuesday, the top lawyer for the White House’s budget office said federal workers who were furloughed may not be entitled to back pay—despite the clear fact that Trump signed into law a 2019 provision that guaranteed it. The White House quietly removed a part of its website on Friday that asserted that “both furloughed and excepted employees will be paid retroactively.”

Trump added his own element of uncertainty on Tuesday.

“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said. “I can tell you this: The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you’re talking about. But for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

And on Wednesday, Johnson upped the pressure, saying he would not bring the floor a measure that would provide pay for troops serving during the shutdown, breaking with tradition established in all too many other crises of D.C.’s own making. “The House is done. The ball is now in the Senate’s court,” Johnson told reporters at the Capitol. If lawmakers want to pay those in uniform, the Speaker said, then they have to turn the lights back on.

For now, the nation’s capital remains stuck in neutral. Lawmakers cannot even agree if anyone is at the wheel, let alone the destination.

ATTACHMENT “A” – FROM VARIOUS

SEX PISTOL – Lyrics

ANARCHY in the U.K.

Right now

I am an Anti-christ
I am an Anar-chist
Don't know what I want, but I know how to get it
I wanna destroy the passersby

'Cause I, I wanna be anarchy
No dog's body

Anarchy for the U.K. it's coming sometime and maybe
I give a wrong time, stop a traffic line
Your future dream is a shopping scheme

'Cause I, I wanna be anarchy
In the city

How many ways to get what you want?
I use the best, I use the rest
I use the N.M.E
I use anarchy

'Cause I, I wanna be anarchy
The only way to be

Is this the M.P.L.A?
Or is this the U.D.A?
Or is this the I.R.A?
I thought it was the U.K
Or just another country
Another council tenancy

I wanna be anarchy
And I wanna be anarchy
Know what I mean?
And I wanna be anarchist
I get pissed, destroy

Source: Musixmatch

GOD SAVE the QUEEN

God save the Queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
A potential H bomb

God save the Queen
She ain't no human being
There is no future
In England's dreaming

Don't be told what you want, you want
And don't be told what you want to need
There's no future, no future
No future for you

God save the Queen
We mean it, man
We love our Queen
God saves

God save the Queen
'Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems

God save history
God save your mad parade
Oh lord God, have mercy
All crimes are paid

When there's no future, how can there be sin?
We're the flowers in the dustbin
We're the poison in your human machine
We're the future, your future

God save the Queen
We mean it, man
We love our Queen
God saves

God save the Queen
We mean it, man
There is no future
In England's dreaming

No future
No future
No future for you
No future
No future
No future for me

No future
No future
No future for you
No future
No future for me

Who is the god of anarchy?

AI Overview

There is no single "god of anarchy," but various figures embody the concept, such as the Greek goddess Eris (and her daughter Dysnomia), representing discord and lawlessness, and the renegade Warhammer 40,000 deity Malice, who embodies the destructive aspects of chaos and anarchy. Other cultural figures and archetypes also associate with themes of anarchy and rebellion.

Here are some prominent examples:

· Eris (Greek Mythology):

The Greek goddess of strife, discord, and chaos, Eris is a key figure associated with anarchy. She famously incited the quarrel between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, which led to the Judgement of Paris and the Trojan War.

Although it would be interesting, Taylor Swift’s last tour was called the Eras, not Eris (or Eros) Tour, meaning that he reflected various eras of music or something. Although she has her haters, neither she nor (most) Swifties can be described as anarchists.

· Dysnomia (Greek Mythology):

Eris's daughter, the personification of lawlessness and bad government, Dysnomia is also considered a deity of anarchy.

· Malice (Warhammer 40,000):

Known as Malal, this renegade Chaos god embodies absolute anarchy and randomness, often turning against himself and the other Chaos gods.

· Comus (Greek Mythology):

The Greek god of festivity, revels, and nocturnal dalliances, Comus also embodies chaos and anarchy.

Archetypes and Other Figures:

In broader contexts, deities and figures associated with sedition, rebellion, insurrection, and defiance are often listed as "gods of anarchy". These can include figures from other pantheons or even fictional characters and groups.

AI Overview - Anarchism and libertarianism

Anarchism and libertarianism have historically overlapping roots in the anti-authoritarian socialist movements of the 19th century

. In contemporary discourse, however, the two ideologies are often associated with opposing views, particularly regarding capitalism and property rights. The relationship depends heavily on whether one is referring to right-libertarianism (associated with modern American libertarianism) or left-libertarianism (associated with historical anarchism).

Right-libertarianism and anarchism

The key link between modern American right-libertarianism and anarchism is anarcho-capitalism.

Right-libertarianism:

· Emphasizes the maximum liberty and autonomy of the individual, as well as strong private property rights and free-market capitalism.

· Most right-libertarians are "minarchists," meaning they support a "minimal state" limited to protecting citizens from aggression, theft, and breaches of contract.

· Minarchists accept that some government is necessary to protect rights, and that taxation is legitimate to fund its services.

Anarcho-capitalism:

· A form of right-libertarianism that pushes the logic of private property and free markets to its ultimate conclusion: the abolition of the state.

· Advocates for a stateless society where all public services, including law enforcement, courts, and defense, are replaced by private, market-based alternatives.

· Anarcho-capitalists believe that since taxation is coercive, even a minimal state violates the non-aggression principle, an ethical cornerstone that prohibits initiating force against individuals or their property.

Traditional anarchist critique of anarcho-capitalism:

· Most other anarchists reject anarcho-capitalism as a contradiction in terms, arguing that capitalism itself is an authoritarian and hierarchical system based on exploitation.

· They contend that the vast inequalities inherent in capitalism would lead to private concentrations of power that oppress the less wealthy, undermining genuine freedom.

Left-libertarianism and anarchism

Historically, the term "libertarian" was synonymous with "anarchist" and associated with the anti-capitalist wing of the socialist movement.

Left-libertarianism:

· Seeks to abolish all forms of hierarchical authority, including the state and capitalism, in favor of freedom and self-determination.

· Emphasizes the egalitarian distribution of natural resources, often critiquing or rejecting strong private property rights.

· Includes a variety of anti-capitalist philosophies, with economic systems based on collective or cooperative ownership.

Anarchist schools within left-libertarianism:

· Anarcho-communism: Advocates for a stateless, classless, and moneyless society based on common ownership and the principle "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need".

· Mutualism: Supports a market-based socialist society with free association, voluntary contracts, and usufruct property norms (use-based property rights).

· Anarcho-syndicalism: Views labor unions as the potential force for revolutionary change, leading to a new society of democratically managed workers.

Summary of differences

Feature	Right-Libertarianism	Anarcho-Capitalism	Traditional Anarchism (Left-Libertarianism)
View of the state	Minimal state is necessary to protect rights and enforce contracts.	Abolish the state completely; all services privatized.	Abolish the state and all forms of hierarchy.
View of capitalism	Strongly supports free-market capitalism and strong private property rights.	Capitalism is the ideal system, and its market logic can replace all state functions.	Strongly anti-capitalist, viewing it as inherently exploitative and hierarchical.
Property rights	Supports strong private property rights.	Advocates for private property enforced by private agencies.	Critical of private property, favoring communal or use-based ownership norms.
Economic organization	Laissez-faire capitalism with a minimal state.	Pure free markets for all services, including law and security.	Collectivism, communism, or mutualism, with worker-managed associations.

Freedom means no more gumment...

DHS officials have said that ICE officers also shot and killed 38-year-old immigrant Silverio Villegas Gozalez during a traffic stop on 12 September, accusing him of allegedly trying to flee the scene and dragging an ICE officer with the vehicle.

the DON JONES INDEX…