Live updates: Congressional stalemate causes government shutdown

2 hours ago

NPR and PBS federal funding halted as GOP ignores Democrats’ shutdown demands

From Lauren Green

National Public Radio is ramping up its fundraising efforts during its first day without federal funding and an uncertain future ahead with a GOP-controlled Congress.

Congress clawed back federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in July, citing unflattering coverage of the Trump administration and bias against Republicans. The so-called rescission of taxpayer dollars kicked in with the start of the fiscal year on Wednesday.

“Today marks the first day in public media’s history without federal funding. It’s the beginning of a new chapter — but we’re not going anywhere,” NPR wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “With your help, we’ll continue to bring you honest, rigorous journalism that doesn’t bend to the interests of shareholders. We’ll still hold a microphone to American voices that might otherwise go unheard. And we’ll always stand behind our First Amendment right to a free press.”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting had received $1.1 billion in federal funds, but Congress’s one-time clawback of money means that this fiscal year, there will be no federal support for NPR, PBS, and their member stations. The rescissions package was part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting efforts and also rolled back some foreign aid funding. 

The NPR cuts coincided with the federal government shutdown on Wednesday, which occurred after lawmakers failed to pass a GOP-backed continuing resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21.

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4 hours ago

Trump slashes funding for blue state projects as shutdown clash escalates

From Christian Datoc, Hailey Bullis

The Trump administration has targeted billions of dollars of federal funding allotted for blue state projects less than 24 hours after government funding lapsed, heightening the pressure in a shutdown fight with Democrats on Capitol Hill.

White House budget head Russell Vought announced Wednesday that nearly $8 billion in energy funding in 16 Democratic-led states, including California and New York, was being cancelled. He did not specify which programs would be affected.

He also announced that $18 billion worth of New York City infrastructure projects is being put on hold to “ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.”

“Specifically, the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway,” Vought said.

Democrats quickly decried the moves with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) accusing President Donald Trump of using “working people as collateral damage.”

“The Gateway Tunnel and Second Avenue Subway aren’t political trophies — they are lifelines,” the pair said in a joint statement. “They mean tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs. They mean shorter commutes, safer travel, and a stronger economy, not just for New York, but for the entire nation. Choking off these projects out of spite will damage America’s competitiveness and cost working families dearly.”

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6 hours ago

Courts pause anti-Trump civil lawsuits during shutdown

From Kaelan Deese

Federal courts are pausing high-profile civil lawsuits against the Trump administration in response to the government shutdown that began early Wednesday, as agencies begin to cut back on non-essential legal work to conserve resources.

The Justice Department announced that while criminal prosecutions will continue uninterrupted, the shutdown “effectively eliminated” its ability to handle most civil litigation. One such case involves legal challenges to Trump’s policy restrictions on homelessness and domestic violence grants. In a Rhode Island lawsuit over federal grant terminations, DOJ lawyers told the court they “regret the necessity” of asking for a pause in proceedings due to the funding lapse.

Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a two-page standing order on Wednesday granting blanket deadline extensions for most civil cases involving the federal government. The goal, Boasberg said, is to preserve the court’s “scarce judicial resources” and preempt a flood of case-specific motions to delay proceedings.

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8 hours ago

White House teases ‘imminent’ layoffs for federal workers due to government shutdown

From Christian Datoc, Rachel Schilke

The White House is preparing to lay off a large number of federal workers as the Trump administration pressures Democrats to vote for a stopgap funding resolution to reopen the government.

Vice President JD Vance joined White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at Wednesday’s press briefing, during which the pair suggested layoffs and reductions in force would be “imminent.” 

“There are unfortunate consequences to a government shutdown, and the federal government is not receiving any cash at the moment, and so the Office of Management and Budget has been tasked with looking over the receipts and looking over the budget of the entire federal bureaucracy, and, as the vice president said, determining what needs to continue to go out the door, and what can we continue to keep running, and what unfortunately is going to have to come to an end,” Leavitt told reporters. “So those decisions are being made, and, unfortunately, layoffs are very likely.”

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9 hours ago

Federal Judiciary continuing normal operations despite shutdown

From Joseph Nepomuceno

Despite the federal government shutdown, the Federal Courts of the United States will operate normally until Oct. 17.

This announcement comes after the judiciary initially announced it could remain open only until Oct. 3. The judiciary can remain open thanks to court fees and other nondiscretionary funds. The courts announced that most proceedings and deadlines will continue as scheduled.

If the shutdown continues and the judiciary runs out of funds, the courts will remain open to fulfill their obligation under Article 3 of the Constitution. However, resources will be scaled back and employees will be furloughed if necessary.

10 hours ago

Trump leans on Vance’s Senate background during shutdown fight

From Christian Datoc, Mabinty Quarshie

Vice President JD Vance took center stage Wednesday at the White House press briefing on the first day of the federal government shutdown, during which he insisted that Democrats were responsible for the impasse on Capitol Hill.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Vance as her special guest minutes before the briefing started, signaling Vance’s lead role in President Donald Trump’s response to the battle with Democrats. Vance spent Wednesday morning doing a heavy slate of television hits, attempting to shoulder Democrats with the blame for the shutdown.

“The reason your government is shut down at this very minute is because, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of congressional Republicans and even a few moderate Democrats supported opening the government, the Chuck Schumer-AOC wing of the Democratic Party shut down the government,” Vance said. “Because they said to us, we will open the government, but only if you give billions of dollars of funding for healthcare for illegal aliens.”

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10 hours ago

Leavitt echoes Vought, says layoffs are ‘imminent’

From Molly Parks

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that federal worker reduction-in-force measures are coming imminently.

Leavitt’s announcement came just after Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House GOP members that layoffs would be coming in one or two days.

“Two days, imminent, very soon. You will expect more announcements right now,” Leavitt told reporters. “These RIFs are unfortunately going to happen very soon.”

In the press briefing, Leavitt confirmed that Vought, who raised the possibility of layoffs in advance of the shutdown, is meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon to discuss a proposal on the matter.

“He’s going to kind of walk them through what this unfortunately is going to look like, so they can discuss it with their constituents back home in their respective districts,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt told reporters it would be irresponsible for the White House “not to take a look at each and every agency and get an understanding of what we’re going to have to do moving forward to do the best we can in the midst of this government shutdown.”

She blamed Democrats for putting the Trump administration in the position to consider RIFs. “Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do,” Leavitt said. “If the Democrats did not vote to shut down the government, we would not be standing up here talking about layoffs today.”

11 hours ago

Vance suggests government shutdown will be short, moderate democrats will crack: ‘Pure guess’

From Molly Parks

Vice President JD Vance made a “pure guess” that the government shutdown will not last long, telling reporters that he believes Democrats are already “cracking.”

“I can’t predict what congressional Democrats are going to do,” Vance said. “But 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 that moderate Democrats are cracking a little bit.”

Vance told White House reporters during a press briefing that Democrats are straying from their previous party rhetoric that “You don’t shut the government down over policy disagreements.”

11 hours ago

Vance promises to stop sombrero memes if shutdown ends

From Molly Parks

Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump would stop posting artificially generated videos of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) if the government shutdown ends.

“I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solid promise that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop. I talked to the president of the United States about that,” Vance said.

Jeffries criticized Trump’s Truth Social videos of Jeffries in a sombrero as “racist” and “bigoted” Tuesday, telling MSNBC, “We need from the president of the United States an individual who actually is focused on doing his job.”

Vance made his comments during a press briefing with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, telling reporters that Trump was joking with the memes.

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

11 hours ago

Vance accuses Schumer of fearing AOC primary challenge

From Molly Parks

Vice President JD Vance said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is afraid of a primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in 2028, reiterating Republican claims that it is the reason he pushed to vote down GOP funding bills.

“The reality here, and let’s be honest about the politics, is that Chuck Schumer is terrified he’s going to get a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” Vance said. “The reason why the American people’s government is shut down is because Chuck Schumer is listening to the far left radicals in his own party because he’s terrified of a primary challenge.”

Vance made the point during a press briefing with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) had a similar point earlier Wednesday, saying Schumer’s fear of a primary challenge from Ocasio-Cortez is pushing him to side with the “radical wing” of the Democratic Party on the funding resolution proposals. Barrasso said Schumer is trying to prove he is “more liberal” than Ocasio-Cortez.

12 hours ago

Mike Johnson makes no promises on Obamacare subsidies amid government shutdown

From Rachel Schilke

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) did not commit to extending Obamacare tax credits that expire at the end of the year, a sticking point for Democrats as the government enters its first shutdown in seven years.

Johnson was asked during a press conference with House and Senate GOP leaders whether he would be open to negotiating an extension of the Obamacare subsidies once the government reopens, a position Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) indicated that he would support. 

But the House speaker dodged the question, instead blaming Democrats for holding up government funding and forcing a shutdown to get Republicans to meet their demands.

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12 hours ago

Members of Congress ask for pay to be withheld during government shutdown

From Rachel Schilke

A handful of Democrats and Republicans are asking that their pay be withheld during the government shutdown, arguing that they should face the same consequences as federal workers and agents.

Among the Republicans asking for their paychecks to be paused are Reps. Chip Roy (TX), Gus Bilirakis (FL), Tom Barrett (WI), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Bob Latta (OH), Mike Lawler (NY), Juan Ciscomani (AZ), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ), and Rob Bresnahan (PA). All four members of the Iowa delegation to the House have also decided to forgo pay until the government reopens.

The lawmakers have insisted they don’t want to see a paycheck until “an appropriations agreement has taken effect.”

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12 hours ago

White House loops video montage of Senate Democrats in press briefing room

From David Zimmermann

The White House is playing a video montage on a loop showing Senate Democrats decrying the use of government shutdowns as a negotiating tactic in the press briefing room on Wednesday.

Among the lawmakers in the video is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

“If the government shuts down, it will be average Americans who suffer most,” Schumer previously said on the Senate floor.

The White House also has a clock on its website counting the hours, minutes, and seconds since the latest shutdown took effect after midnight on Wednesday.

12 hours ago

Schumer coalition holds steady as Democrats oppose third GOP funding vote

From David Sivak

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) kept his caucus mostly in lockstep on the third vote to fund the government as Republicans hope to peel off Democrats uncomfortable with a protracted government shutdown.

Schumer did not lose any additional votes on Wednesday as Republicans put up the same House-passed funding bill that failed hours before a government shutdown began at midnight.

In a 55-45 vote, two Democrats and one independent supported the bill, as they did on Tuesday, but other senators viewed as possible defectors opposed the extension, which would reopen the government for seven weeks.

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12 hours ago

Democrats say they won’t ‘trust any deal without Donald Trump in the room’

From David Zimmermann

A top Democrat said President Donald Trump will need to be present in Congress to negotiate any possible agreement to end the government shutdown.

“I don’t think we trust any deal without Donald Trump in the room as part of it,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “House Republicans have proven that even if they agree to something, they have to go back to him to bless it.”

Democrats and Republicans are both blaming the other side for the onset of the government shutdown, which started just after midnight on Wednesday.

Aguilar called on his Republican colleagues to engage with Democrats to approve a stopgap funding measure for the next several weeks.

“We are saying, ‘Let’s avoid this shutdown, let’s end this and let’s have conversations about what’s necessary to fix the healthcare crisis that you have created,’” he said.