1 minute ago
Thune and Schumer go back-and-forth on Senate floor ahead of shutdown deadline
From Brady Knox
Thune and Schumer debated responsibility for a government shutdown on the Senate floor.
“Democrats have a choice to make. They can shut down the government and subject the American people to all the problems that come with a shutdown, many of which, as I’ve said, they’ve enumerated in the countless quotes they’ve made in the past,” Thune said. “Or they can join Republicans to pass a clean, nonpartisan short-term funding bill and keep the government’s lights on. For the sake of the American people, Mr. President, I really hope they choose the latter.”
Schumer conceded that all Democrats had voted for Biden-era CRs, but argued the context was different.
“Yes, that’s true. Guess why? In each case, Democrats negotiated with Republicans and said, let’s have a bipartisan bill. The leader says it’s a clean bill. It’s a partisan bill. Not once were Democrats asked for what input should be in the bill. We were not told about it. We were not asked about it,” he said. “You cannot pass legislation in the Senate, when it comes to appropriations, unless it is bipartisan.”
Thune argued that the heavy-handed Democratic tactics to push through Obamacare subsidies was inappropriate, and that such a thing should be decided at a different time.
9 minutes ago
Congressional Black Caucus chair calls Trump AI meme ‘racist’ and ‘bigoted’
From Brady Knox
Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke called an AI meme Trump posted “racist” and “bigoted.”
“The juvenile behavior coming out of the White House should not be dignified by any American. …They can toy with us, they can play with us, but we’re not going to be distracted,” she told the Washington Examiner.
The artificially generated video was posted by Trump on Truth Social after he met with Democratic leaders at the White House last night. In the video, the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate were bemoaning their loss of minority voters.
The video had a Mexican sombrero and mustache edited onto Jeffries, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), in profanity-laden language, said that everyone hates the Democrats now, so they must bring in more illegal immigrants to make up for the loss.
19 minutes ago
Trump says there could be more layoffs during a shutdown
From Brady Knox
President Donald Trump said more federal workers could be laid off if the government shuts down.
“Well, we may do a lot, and that’s only because of the Democrats… They want to be able to take care of people that have come into our country illegally — and no system can handle that,” he said.
The Office of Management and Budget has previously said that reduction-in-force departments won’t be furloughed during a shutdown.
The Trump administration threatened mass federal worker layoffs as leverage in shutdown negotiations.
42 minutes ago
Democrats call for Republicans to come back to Washington as shutdown looms
From Lauren Green
House Democratic leadership held a press conference on the Capitol steps Tuesday morning ahead of the looming government shutdown to call for Republicans to return to Washington.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) leaned into the cuts to Medicaid from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act while highlighting the need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire later this year.
“House Democrats are here and on duty fighting on behalf of the American people, ready to fund the government in a way that lifts up their quality of life,” Jeffries said. “House Democrats on duty, House Republicans on vacation. Shame on them for being on vacation all across the country and across the world on the eve of a government shutdown.”
45 minutes ago
Jeffries fumes over Trump AI video mocking Democrat outreach to minorities
From Brady Knox
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was not amused by an artificially generated video posted by President Donald Trump on Truth Social after they met at the White House last night. In the video, the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate were bemoaning their loss of minority voters.
“Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video. When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face. Say it to my face,” Jeffries said the following morning.
The video had a Mexican sombrero and mustache edited onto Jeffries, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), in profanity-laden language, said that everyone hates the Democrats now, so they must bring in more illegal immigrants to make up for the loss.
54 minutes ago
Shutdown would have fallout for government workers, the Fed, and markets
From Zach Halaschak
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks to reporters as he departs for a meeting with President Donald Trump and the top four congressional leaders to discuss the government funding crisis, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Significant ramifications are in store for federal workers, the Federal Reserve, and the economy if the government shuts down, as it looks increasingly likely to do.
The severity of the effects of a government shutdown would depend on its length.
Since 1980, there have been 14 government shutdowns, the longest of which began in December 2018 and lasted for 34 days. Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, said that the economic fallout varies from shutdown to shutdown.
Click here to read more.
57 minutes ago
GOP fights for upper hand as Washington braces for government shutdown
From David Sivak, Samantha-Jo Roth
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks alongside Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, from left, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Vice President JD Vance, as they address members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republicans are attempting to keep pressure on Democrats, and away from their own party, as Washington lurches toward a politically risky government showdown.
With just hours until federal funding expires at midnight on Wednesday, Republicans are trying to minimize any missteps in a fight they believe is a political loser for Democrats, who won’t vote for a seven-week funding bill without an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies.
House GOP leadership encouraged its members to stay on message during a Monday conference call and emphasize the economic damage that a shutdown would inflict while steering clear of healthcare, given its potency with voters.
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1 hour ago
Senate votes against proposed legislation to prevent government shutdown
From Washington Examiner Staff
United States Capitol and the Senate Building, Washington DC USA
The Senate voted against proposed legislation late Monday that would have prevented a government shutdown by activating a short-term resolution to fund the government.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) introduced the Eliminate Shutdowns Act earlier this month. The bill called for Congress to implement a 14-day continuing resolution to fund the government automatically should Congress not agree on a funding deal by a deadline. The Senate voted against the legislation by a vote of 37-61. It needed 60 votes to pass.
In September, Johnson wrote an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal to explain why the Senate should support his proposed legislation.
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1 hour ago
Fetterman urges Democrats to ‘win elections’ before making shutdown demands
From Samantha-Jo Roth
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., center, speaks with reporters at the Capitol subway, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) told his fellow Democrats to “win elections” if they want policy changes, breaking from his party to suggest he would back legislation to fund the government without special conditions and warning he won’t support a shutdown fight.
“I refuse to shut our government down, and that’s not going to change,” Fetterman said, warning that a lapse in funding would “plunge our nation into chaos” and leave “millions and millions of lives upended.” While he said he “would absolutely like” to extend added Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire, he insisted those fights should be settled at the ballot box, not through brinkmanship.
Fetterman broke ranks earlier this month by siding with Senate Republicans on a House-passed measure that would extend government funding through Nov. 21. He was the lone Democrat to support it, while Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rand Paul (R-KY) joined Democrats in opposition. With those defections, Republicans would still need at least eight more Democrats to reach the 60 votes required for passage.
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1 hour ago
Washington braces for government shutdown as Democrats and Republicans hit stalemate
From Brady Knox
A government shutdown appears almost certain after both parties have dug in their heels, with maneuvering so far unsuccessful.
A Monday meeting between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and President Donald Trump ended without an agreement. Both parties insist the other is responsible for the shutdown.
Republicans want a clean continuing resolution, which would fund the government until November, while Democrats are looking for a deal on Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire in December. Republicans have framed the issue as the Democrats shutting down the government to give illegal immigrants healthcare, while Democrats are framing it as Republicans shutting down the government to strip Americans of healthcare.
The government funding deadline is 11:59 p.m.
1 hour ago
Democrats’ illegal immigrant demands for government funding deal fuel Trump’s shutdown strategy
From Naomi Lim
Vice President JD Vance, right, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speak to members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The White House and congressional Republicans are capitalizing on Democrats’ demands to help illegal immigrants access public services to blame them for a looming government shutdown.
“Radical Democrats” are threatening to shut the government down if they do not get their almost $1.5 trillion wish list of demands in a short-term funding deal, “including free healthcare for illegal aliens,” according to the White House. The reference is to Democrats’ requests to repeal One Big Beautiful Bill provisions that targeted illegal immigrants’ access to healthcare in exchange for their votes on a short-term government funding deal.
“The Democrats’ radical agenda was rejected by the American people less than a year ago at the ballot box; now they’re trying to shut down the government and hold the American people hostage over it,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Washington Examiner.
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