Our coverage of the government shutdown and the Trump administration has ended for the day. Explore more stories here or scroll through the posts below.
Senators weigh in on shutdown fight after GOP stopgap funding bill fails again
Senate Democrats insisted Tuesday they’re responding to pressure from their constituents to force the GOP to the negotiating table on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies — as they blocked an eighth attempt to pass a short-term government funding bill and Republicans refuse to engage on the issue until the shutdown ends.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told CNN’s Manu Raju that his constituents back home are urging him to hold firm in his positions, saying, “I only feel pressure to fight.”
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly dared Republicans, including President Donald Trump, to meet Democrats where they are, arguing that they all want the same outcomes when it comes to extending ACA subsidies and reopening the government.
“We want the same thing that the White House wants. So why don’t we just have a negotiation, figure out what the fix to these rising premiums are going to be and then open the government and implement it. It’s pretty simple,” he told Raju.
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters while she thinks Trump’s announcement that his administration has “identified funds” to ensure active-duty military members don’t miss a paycheck on Wednesday takes “some of the pressure off” as the shutdown drags on, that is not enough to alleviate the larger problems at hand.
The Alaska Republican admitted “yes” there is a lack of trust between parties, conceding that Democrats likely look at the ongoing stalemate and fear if they give up ground then Trump’s budget director will “do his own move and rescind what we’ve been working on.”
GOP Sen. Mike Rounds told Raju that Republicans can’t negotiate with Democrats while “the entire federal government is being held hostage,” adding, “There was no reason to have a shutdown in the first place. Democrat colleagues knew that, and they did it anyway, and they’re doing it to simply say they’re mad at the president.”
Trump administration revises number of federal employees being laid off during shutdown
The Trump administration said Tuesday that roughly 4,100 employees were being laid off, but it changed some of the figures of those being let go within the affected agencies.
The updated numbers were disclosed in court filings in a lawsuit brought by two federal employee unions seeking to stop the reductions in force, or RIFs. It comes as the White House Office of Management and Budget posted Tuesday on X that it will “continue the RIFs.”
The latest filings also confirmed that hundreds of workers at the Department of Health and Human Services were mistakenly sent layoff notices on Friday, which were then rescinded. CNN has reported that roughly 700 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had their RIF notices rescinded.
Some 982 HHS workers are being laid off, but about 1,760 were originally issued RIF notices, according to the latest filings. In Friday’s court filing, the figure of those being let go was listed as between 1,100 and 1,200 staffers.
A somewhat smaller number of employees are also receiving RIF notices at the Treasury Department than was reported in Friday’s court filing. The Department of Homeland Security is only laying off 54 employees, rather than the 176 staffers that were originally listed.
However, more workers are being let go at the Commerce Department, which includes employees at the US Patent and Trademark Office, who received their notices on October 1.
Roughly the same number of people at the Department of Energy received general RIF notices, but they were told they may be informed in the future if they will be part of any downsizing, according to the Tuesday filings.
The latest filings also list 28 layoff notices issued at the Environmental Protection Agency, though it notes that the agency hasn’t made a final decision.
What’s next: The filings came a day before a federal judge in California is set to hold a major hearing over a request from the unions for an emergency court order halting the layoffs. The unions have argued that the administration is unlawfully using the lapse in funding as justification for the RIFs.
Rep.-elect Grijalva and House Dems march to speaker’s office to demand swearing in
Arizona Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva and a large group of House Democrats marched to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office on Tuesday evening to demand she be sworn in.
“Swear her in,” the group chanted as they made their way from a meeting of House Democrats towards the speaker’s suite.
The speaker didn’t appear to be in. Grijalva, who was elected on September 23, told reporters outside the office that the speaker acted quickly to swear in other members after their special elections.
“Let’s just be very clear, this speaker has sworn in three other members, now members, in a special and they’re 24 hours after their election. Two Republicans, one Democrat. The only difference is I am not a Caucasian male, and also I am a woman of color from Arizona,” she said.
“If I were a Republican, I would have already been sworn in. And that is not acceptable,” she said.
Once seated, Grijalva is expected to be 218th signature needed to force a bipartisan vote to compel the release of the full Jeffrey Epstein case files. She suggested Tuesday that could be the reason for the delay.
Johnson has repeatedly denied the delay has anything to do with the Epstein files. He said Tuesday he hasn’t sworn her in because the House has not been in full session since her election.
JohnsonHe pointed out that GOP Rep. Julia Letlow was sworn in by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi more than 20 days after she won a special election to fill her late husband’s seat in 2021.
Latest CDC firings include campus safety workers who responded to shooting in August, union says
The latest round of firings at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention feels like a broad degradation of the way the agency functions instead of an attack on a specific issue area, members of the American Federation of Government Employees said today.
The local union representing federal workers held a news conference about the new layoffs that came Friday and Saturday.
Among the hundreds who were fired this time around are members of a wellness program focused on the mental health and well-being of employees — including support after a deadly shooting on the agency’s Atlanta campus in August.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has not shared specific information about the departments involved in the new layoffs, and union members say they are still working to understand the scale of the impact.
But as of today, other groups that are understood to have been affected include campus safety groups, as well as IT support, individuals focused on policymaking and those who communicate with the public, such as members of the CDC library and CDC museum staff.
The CDC started the year with more than 13,000 employees. According to union estimates, about a quarter of the workforce — about 3,000 workers — have been fully separated. An additional 1,300 or so are on administrative leave due to attempted reductions in force, or RIFs, effectively bringing cuts to the agency up to a third.
Republicans' stopgap funding bill again fails to get Senate votes needed to advance
The Senate has failed to advance Republicans’ stopgap funding bill once again in a 49 to 45 vote.
Republicans need 60 votes to advance the bill that would fund the government through late November.
Two senators in the Democratic caucus voted with most Republicans. They were:
• Catherine Cortez Masto
• Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has previously voted multiple times in support of the bill, but did not vote Tuesday evening.
GOP Sen. Rand Paul voted against advancing the measure. With Paul opposed, Republicans need 8 Democrats to vote in support of their proposal to advance it.
Senate GOP leader John Thune changed his vote to “no,” so that procedurally he can bring it up for another vote later.
Erika Kirk says Trump gave her husband the “best birthday gift” in emotional speech
Erika Kirk, who accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Charlie Kirk’s behalf, gave an emotional speech at the White House Rose Garden, thanking President Donald Trump for giving her late husband “the best birthday gift.”
Kirk spoke of her husband’s “fearlessness,” faith, defense of freedom and his “servant’s heart,” which she said likely would have led him to run for president.
She also testified that Charlie Kirk prayed for his enemies, which caused Trump to smile. At Kirk’s funeral, Trump said he differed from Kirk because “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.”
Tearfully, Erika Kirk shared what her young daughter said she wanted to give her father for his birthday.
“She said, ‘Happy birthday, Daddy. I want to give you a stuffed animal. I want you to eat a cupcake with ice cream, and I want you to go have a birthday surprise,’” she said.
In closing, Kirk said, “To live free is the greatest gift, but to die free is the greatest victory. Happy birthday. Happy freedom day.”
Meanwhile: Trump awards Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk
President Donald Trump posthumously awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony Tuesday.
In remarks, Trump remembered Kirk as an “amazing person” who was “way, way beyond his years.”
“Charlie is attaining a far more important milestone,” Trump said at the ceremony. “We are entering his name forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes. He’s a true American hero.”
The event is being held in the Rose Garden. Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s wife, walked out with Trump, dressed in black, and accepted the medal on her husband’s behalf.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for honoring my husband in such a profound and meaningful way,” Erika Kirk told Trump. “Your support of our family and the work that Charlie devoted his life to will be something I cherish forever,” she added.
Erika Kirk was named CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization Charlie Kirk led, after her husband’s assassination.
“You are living proof that his mission did not die with him. It lives through you,” she said, talking directly to members of the organization.
This post has been updated with comments from Erika Kirk.
NOW: The Senate is voting on Republicans' proposal to fund the government
Senators are now voting on a short-term government funding proposal from the Republican Party.
The House-passed stopgap bill would fund the government through November 21. It does not address any the Democrats’ health care demands.
It needs 60 votes to advance, meaning Republicans would need Democrats to sign on.
House Democrats continue pressure campaign over Grijalva swearing-in
Democrats are trying to keep the pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson to seat Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva, even as he’s made clear he won’t do so while the House is out of session amid the government shutdown.
Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona used a pro forma session of the House on Tuesday to again seek recognition and call for Grijalva’s swearing in, following a similar attempt last week. He had with him a copy of the certificate of Grijalva’s election. But the Republican who was presiding, Rep. Adrian Smith, gaveled out without recognizing Stanton on the floor.
Stanton later told reporters there was “no reason” for the delay and decried the lack of representation for constituents in Arizona’s 7th District.
Johnson said earlier today he hasn’t seated Grijalva because the House has been out since her September 23 election, and she “deserves to have all the pomp and circumstance that everybody else does.”
Stanton told reporters “it’s the decision of the member whether they want to have the pomp and circumstance.”
“She is not concerned about the pomp and circumstance. She wants to get about the business of doing the job she was elected to do,” Stanton said, later noting the speaker swore in two Republican congressmen during a pro forma session earlier this year.
Administration will release list of Democrat-backed programs that will be cut during shutdown, Trump says
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is using the shutdown to permanently end federal programs championed by Democrats, and on Friday, they plan to release a list of those on the chopping block.
“The Democrats are getting killed on the shutdown, because we’re closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we were opposed to … and they’re never going to come back in many cases,” Trump said. “So we’re being able to do things that we were unable to do before. So we’re closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we wanted to close up or that we never wanted to happen, and now we’re closing them up, and we’re not going to let them come back.”
Speaking from the White House, the president said, “We’re going to have a list of them on Friday, closing up some of the most egregious socialist, semi-communist – probably not full communist, we’re saving that for New York – but semi-communist programs, and we’re closing them up. We’re not closing up Republican programs because we think they work.”
Earlier Tuesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget said it would continue to “ride out” the shutdown with more reductions in force – or RIFs, suggesting the Trump administration plans to continue laying off federal workers. Last week, thousands were notified they’d be losing their jobs at seven federal agencies.
Trump says Zelensky is coming to the White House to push for long-range Tomahawk missiles
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is coming to the White House on Friday to push for the US to give him long-range Tomahawk missiles, which would allow the country to penetrate deep into Russian territory.
“I know what he has to say. He wants weapons. He would like to have Tomahawks,” Trump told reporters while meeting with his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, at the White House.
Trump said Sunday that he is considering telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that if the war in Ukraine doesn’t end, he will allow shipments of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.
“I might say, ‘Look, if this war is not going to get settled, I’m going to send them Tomahawks,’” Trump said. “The Tomahawk is an incredible weapon, very offensive weapon. And honestly, Russia does not need that.”
As for Putin, Trump said Tuesday that the continuation of the war makes him “look very bad.”
“I’d like to see him do well. I mean, I had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin, but he just doesn’t want to end that war, and I think it’s making him look very bad,” the president said.
14 days in, Jeffries says Democrats will not propose a new counteroffer
Two weeks into the shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries affirmed top Democrats won’t change their position in the standoff over enhanced Obamacare subsidies — despite the GOP’s unwillingness to budge.
Asked by CNN’s Manu Raju why Democrats have not put a new offer on the table to jumpstart negotiations, Jeffries blamed the GOP’s “take it or leave it approach” and said Republicans must be the ones to negotiate.
“We’re open to sitting down any time, any place with anyone,” Jeffries said. Pressed again by Raju, the Democrat said: “There has to be a willingness among Republicans to actually have a conversation.”
Trump, he claimed, has “spent more time on the golf course than talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill,” without noting the president’s recent trip to the Middle East where he helped broker a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Asked about Trump’s decision to fund military pay outside of Congress’ authority, Jeffries said: “I agree with making sure our men and women in uniform, our active duty troops, are paid. We also need to make sure that we take care all of our hardworking civil servants, which is why Republicans should be back here in Washington working with us to reopen the government.”
He made a similar argument when asked about whether US Capitol Police officers should be paid.
The New York Democrat again hammered House GOP leaders for allowing the chamber to remain in recess as the shutdown drags on. House Democrats, meanwhile, are in DC and plan to meet Tuesday night in person.
Trump endorses Pentagon's new press access restrictions
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threw his support behind the Pentagon’s restrictive new press access rules, which virtually every news outlet has rejected.
“The press is very dishonest,” Trump said, endorsing restrictions that he suggested were necessary because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “finds the press to be very disruptive.”
The new rules require Pentagon beat reporters to sign a pledge not to obtain or use any unauthorized material, even if the information is unclassified. Nearly every news outlet has refused so far, opting instead to surrender their press credentials.
Hegseth on Tuesday insisted the restrictions were “commonsense stuff” designed to protect classified information and prevent reporters from roaming around the Pentagon, despite rules that already limit access to certain areas and classified materials.
Trump backed Hegseth up during a meeting with Argentinian President Javier Milei, suggesting that he could also move press out of the White House if he chose.
Trump “very unhappy with Spain” over NATO spending, threatens tariffs
President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Spain on Tuesday over the nation’s NATO spending, suggesting he might levy tariffs to penalize the nation.
“I think it’s very disrespectful to NATO — in fact, I was thinking about giving them trade punishment through tariffs because of what they did,” Trump said at the White House during a meeting with Argentinian President Javier Milei.
It’s not the first time Spain has drawn Trump’s ire — during the NATO summit in June, the president blasted the nation for failing to meet the 5% of GDP spending target for NATO countries.
“It’s terrible what they’ve done,” Trump said in remarks from The Hague, threatening to use trade talks to force Madrid into line. “We’re going to make them pay twice as much,” he said.
Trump suggests Argentina's bailout is contingent on its far-right leader's success in midterm elections
President Donald Trump threw his full political weight behind Argentinian President Javier Milei at the White House Tuesday, suggesting the United States’ financial bailout of Milei’s country was contingent on the electoral success of its far-right libertarian leader.
“I’m with this man because his philosophy is correct, and he may win, he may not win. But I think he’s going to win, and if he wins, we’re staying with him, and if he doesn’t win, we’re gone,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments come just days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who joined the meeting Tuesday, announced a $20 billion bailout after the Argentine peso dropped precipitously following a disappointing showing for Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party in last month’s election.
“You’re going to win the election, we’re going to endorse you, I’m going to endorse you today, fully endorse you,” Trump told Milei.
Bessent said he felt Milei offered Argentina the best chance to be successful.
“We stand with the President [Milei] and what he stands for, the hope for the Argentinian people,” Bessent said Tuesday. “They went from one of the richest countries in the world to a ton of debt, and I think that with the bridge the US is giving them and the strong policies that Argentina can be great again.”
Trump also suggested that Milei’s political future and the US’ support for Argentina’s economy were closely linked.
“You know, our approvals are somewhat subject to who wins the election, because if a socialist, or the case of New York City, a communist, wins, you feel a lot differently about making an investment,” Trump said, in apparent reference to New York City’s Democratic candidate for mayor, Zohran Mamdani. “I think, Scott, you’d feel that if somebody that had no chance, in other words — if somebody wins and has no chance of ever having a great economy because of that philosophy, you would put a halt to what we’re doing.”
Pressed on why he supported the US bailout of Argentina, Trump told reporters he was “just helping a great philosophy take over a great country.”
Trump believes China is trying to drive wedge between US and Argentina through soybean purchases
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he believed China is trying to draw a wedge between the United States and Argentina by purchasing soybeans from the South American country instead of US farmers.
“I would say so,” Trump told reporters in the Cabinet Room alongside his Cabinet and Argentine President Javier Milei. “China likes to draw wedges.”
Also asked about Chinese port fees on US ships, Trump downplayed their influence.
“I guess, that’s natural. It’s China and it’s natural,” Trump said. “It’s not gonna mean anything in the end.”
Shortly after his remarks to reporters, Trump threatened to retaliate against China for refusing to purchase US soybeans.
“I believe that China purposefully not buying our Soybeans, and causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers, is an Economically Hostile Act. We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution,” he posted on Truth Social.
Some context: China, a major buyer of US soybeans, halted purchases of the commodity in May in response to Trump’s trade war. Then, after Argentina temporarily scrapped export taxes on grains, China swooped in and bought tens of thousands of pounds of Argentine soybeans instead, putting a strain on American framers.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Senate GOP leader signals shutdown could extend into next week, with Senate prepared to leave on Thursday
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says the Senate will likely wrap up voting for the week on Thursday if there is no progress toward reopening the government.
“We’ll see,” he told CNN.
This would mean a three-day voting week for the US Senate, only days after thousands of federal workers were laid off, and signals that the shutdown could extend into next week.
14 days into the government shutdown: What happened and where things stand
There is still no end in sight as the government shutdown hits the two-week mark today.
So, here’s a look back at how we got here.
First, some history: This is the first time the federal government officially shut down since 2019. That last shutdown was overseen by President Donald Trump and was the longest in US history.
That brings us to the beginning of this month: On October 1, a deadlocked Congress failed to keep the government funded, commencing the shutdown.
Since then, Republicans and Democrats have been blaming each other for the impasse. Democrats want to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies as part of any deal to reopen the government, while Republicans say the government must be reopened first before there is any negotiation over the issue.
The House, which already passed a stopgap funding bill, has been out of session, putting the pressure on the Senate which has failed to advance competing Democratic and Republican proposals multiple times.
Here are some of the impacts we have seen so far:
- Roughly 1.4 million federal employees are furloughed or working without pay. The White House also threw into doubt whether furloughed staffers would get back pay.
- US troops were on track to miss their first paycheck tomorrow, but Trump said his administration has “identified funds” to pay troops. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not put a standalone bill for military pay on the floor, arguing the issue was already addressed when the House passed its stopgap bill.
- Staffing issues with air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are causing various travel delays.
- National parks across the country were forced to shut down. Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo also closed.
Meantime, the Trump administration has been laying off federal workers:
- On October 2, the White House said the Office of Management and Budget was compiling a list of agencies it was targeting for federal layoffs.
- On October 10, Trump said he planned to fire “a lot” of federal workers in retaliation for the shutdown, vowing to target those deemed to be aligned with the Democratic Party. He did not elaborate on what he meant.
- That same day, the Trump administration pulled the trigger on layoffs across seven federal agencies.
- Another wave of layoffs could be coming, the administration said in a court filing.
Arizona attorney general warns Speaker Johnson of legal action if Grijalva isn’t sworn in
Arizona’s attorney general on Tuesday warned House Speaker Mike Johnson that her office would take legal action if Arizona Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is not sworn into Congress.
“Failing to seat Ms. Grijalva immediately or to otherwise provide a reasonable explanation as to when she will be seated will prompt legal action,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, wrote in a letter to Johnson.
On Tuesday, Arizona’s secretary of state formally certified the results of Grijalva’s special election last month.
Without being sworn-in, Grijalva is unable to hire staff and set up her office to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
“Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of CD 7 to representation from the person they recently voted for, are not up for debate and may not be delayed or used as leverage in negotiations about unrelated legislation,” Mayes wrote in her letter.
Johnson has said that he will not swear in Grijalva until the government shutdown is ended and the House returns for a regular session.
“It is no surprise that yet another Democrat politician from Arizona is trying a publicity stunt,” Johnson said on Tuesday in response to a question from CNN about the attorney general’s letter. The speaker also reiterated that he will swear in Grijalva “as soon as we get back to legislative session.”