Government shutdown continues, Senate votes fail
The government remains closed over the weekend. The two Democrats and independents voted to end the closure, but a 54-44 vote shortened Republicans.
If President Donald Trump decides to negotiate with Congressional Democrats and negotiate with Congressional Democrats to end partial government shutdowns, the Trump administration will launch a massive layoff of federal workers, said Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council.
As the shutdown entered its fifth day, Hassett said CNN’s “union status” still had the chance that Democrats could retreat.
“President Trump and Las Vault are putting things in line and ready to act if they have to, but they hope they don’t,” he said.
“If the president decides that negotiations are absolutely not going anywhere, then the layoffs will begin. But I think everyone is still hoping that when they get a fresh start at the beginning of the week, Democrats can see that avoiding such layoffs is merely common sense.”
However, as Trump met with the top leaders of Congress last week, there were no specific signs of negotiations to end the standoff. The closure began on October 1, the start of fiscal year 2026, after Senate Democrats rejected short-term funding measures to keep federal agencies open until November 21st.
Democrats are calling for a permanent extension of the enhanced premium tax credit to help Americans purchase private health insurance through Affordable Care Act and written assurances that the White House will not unilaterally cancel spending in any transaction.
“What we saw is a deep fake video, a house cancelling the vote, and of course, a negotiation through President Trump’s time to go to the golf course yesterday. That’s not responsible action,” House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
(Reporting by Andrea Shaalal, Leah Douglas, David Morgan, Written by David Morgan, Edited by Michelle Nichols and Chizu Nomiyama)
