Ahead of the 15th day of the shutdown, House Speaker Mike Johnson said it could be the longest shutdown on record. This record was the 35-day shutdown of President Trump’s first term.
President Trump follows through on threat and begins cutting federal jobs
President Donald Trump’s administration made good on its threat to lay off thousands of federal employees, with government agencies issuing “retrenchment” notices heading into the weekend.
WASHINGTON – As the 15th day of the federal government shutdown dawns, President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans are bracing for what could be the longest funding holdup in history.
President Trump said he would release a list of deleted Democratic programs on October 17th. The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a social media post that it is preparing for more layoffs.
But Democrats continued to push for additional health care funding, reversing previously approved cuts to Medicaid funding, and extending the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) tax credits.
The previous longest shutdown was for 35 days during the Trump administration’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) warned that “unless Democrats drop their partisan demands, we are heading toward the longest government shutdown in American history.”
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Government shutdown could cost US economy $15 billion per day, Bessent says
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the federal government shutdown could soon cost the U.S. economy $15 billion a day and called on moderate Senate Democrats to “be heroes” in working with Republicans to reopen the government.
“Be a hero,” Bessent said at a news conference Wednesday morning. “Stay away from the nest of extremism and do something for the American people, because we are starting to flex our muscles here.”
Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House. But Republicans need 60 votes in the Senate to pass a funding bill and avoid a filibuster, which they have not achieved in multiple votes on government funding bills through Nov. 21.
Bessent accused the “mainstream media” of not focusing on Democrats, who “if the Republicans were going to keep the government shut down, that’s what they would do.”
Democrats are demanding that any funding measure include a reversal of recent Republican cuts to Medicaid and an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Bessent echoed other Republicans in suggesting that Democrats want to keep the government shut down through nationwide “No Kings” protests scheduled for Oct. 18.
“I believe the Democratic Party will come back to its senses soon,” Bessent said. “Maybe it was in response to this ‘no kings’ thing. But ‘no kings’ is the same as no salary.”
— Joey Garrison
Capitol Police didn’t get paid during shutdown
The federal workers who protect them are going without pay as Congressional leaders continue to spar over legislation to fund the government.
In an Oct. 14 statement, the president of the Capitol Police union called on lawmakers to end the shutdown, noting that officers were not paid their first full paycheck on Oct. 10.
“The longer the shutdown lasts, the harder life will be for our officers,” Gus Papathanasio, president of the Capitol Police union, said in a statement. “Banks and landlords won’t give my officers a pass because we’re closed. They still expect a paycheck.”
Soldiers were also not scheduled to be paid on Oct. 15, but President Trump said on Oct. 11 that he had authorized the Pentagon to use “specified funds” for military compensation.
-Zack Anderson
Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) has set a 10th vote to approve a House bill that would reopen the government until Nov. 21 but has no chance of passing.
In the previous vote on October 14, the bill was rejected 49-45, with six senators absent. Three senators who caucus with Democrats joined Republicans in voting to end the government shutdown, but five more are needed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to end debate.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul opposes the bill.
President Trump said he would release a list of programs he has eliminated as part of the continued shutdown on October 17th.
“We’re shutting down the Democratic plan we don’t agree with, and we’ll never open it again,” Trump said.
President Trump has argued that Democrats are suffering from the government shutdown because it allows them to lay off workers and eliminate programs that would otherwise continue.
“We can now do things we couldn’t do before,” President Trump said. “The Democratic Party is being killed.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget announced on social media on October 14 that it is preparing for further layoffs.
“OMB is fully prepared and making all possible preparations to weather the Democratic Party’s hardline stance,” the post said. “Pay the military, pay law enforcement, keep RIF going and wait.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters on October 14 that Congressional Democrats “remain committed to finding a bipartisan path forward.”
“To reopen the government, we need to enact a spending deal that actually meets the needs of the American people and addresses the Republican health care crisis,” Jeffries said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told reporters on October 14 that there was nothing left to negotiate because Republicans had not put any special policy provisions in their bill to reopen the government until November 21. He said there could be negotiations over health care costs after the government reopens.
“There’s nothing you can do to remove that document and make it more visible,” Johnson said. “We’re not playing a game. They’re playing a game.”
