The government shutdown broke records for the longest on record, just after Democrats won big victories in new elections across the country.
WASHINGTON – It’s official: The government shutdown is the longest in U.S. history, with 36 days of unpaid wages, disrupted travel, food insecurity, and other devastating consequences for millions of Americans.
Around that milestone, the political deadlock that defined much of Washington’s month-long crisis showed some signs of abating, especially after Democrats won big victories in key off-year elections in New York, New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday night.
Democrats largely characterized their victory as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s policies, while Republicans criticized their opponents for prolonging the government shutdown to avoid losing progressive voters.
It’s unclear whether these victories will embolden Democrats to stick with the government shutdown or provide incentives to end it.
On Tuesday, senators rejected short-term funding measures for the 14th time as voters headed to the polls. Still, rank-and-file members of Congress have said there has been an increase in bipartisan behind-the-scenes maneuvering in recent days, moving them closer to a deal that would persuade moderate Senate Democrats to break party lines.
“I’m hopeful that this is the week that Democrats come to their senses and decide to reopen the government,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) told reporters Tuesday.
In exchange for reopening the government, Republicans have promised Democrats a Senate vote on extending Obamacare subsidies, which is at the center of the shutdown debate, but that is likely to be defeated. While progressive lawmakers say the proposal alone isn’t enough, moderates seem to like the idea.
Senate Democrats met for several hours Tuesday at the Capitol to discuss options for the post-shutdown off-ramp. Their leader, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), did not elaborate on where exactly the members landed.
“We are considering all options,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers to meet with Democrats to end the government shutdown following his party’s landslide victory Tuesday.
“This election shows that Democratic control of the Senate is much closer than the public and forecasters believe,” Schumer said. “The more Republicans increase spending and capitulate to President Trump, the more their Senate majority will be in jeopardy.”
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said they warned Trump several months ago at the White House that unless they reached a deal to end the government shutdown and address health care concerns, they would be hurt come the election.
“Last night should make it clear that Republicans cannot continue to ignore not just us but the American people for the good of the country as a whole,” Schumer said.
On Wednesday, amid the longest government shutdown in history, House Speaker Mike Johnson cited Democratic victories in key elections in Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York.
Johnson insisted Americans should not “read too much into” Tuesday night’s election results.
“What happened last night is that blue states and blue cities voted blue,” Johnson said at his daily news conference in Parliament House. “Everyone knew this was going to happen. No one should read too much into last night’s election results. This off-season, the election is not indicative of what’s to come.”
Mr. Johnson was particularly critical of Zoran Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist who won the New York mayoral election. He said Mamdani is leading the way, with some House Democrats representing more moderate districts than New York City “embracing him with open arms.”
Prime Minister Johnson said the party would be “bullish” on its performance so far in the 2026 midterm elections.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday was a “sad event in our nation’s history” as the government shutdown became the longest in history.
“Unlike our Democratic friends, Republicans know that there is no applause for the milestones achieved today,” Johnson said. “No one wins in a government shutdown.”
Prime Minister Johnson urged Democrats to pass a short-term funding bill that would reopen the government until November 21.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday morning that he hopes Republican lawmakers will reverse course and try to end the current 36-day government shutdown, following overwhelming Democratic victories in national elections.
Jeffries said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Democrats want to find a bipartisan path to addressing America’s high costs, including health care costs, in the midst of what is currently the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
“As Democrats, we have repeatedly said we will talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” Jeffries said in an interview as Trump was meeting with Republican lawmakers at the White House. “Either go back to the Capitol or the White House to do what it takes to end this Trump-Republican shutdown.”
Jeffries said Republicans are taking a “‘my way or the highway’ approach,” a move they made when they passed President Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Act, a massive tax and spending bill passed earlier this year.
“The American people reject that level of extremism, and we are hopeful that the Republican Party will recognize the need for a change of direction,” said House Minority Leader Joe Biden. “Please sit down with us as Democrats and we can find a way out of this very painful government shutdown that unfortunately the American people are experiencing.”
– Rebecca Morin
At a White House breakfast, President Trump called on Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster, which allows a minority of senators to block legislation such as the government reopening bill.
“The first thing we need to do this afternoon is end the filibuster,” Trump said. “That’s terrible.”
The filibuster is a Senate rule that requires the consent of 60 out of 100 senators to advance a bill. The rules, which include 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, require bipartisan votes on controversial bills.
Trump said Republicans should approve their own legislation without Democrats, including banning mail-in voting and requiring voter ID at polling places.
But he also acknowledged that half of Senate Republicans oppose abolishing the filibuster. He insisted Democrats would end the filibuster if they regained control of the chamber.
“We’re going to talk about that a little bit,” Trump said. “Let’s see if it shakes.”
President Trump also slammed the tradition of “blue slips.” This is essentially an extension of the filibuster, which allows senators to block presidential candidates in their own states, including U.S. attorneys.
“Blue slips are an absolute disaster,” President Trump said. “I think we’ll have to litigate that.”
-Bert Jansen
President Trump invited all Republican senators to the White House for breakfast on Wednesday morning.
This comes after he also urged people on Tuesday night to vote to eliminate the filibuster in order to reopen the government. That would allow the Senate to pass important legislation with a simple majority instead of 60 votes.
But Mr. Trump’s efforts ran into resistance from some Republican senators, including Mr. Thune, who said on Tuesday that “the votes do not exist” to eliminate the bill.
Both Republicans and Democrats in recent days have emphasized the importance of the filibuster as a necessary standard for maintaining bipartisanship in Congress. Repealing this would cause significant damage to already deteriorating relations between political parties.
– Joey Garrison and Zachary Sharmell
The Senate’s latest vote Tuesday to end the government shutdown is expected to exceed the single-record 35-day deadline set during President Trump’s first term in 2019.
Trump’s combined shutdowns already exceed the record of 56 days during five shutdowns in three years under President Jimmy Carter.
Here’s how President Trump’s government shutdown compares.
– George Petras
Thune said Tuesday that the Senate plans to soon move the Nov. 21 deadline for a short-term spending bill to reopen the government.
Thune said he is still debating the best date to give lawmakers time to approve a year-round spending bill. Options include extending spending until early 2026, but Thune said “no one” wants to maintain the same spending level for the entire fiscal year.
If members of both chambers agree on a schedule, the Senate could vote and then send the bill back to the House, which has been in recess for more than a month, for approval.
“We’re talking about what the next deadline will be,” Thun said. “The date is still under discussion.”
U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday arrested a Pennsylvania man who threatened to kill members of Congress.
Law enforcement officers stopped the man, identified as 43-year-old Richard Griffin, before going through security at the Senate Office Building in Washington.
The arrests come as Capitol Police have not been fully paid in recent weeks due to the government shutdown, even as members of Congress have grown increasingly concerned about their safety since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.
-Zachary Sharmell
