Congress: The Senate & The House

[phkrause]

?️ Thune wants Trump nominee pulled after texts exposed

Paul Ingrassia, President Trump's nominee to head the Office of Special Counsel, said on a GOP text chain last year that he has "a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit," and that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be "tossed into the seventh circle of hell," Politico revealed.

• After the story posted, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters he hopes the White House withdraws Ingrassia's nomination: "He's not gonna pass."
• Ingrassia's Senate confirmation hearing is Thursday. The OSC is an independent agency that investigates whistleblower complaints.

? According to Politico, a participant in the text chain, which included a half-dozen Republican operatives and influencers, warned Ingrassia he was "coming across as a white nationalist which is beneficial to nobody."

• Ingrassia responded that "defending our founding isn't 'white nationalist.'"

The other participant said: "You're gunna be in private practice one day this shit will be around forever brother."

• Ingrassia: "We should celebrate white men and western civilization and I will never back down from that."

Earlier, Politico cited five officials who said Ingrassia, as White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, told a lower-ranking female Trump appointee she'd be staying with him at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando during a business trip.

• The two shared a room, sleeping in separate beds. The officials said the woman complained Ingrassia was making her feel uncomfortable and was hurting her ability to do her job.

ps:So I guess there is a line they wont cross??

[phkrause]

Johnson's timeline pressure

Democrats are escalating their pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson to seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), with one group demanding he at least provide a timeline for when she will be sworn in. Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), the president of House Democrats' freshman class, is circulating a letter demanding Johnson "provide clear guidance" on when Grijalva will be sworn in, according to a draft copy we scooped tonight. "Since her election — 28 days ago — the people of Arizona's 7th District, approximately 813,000 constituents, have been left without representation in this body," the letter says. Why it matters: Democrats say the delay is beginning to seriously harm Grijalva's constituents, with the Arizona attorney general's office following through on a threat to sue Johnson to try to force his hand. Johnson has said she will only be sworn in when the government reopens and the House returns to a formal session. The bottom line: Grijalva "should be sworn in today," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said today. "It's already four weeks too late." — Andrew Solender

[phkrause]

? Tomorrow's Russia trifecta

Three bills designed to ramp up pressure on Russia are teed up to pass the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations tomorrow, according to lawmakers and aides.

Why it matters: The committee action will coincide with a last-minute visit to Washington by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will meet tomorrow with Trump as well as key lawmakers.

• If passed, the bills will allow a bipartisan group of senators to build momentum for action against Moscow and send a signal that Congress remains prepared to escalate.

What they are saying: "The more we can do up here to push back on Russia, the more anxious we are to do that," Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, told us.

• "Since the White House seems to be unwilling to act, I think it's important for Congress to take some action, and I'm very pleased that for the first time this year, we're going to have bills that will make it harder for Russia to continue to conduct this war," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the committee's ranking member, told us.

Driving the news: The committee is expected to move three bipartisan pieces of legislation.

• One would label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over the kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
• Another would impose economic penalties on China for its support of Russia's war effort.
• A third bill repurposes frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. and then transfers them to Ukraine every 90 days.

The bottom line: The legislative package is designed to build momentum for punishing Russia without pulling the trigger on the punishing sanctions bill that remains in limbo.

— Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

[phkrause]

New battleground in shutdown politics

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Banners on government websites are the new political battleground, Axios' April Rubin reports. The Trump administration fired the first shot, plastering the sites of several federal agencies with messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. ? Some blue states are now adopting the same tactic, adding banners to their agencies' sites that blame Republicans for the shutdown and forthcoming gaps to food stamps. Screenshot: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services "Because Republicans in Washington, D.C., failed to pass a federal budget, causing the federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits cannot be paid," the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services website says. "Federal officials with the Trump Administration have told all states that if the Republican federal government shutdown continues, it won't pay for SNAP (food stamp) benefits in November," the Illinois Application for Benefits Eligibility website says. "As a result, SNAP customers will not receive November food benefits — unless there is further action from the Trump administration to reopen the government." ?️ Reality check: There's still no sign of movement in Washington to end the shutdown.

[phkrause]

⚡️ Thune RSVPs "no"

Republican senators seemed less than enthusiastic about using a rare bipartisan lunch (with bourbon!) to jumpstart talks tomorrow to end the government shutdown.

• "I think that's more rank-and-file members," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told us.

Why it matters: The lunch is an opportunity for senators to break bread and nibble on ideas on how to reopen the government, as we scooped today.

• But for any social engagement to turn into a real negotiation, senators need to RSVP.
• Thune is a no: "And that's probably actually good, because I think that if this gets resolved, it's going to get resolved at the rank and file level," he said.

Driving the news: Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) are hosting the event at the Kennedy Caucus room tomorrow "to celebrate the spirit of bipartisanship," according to the invite.

• "They told me 50 or 60 RSVPs, about half Republican, half Democrat, and usually there's more than that," Paul told us. "A lot of people don't make up their mind until that day."
• Kentucky-style fried and baked chicken and okra are on the menu, plus Michigan cherry salad. There are rumors (which we confirmed) that Paul is offering bourbon in goodie bags.
• "Yep, absolutely," Paul said when asked if it's an opportunity to revive the moribund talks.

Between the lines: But the kind of Republicans who might be interested in working with Democrats to end the shutdown didn't plan to go.

• "What lunch?" asked Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
• "I'm supposed to be over at the Department of Interior," she said. "So I'm probably going to miss it."

State of play: As the shutdown enters its fourth week, there are no public signs of any serious effort to fund the government.

• Democrats indicated today they would block a bill to pay troops and some federal workers.
• President Trump is ruling out top Democrats' request for a meeting. Leaders are talking past each other, not with each other. Rank-and-file talks have been toothless.

Fun fact: Peters knows his bourbon. "My go-to, if it's not Michigan, is Woodford Reserve," he told us last summer.

The bottom line: Interest in the lunch could grow overnight, especially if the menu is circulated.

• "That's tomorrow's schedule. I'm just getting to today," said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).

— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols

[phkrause]

Government shutdown becomes 2nd longest in U.S. history

The U.S. government shutdown on Wednesday entered its 22nd day, becoming the second-longest federal funding lapse ever, with no end in sight.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/22/government-shutdown-trump-democrats.html?

[phkrause]

CNN Host Forces Mike Johnson to Listen to MTG Trash Him

Marjorie Taylor Greene has set the speaker in her sights once again, this time by slamming him in a social media post.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to listen to a GOP colleague’s attack on him in a toe-curling segment live on CNN.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and MAGA diehard, has made a habit of lashing out at her own party, fueled by the idea that it has gone against its ‘America First’ ethos. Earlier this month, Greene also trashed “weak” men in the GOP, and regularly focuses her ire on Johnson.

In a tirade against him on Wednesday, she said: “Speaker Johnson said he has ideas and pages of policy, but did not say a single policy plan.”

“I find it unacceptable that Republicans are sitting on the sidelines doing nothing to fix this healthcare disaster that is leading many Americans into financial ruin.”

On CNN Wednesday night, The Source host Kaitlan Collins read the X post out to a sullen-faced Johnson who sported the same expression he did when he went on C-SPAN earlier this month for a live call-in in which he was berated by the public.

“Well, bless her heart,” he replied, finding the energy to swipe back at Greene. “That’s an absurd statement. Obviously, these conference calls are monitored by the media, so we’re not gonna have actual strategy discussions on a line where you have hundreds of people listening in because it would be reported on the front page. We have been working on this for a long time. We worked on it today. We’ve been working on it every day. Marjorie is not here in Washington.”

He then tried to blame the shutdown on the Democrats before Collins dutifully steered the conversation back to healthcare.

“Speaker, she’s saying that the Republicans aren’t doing anything to address the healthcare issue here that Democrats are arguing about,” the host said. “Are you saying that there is a Republican plan and you’re just not talking about it?”

“No, I’m saying there’s lots of discussion about it, but we don’t really lay it on a conference call with hundreds of people listening in,” Johnson said. “We have many ideas on how to bring down the cost of healthcare to continue to do that, and we’ve already demonstrated it in the working families tax cut. We had real reforms to Medicaid that you and I have discussed that have brought down the cost and saved about $185 billion for taxpayers…”

Last week, Greene lashed out at Johnson once more, claiming that he had dodged questions about a Republican lawmaker accused of harassing his former girlfriend. The speaker said he would rather “talk about something serious” than address the restraining order issued against Florida Rep. Cory Mills. “They expelled George Santos, Mike Johnson did. He was speaker and oversaw George Santos being expelled. Why isn’t he doing anything about Cory Mills?” Greene told Axios.

Greene continued her attack on Johnson in the same interview over his handling of the government shutdown.

“Republicans have no plan,” Greene told Axios. “Mike Johnson has not had a single conference meeting about any sort of plan to deal with the ACA tax credits expiring.”

“If me saying those things is considered breaking with my party, then what is the Republican Party?” she added.

Elsewhere, she also offered an update on another of her crusades against her own party, the full release of files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Greene has joined forces with Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a longtime GOP rebel, to try to compel the Department of Justice to release all information it has on the billionaire financier via a discharge petition.

She said most of her Republican colleagues avoid demanding the release of the Epstein files for fear of being “yelled at by the president” or “iced out by leadership.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cnn-host-forces-mike-johnson-to-listen-to-mtg-trash-him/?

[phkrause]

House Dem Torches ‘Patronizing’ Mike Johnson for Refusing to Swear Her In

Adelita Grijalva, who was elected a month ago, told CNN the House speaker was also being “misleading.”

A newly elected Democratic congresswoman slammed the “patronizing” and “misleading” House Speaker Mike Johnson as he slows her swearing in, after she promised to become a key vote in releasing the Epstein files.

Adelita Grijalva, who was elected on Sept. 23 to represent about 800,000 Arizonans in Congress, still has not been sworn in a month later.

Trump loyalist Johnson has cited several reasons for the delay, but until Grijalva is sworn in, she cannot sign on as promised to a move to have the Epstein files released.

Johnson says he has paused voting during the government shutdown, insisted that he is just following precedent, and that Grijalva can do anything sworn-in members can do—except vote.

“Instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents,” Johnson said Monday.

Grijalva rejected his interpretation for multiple reasons.

“He’s just so patronizing and so misleading. He knows exactly what I can and cannot do, and I feel like he‘s trolling me because he‘s saying that I‘m on TikTok, which I‘m not,” she told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on The Source, minutes after Johnson himself appeared on the show.

“Respectfully, I don‘t have constituents until I am sworn in. When I‘m sworn in, I have constituents. Until then, I am a tourist in D.C. who does not have an identification to get in through security,” she said.

Collins, who was broadcasting from the U.S. Capitol after 9 p.m., later mentioned that Grijalva couldn’t even join her there at that hour.

“You can‘t get into Capitol Hill right now after certain hours because of the shutdown unless you have a Hill badge,” Collins said. “But you technically could not be on set with us tonight because you can‘t come in to the hill property this late at night.”

Grijalva listed other ways in which her operations were hampered.

“I cannot authorize staff to have identification because I‘m the administrator of the office. I don‘t have a budget. I can‘t open a leasing district,” she said. “And if you call the office right now, it‘s my dad‘s voice. I don‘t have access to any of those—like to get into voicemail, to change it, to do anything.”

A Daily Beast phone call to Grijalva’s Tucson office indeed resulted in a voicemail from her father, Raúl, who died in March. Her office in Somerton, Arizona, couldn’t even receive messages, since the voicemail box was full. And her Tolleson virtual office’s number was disconnected.

Additionally, a call to Grijalva’s Washington, D.C. office was met with a voicemail that doesn’t identify the office as hers.

Grijalva says Johnson is stalling because she has pledged to be the 218th and final signature needed to force a vote on releasing files related to Epstein.

Johnson, on The Source, gave a different account of his future colleague’s working conditions.

“The only thing she can’t do right now is vote on the floor because no one is because we’re not in legislative session. That’s the only thing she’s prevented from doing,” he claimed.

Johnson compared the situation to when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in charge, citing the case of Louisiana Rep. Julia Letlow, who was elected on March 20, 2021, and was sworn in Apr. 14 of that year.

But Johnson has also sworn in GOP Reps. Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis, who were both sworn in while the House was out of session earlier in 2025.

One of the factors that makes this case different, however, is that Grijalva is poised to become the deciding vote on a critical House discharge petition to force a full vote on whether the White House should release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the dead sex offender and former pal of Donald Trump.

Johnson has been confronted on this issue many times, but claims his refusal to not swear in Grijalva has “zero to do with Epstein.”

On Tuesday, the Arizona attorney general resorted to filing a lawsuit to get Grijalva sworn in, arguing that the Constitution doesn’t require that the speaker of the House conduct it.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/house-dem-torches-patronizing-mike-johnson-for-refusing-to-swear-her-in/?

[phkrause]

? Dems break ranks

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock voted with Republicans today on the government shutdown, after previously rejecting every GOP measure to re-open the government or fund parts of it.

Why it matters: Their dissents introduce a new challenge for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). He's keeping his total number of defections low, but the universe of Democrats willing to defy him is expanding.

• Ossoff and Warnock, both Georgia Democrats, voted — along with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) — for a GOP-led bill to pay the military and some other federal workers.
• GOP leaders plan to put similar bills on the floor next week, possibly including a measure to pay air traffic controllers through the shutdown.
• Affordable Care Act open enrollment — and the possibility of widespread stoppages to food assistance programs at the beginning of November —could also pile pressure on Democrats.

What to watch: Republicans are also dangling carrots, talking about wanting to solve the expiring ACA enhanced subsidies.

• That's the top priority for Democrats.

Between the lines: GOP leadership and key senators huddled yesterday to discuss paths forward, Politico first reported and we confirmed.

• Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who participated in the meeting, told us there is a realistic plan that Republicans could accept on extending the subsidies — with some changes.
• But she warned: "Honestly, I think that's fading just because the frustrations of not being able to get into active negotiations on this, on our side."
• The White House also offered Democrats a lunch once the government reopens, deputy chief of staff James Blair told Punchbowl News. Democrats have been all but begging President Trump to get involved.

The big picture: Schumer has so far kept Democrats in line. They've rejected a House-passed, GOP-led stopgap spending bill 12 times in the last three weeks. Today proved why that will get harder.

• "Military service members, TSA workers, and air traffic controllers are among those who simply must come to work, and they should be paid for that work," Ossoff told reporters after voting.
• Ossoff is facing re-election in swing state Georgia next year.

The bottom line: It's common for a senator's delegation mate to vote with them on politically tough measures. Republicans could get two Democratic votes for the price of one.

— Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight

Go deeper: Trump swing voters blame both sides for government shutdown

[phkrause]

? House GOP flips 10-year trend

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The House GOP campaign arm has a $720,310 edge against its Democratic counterpart in year-to-date fundraising, its first off-year lead since 2015. Why it matters: The GOP lead is small. But it's a huge upgrade for Republicans from prior years of Democrats dominating early fundraising, including during Trump's first term. In 2017, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) led the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) by $8.7 million at this point in the cycle. In 2019, the DCCC led by $21 million. In 2023, the most recent off year, the gap was even wider at $23 million. Yes, but: Democrats have more cash on hand, $46.6 million to the NRCC's $45.8 million. The DCCC reported $26.6 million in Q3 receipts, outpacing the NRCC's $24 million haul in Q3. Democrats also out-fundraised Republicans in Q3 in two-thirds of the "toss-up" House seats with an incumbent running for reelection next year. What they're saying: "The numbers don't lie: Republicans have the momentum, the message, and the money while Democrats are broke, divided, and out of gas," NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella told us in a statement. "The NRCC is grasping at straws because poll after poll shows House Republicans are sinking in battleground districts," DCCC spokesperson Aidan Johnson told us in a statement. The bottom line: The campaign committees head into Q4 effectively tied. Year-end fundraising reports covering Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 will show which party was best able to capitalize on the shutdown. Share this story — Kate Santaliz

[phkrause]

? House's D.C. exile

Data: House clerk; Chart: Jacque Schrag / Axios The House is on track to work one of its lightest non-election years in decades. Lawmakers have met and voted just 87 days so far in 2025 — fewer than every other non-election year over the last two decades except 2021. Why it matters: Speaker Mike Johnson has turned distance into a governing tool, keeping lawmakers out of D.C. when tensions flare or policy stalls. Johnson has seized control of the GOP's message, holding daily press conferences since the shutdown began (except for today), while rabble-rousing lawmakers are off the Hill and away from the cameras. Earlier this month, he told reporters that it's better for lawmakers to be "physically separated right now" after several partisan clashes erupted on Capitol Hill. A handful of Republicans have grumbled about being sidelined during a crisis. But most of the conference remains publicly supportive of the approach. Between the lines: Johnson cut the session short before the August recess over the Epstein files. In July, he froze action on the floor for a record-breaking period when legislation didn't go his way. In April, he sent the House home for the week after members defied him on proxy voting. By the numbers: On average, the House has logged 104 voting days by late October in off years — 17 more than this year's total. If the shutdown stretches through Thanksgiving, and lawmakers don't return until December, the House would end 2025 with just 99 voting days — the fewest in two decades. Even if the House were to return next week and stick with the rest of the year's calendar, it would hit only 111 voting days. Yes, but: Most House Republicans insist the "district work period" means they're still at work. "Dozens of Republicans are back home, cleaning up parks, volunteering at food banks and helping struggling families," House Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said yesterday. "This is not what I call a vacation. If [senators] think showing up once a day and casting one vote is work, they need to come over to the House side and see what we're doing," Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) said Tuesday. Johnson has repeatedly said that the House "has done its job" by passing a clean government funding measure. The bottom line: "People run for Congress in order to be able to, you know, come to the Capitol and legislate, and they're not able to do their jobs in that sense right now," Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) told us in the Capitol last week. "When you tell people 'Sorry, you're just kind of not allowed to come to serve in Washington, D.C., as a legislator, as you are elected to, indefinitely,' obviously, that's going to frustrate people," he added. "We should be in session, in the House, having these conversations, because on Nov. 1, open enrollment happens, and nothing has been done." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told us in an interview last week, referencing the expiring ACA subsidies. — Kate Santaliz

[phkrause]

? 11th-hour Jeffries endorsement

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor today, just ahead of early voting that begins tomorrow.

Why it matters: Several New York House Democrats pointedly declared that they won't endorse Mamdani because of his left-wing policy positions.

• But some of Jeffries' progressive members have privately grumbled over the slow endorsement. Several Democratic candidates even cited it as their reason for not supporting him as leader.
• Jeffries, in a statement to the New York Times, said that although the two have "areas of principled disagreement," Mamdani won "a free and fair election" to become the Democratic nominee.

Go deeper: Jeffries also shrugged off Axios' earlier reporting that New York City Council member Chi Ossé is considering a primary challenge against him. (Ossé told Axios he isn't running.)

• "If you ask me a serious question, I'll give you a serious answer," Jeffries told us today.

— Andrew Solender

[phkrause]

? House GOP's plan for Mamdani

Move over, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): Republicans have found their bogeyman for 2026.

Why it matters: They are convinced that Mamdani's high name ID will make it easier to link a democratic socialist in New York to Democratic congressional candidates in battleground districts across the country.

• Republicans have been preparing for Jeffries to endorse Mamdani for months.
• In late July, they conducted a battleground poll of 1,000 respondents in 46 congressional districts to get a baseline reading on Mamdani's popularity.
• Their survey showed that Mamdani had an 81% name ID with a 25% favorability rating and 41% unfavorable.

What they're saying: "Hakeem Jeffries just endorsed the socialist takeover of his own party," said Will Kiley, the NRCC communications director.

— Hans Nichols

[phkrause]

Shutdown's next pain points

Data: Bipartisan Policy Center; Note: Military includes 50% of reservists and National Guard due to payment schedule. Excludes 70,000 DHS personnel for Oct. 15 and 28 pay periods reflecting short-term commitments; Chart: Axios Visuals Real-world pain from the government shutdown is about to increase. About 658,000 employees at the Pentagon, HHS and the VA missed their first full paycheck of the government shutdown today, Axios' April Rubin reports. Another 700,000-plus workers will miss a full paycheck next week. ✂️ By the numbers: If the shutdown lasts through the end of October, nearly 1.8 million paychecks will be withheld from civilian employees of federal agencies, per the Bipartisan Policy Center. Agency contingency plans show about 670,000 workers are currently furloughed. An additional 730,000 are working without pay. ? What we're watching: If the shutdown continues, about 42 million low-income people won't get food stamps beginning next month. The USDA says it can't use contingency funds to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the shutdown — and that states won't be reimbursed if they cover the expenses on their own, Axios' Marc Caputo scoops.

[phkrause]

No federal food aid will go out Nov. 1 as US shutdown drags on The U.S. Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not go out Nov. 1, raising the stakes for families nationwide as the government shutdown drags on. Read more.

What to know: The USDA notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. “Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the notice said.   Some states have pledged to keep SNAP benefits flowing even if the federal program halts payments, but there are questions about whether U.S. government directives will allow that to happen. The USDA said states would not be reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost.   The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. “The reality is if they sat down to try to negotiate we could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We could open up the government on Tuesday or Wednesday, and there wouldn’t be any crisis in the food stamp program.”

[phkrause]

? New Republican hardball

Senate Republicans are leaning toward keeping pressure on Democrats to reopen the entire government, not just parts of it, senators and aides told us.

Why it matters: Republicans are convinced they're close to breaking Democrats' will on the shutdown.

• You saw it today, when the largest union for federal workers called on Democrats to immediately pass a "clean" stopgap spending bill on the GOP's terms. (More in item No. 2).
• You saw it Thursday, when Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined Republicans to vote for a carveout on military pay. They'd previously stuck with other Democrats.
• Significant pain points are coming: U.S. troops and many federal workers will miss a full paycheck this week, and SNAP — a critical food assistance program for 42 million low-income people — will run out of funds on Nov. 1.

The big picture: Softening the blow for one group — like military personnel, air traffic controllers or SNAP recipients — would reduce the pressure to end the shutdown.

• "If they want to open the government, they're really concerned about the SNAP program — open the government with a simple vote," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said as he came out of a leadership meeting tonight.
• "I just think the cleanest and most comprehensive way is just to do the CR. Real people are hurting," Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told us.
• "They are trying to break the logjam," said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who said he wants "to see what our leadership wants" before making a final decision on next steps.

The other side: Some Senate Democrats are indicating they would be open to partially reopening the government.

• "If you get something that works and makes sense and doesn't provide more power to [OMB Director] Russell Vought … we'll take a close look at it," Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told us today.
• Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters he would support bills to pay for SNAP and air traffic controllers.
• Multiple sources told us it took some muscling from Democratic leadership last week to keep it to just three Democrats who voted in support of a GOP-led bill to pay some federal workers and troops.

What's next: All eyes will be on the GOP's closed-door lunch tomorrow, during which next steps will be debated, including whether to force more votes on smaller bills to fund specific programs or federal workers.

• "I'm sure we'll have a fairly good discussion about it tomorrow," Majority Leader John Thune told reporters today.
• Thune told reporters his view is that if Democrats want "to pay SNAP recipients, open the government."
• Vice President Vance is expected to attend the lunch, NBC News first reported and we have confirmed.

— Stef Kight, Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam

[phkrause]

D.C.-area Dems shrug off union demands

Today's call from the largest federal workers union to reopen the government would normally have a profound impact on Democrats. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) wants Democrats to do what they've sworn not to: Pass a "clean" stopgap bill on the expectation of future health care negotiations. Why it matters: These aren't normal times. Democrats are determined to walk away from the shutdown with something to show for their intransigence. "I have a lot of AFGE members in my district and they are pissed ... at the statement," said one D.C.-area House Democrat on the condition of anonymity. "They think Republicans have been shutting down the government anyway and buy our argument" about the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, the lawmaker told us. A second D.C.-area lawmaker said they are "not sure there is much of a difference" after the statement. They called Nov. 1's SNAP benefits cutoff "the bigger issue to watch." Between the lines: Democrats have also said throughout the shutdown that furloughs and reductions in force aren't effective pressure points as in past shutdowns, because the administration has been laying off huge swaths of the federal workforce for months. "Universities, law firms, media outlets, judges. Now unions," a third House Democrat said. "To protect the immediate needs of their members, they will cave and call on their defenders to give in," the lawmaker said. "Their workforce will be decimated ultimately by this administration. How do we defend them then?" The bottom line: "The AFGE would not want us to cut a deal and then have Trump fire a bunch of people next week," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said. "If we cut a deal, and [Trump officials] did that, they would come to us and say: 'What the hell were you guys thinking?'" — Andrew Solender and Stephen Neukam

[phkrause]

Johnson Whines About Working Hard While House Does Nothing

Reps are on a sixth week of recess as the government shutdown continues.

House Speaker Mike Johnson marked Day 28 of the government shutdown by complaining about how little sleep he is getting.

The House is in recess for a sixth consecutive week as the standoff over funding the government extends with no end in sight.

The Speaker has refused to call members back to Washington until Senate Democrats vote for the GOP bill to fund the government.

The House has not had a vote since mid-September, when they skipped town after narrowly passing the temporary spending bill, but Johnson has insisted they’re working around the clock.

“Here in Washington, the work has gone on in earnest as well. People keep commenting to me ‘you look so tired on TV.’ I am so tired because we’re not sleeping a lot. We’re working overtime,” he vented.

The House Speaker has been visibly agitated as Democrats refuse to cave on their demand that Congress address expiring health care credits as part of negotiations.

He has argued there is nothing to negotiate and claims the House will not address health care until the government shutdown ends, even rejecting some calls from members of his own party for the House to return from recess.

During his press conference on Tuesday, Johnson rattled off some of the work his caucus members have been doing back home, such as meeting with air traffic officials and working in their districts to access funds from the tax law passed over the summer.

Johnson argued that House committees continue to confer to prepare legislation for when the chamber returns to session.

He also noted that the House continues to move forward with oversight, noting the GOP House Oversight Committee report released on Tuesday on President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen.

However, the halls on the House side of the U.S. Capitol remain largely quiet since the shutdown started on October 1.

MAGA favorite and GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been a vocal critic of the House being on recess and her party not having a plan to address the looming health care cliff, as premiums are set to skyrocket at the end of the year.

She’s called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to go nuclear to reopen the government without needing 60 votes in the Senate.

Greene posted on X on Tuesday that she said during the GOP conference call that she has “no respect for the House not being in session passing our bills and the President’s executive orders.“

“I demanded to know from Speaker Johnson what the Republican plan for healthcare is to build the off-ramp off Obamacare and the ACA tax credits to make health insurance affordable for Americans,” she wrote. “Johnson said he’s got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call.”

“Apparently I have to go into a SCIF to find out the Republican healthcare plan!!!” she blasted her own party.

Johnson said on Tuesday that House Republicans are on a 48-hour return notice, and he will call them back as soon as Democrats vote on the Republican plan. He acknowledged the House business was urgent, but did not back down.

“We cannot have a regular legislative session until Democrats do their most basic responsibility to reopen the government and get this moving again,” he declared.

The speaker argued that Democrats now have an off-ramp to end the shutdown after the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) on Monday called for Congress to immediately reopen the government without Democrats’ demanding Congress address health care.

It was a shift for the union which before the shutdown had been calling for Republicans to negotiate with Democrats looking to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

It remains to be seen whether the union pressure ultimately shifts the dynamic on Capitol Hill as Trump has repeated multiple times he has no reason to speak to Democrats until the government reopens and will not negotiate.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/johnson-whines-about-working-hard-while-house-does-nothing/?

[phkrause]

? Sour shutdown mood

Data: Morning Consult. Chart: Axios Visuals The government shutdown is beginning to weigh on public opinion, Axios' Emily Peck writes from new consumer sentiment data. Why it matters: Public attitudes toward the nearly month-long government shutdown act as a crucial pressure point on lawmakers. Until now, the public's been largely indifferent. ? By the numbers: Consumer confidence, a measure of how Americans are feeling about the economy, was "slammed" by the shutdown over the past week, according to a report yesterday from Morning Consult. "The U.S. government shutdown is exerting significant downward pressure on U.S. consumer sentiment," Morning Consult chief economist John Leer writes. Confidence fell 2.6% for all adults yesterday compared with a week ago. It fell 4.6% for households earning more than $100,000 and around 2% for those making less money.

[phkrause]

US Senate again rejects bill ending shutdown, as air traffic controllers miss paychecks

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday failed for the 13th time to advance a stopgap spending bill that would fund the government until Nov. 21 and end the nearly one-month government shutdown.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/28/repub/us-senate-again-rejects-bill-ending-shutdown-as-air-traffic-controllers-miss-paychecks/?

[phkrause]

? Rare Thune eruption

Senate Majority Leader John Thune showed uncharacteristic fury on the Senate floor today, scorching Democrats for refusing to reopen the government.

• "[W]e tried to do that 13 times! You voted 'no' 13 times," Thune said in response to Sen. Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) request for a vote on SNAP benefits.
• "You all just figured out, 29 days in, that, oh, there might be some consequences," Thune added.

Why it matters: Despite Thune's anger, there are signs of a potential breakthrough.

• Thune told reporters earlier today that conversations with Democrats had "ticked up significantly."
• It "will happen pretty soon," Thune said after being asked when he would personally engage with key Democrats.

? Zoom in: Appropriators are quietly hopeful their progress on full-year spending bills could help, along with a larger agreement to end the shutdown.

• Some are eyeing a second combined package of full spending bills, multiple sources told us.
• "There are more senators, both Republicans and Democrats, talking to each other about what it would take. ... What does the path forward look like?" Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a key moderate, said today.
• Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said there is "an increasing realization on the part of Democrats that if they want to retain the ability to influence spending decisions, it means we have to pass appropriations."

Between the lines: When asked about his visible frustration, Thune told reporters, "Sorry, I channel a little bit of anger there, but it's a high level of frustration."

• He then accused Democrats of "trying to buy time," saying "they realize that this is a losing argument."
• "It's going to get ugly fast," Thune said. "And so they're looking for an off-ramp. And the problem is that just extends the shutdown."

— Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam

[phkrause]

Schumer calls Johnson a liar

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also showed emotion this morning, raising his voice at reporters about the White House's decision not to tap a contingency fund to keep SNAP running. "It is not a dispute, it is fact they can use [the contingency fund] and the Republicans say it," Schumer said. Schumer targeted Speaker Mike Johnson, saying he "just lies." "He lied about immigration, on the undocumented, he's lying about this. He just outright lies," Schumer said. The other side: Two weeks ago, Johnson said Schumer was lying about the government shutdown. "Chuck Schumer is incapable of telling the truth right now," Johnson said on Fox News.

[phkrause]

? GOP eyes January for CR

House and Senate Republicans are coalescing around a continuing resolution that would run well into January.

Why it matters: It's a frank acknowledgment that appropriators need more time. But pushing a spending stopgap into next year could be a tricky vote for both parties.

• For Republicans: In September, Johnson was seen handing out pinkie promises on the House floor to win over reluctant members. The House has been out of session since.
• For Democrats: Absent a deal on health care, a January CR would take away the pre-holiday leverage that could bring Republicans to the table on expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits. Premiums will spike for millions next year without an extension.

The intrigue: Johnson has essentially ceded his chamber's input on the next funding deadline to the Senate.

• Johnson told reporters today it would be a "futile exercise" to bring the House back to vote on a new CR before the Senate moves on government funding.

What they're saying: "I don't think anyone wants to back up against a Christmas holiday," a House Republican familiar with leadership conversations told us.

• "If we did a shorter-term CR, it would be end of January, February-ish," the House Republican said.
• House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told NOTUS his preference would be a CR until mid-January.
• "Democrats love the Christmas Eve omnibus bad deal. We're not going to do that," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters last week.

— Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

[phkrause]

Food banks

With the government shutdown now entering its 30th day, the looming suspension of federal food benefits in November threatens to leave millions of Americans at risk of going hungry. Many food banks and charities say they are now bracing for a grim holiday season as demand for assistance is expected to surge. More than a dozen large and small charitable nonprofits told CNN that they have exceeded their capacity to help and warned that the level of support they can provide will fall short as Thanksgiving approaches. The Trump administration has signaled that it doesn't have the funds to provide food stamps to nearly 42 million Americans next month, prompting states across the US to try to step in with their own food-assistance programs.

[phkrause]

? Republicans push back on Trump

A handful of Republican senators have broken with President Trump on four issues this week, even as they're in lockstep with him on the shutdown.

Why it matters: From tariffs to troop levels, some Republicans are starting to flex their institutional muscles.

• It's not outright defiance, but the renegade senators are delineating when and where they're willing to defy Trump.

1) Tariffs: Senate Republicans joined with Democrats three times this week to pass joint resolutions repealing Trump tariffs — on Brazil, Canada and worldwide.

• Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) voted with Democrats against Trump tariffs.

2) Romania: The House and Senate GOP chairs of the Armed Services committees derided Trump's decision to draw down troops in Romania.

• "We strongly oppose the decision," Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said in a joint statement yesterday, arguing it "sends the wrong signal to Russia."
• "It is concerning that Congress was not consulted in advance of this decision," they added.
• McConnell, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined in their concerns. "Retreating from Europe doesn't advance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, because Russia and China are working together to undermine us," he said in a statement.

3) Venezuela: Some Republicans expressed concern today that the White House chose to exclude Democrats yesterday from a briefing about the administration's strikes on boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told the HuffPost that Democrats "absolutely" should be briefed, and it is "very important that everybody's briefed."
• Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) has since raised that issue with the administration, telling NBC News it was "unfortunate" Democrats weren't part of the meeting.

4) Beef: In a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, Vice President Vance got an earful from senators outraged by Trump's announcement about importing Argentine beef.

• It's a major issue for GOP senators representing big cattle-ranching states — some of which also have soybean farmers suffering from the China-Trump trade war.
• The topic was discussed at such length that Vance jokingly asked if anyone had anything to say not about beef, sources told us.

— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols