Congress: The Senate & The House

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✈️ Senate skips town before SNAP deadline

Senators from both parties are begging for bipartisan negotiations, saying they're tired of spending time away from Washington when the government's shut down.

• Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) objected today to Senate Majority Leader John Thune's plan to send lawmakers home for another long weekend.

"How dare they go home, Halloween trick-or-treat with their grandkids while people can't buy food," Rosen, a key moderate, told reporters after she objected to the Senate's adjournment.

• Murkowski, a Republican moderate, said today she also objected to the adjournment: "This is a missed opportunity to stay in town and hammer out an agreement."
• Despite the objections, senators left town after voting this afternoon.

Zoom in: Some Senate Democrats expect movement next week toward a solution, according to multiple sources.

• Nov. 1's deadline for SNAP funding — plus the start of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans — is pushing moderates on both sides closer to a deal, the sources said.
• Virginia and New Jersey have gubernatorial elections on Tuesday. Sources don't expect any deal before polls close.
• Appropriators this week have made progress on full-year spending bills, which will likely be included in any bipartisan deal.

The bottom line: The big sticking point remains how Congress deals with expiring ACA subsidies.

• Some lawmakers have floated the formation of a working group on health care.
• Others want a guaranteed floor vote in the Senate on extending the tax credits.

— Stephen Neukam

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Government shutdown

As the government shutdown reaches day 31, Congress is edging closer to the 35-day record for the longest shutdown in US history. Officials have warned that food stamp benefits are slated to end for millions of Americans this weekend due to the impasse. Many federal workers who are going unpaid have also told CNN they are struggling to cover basic living expenses. On Thursday, President Trump urged congressional Republicans to unilaterally end the shutdown by eliminating the Senate filibuster — the 60-vote threshold for passing legislation. But many Republicans are opposed to the idea, arguing that it would serve as a key safeguard against Democrats passing transformative legislation the next time they're in power.

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?‍♂️ Republicans reject Trump on filibuster

Senate Republicans are declining to use their "Trump card" option to end the government shutdown.

• "I'm a firm no," Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said today in reference to Trump's demand to end the filibuster.

The big picture: Senate GOP leadership — Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) included — wants nothing to do with nuking the filibuster.

• "The Democrats would love for us to do that," Barrasso told Fox News last week.
• The positions of Thune and Barrasso are unchanged, their spokespeople said.

Much of the conference feels the same way.

• "I think that's a non-starter," Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told a reporter last week.
• "No, that's not how we end a government shutdown," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told Semafor last week.

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? New shutdown urgency

Data: Axios research; Map: Axios Visuals Tomorrow will be a uniquely stressful day for tens of millions of Americans, and Congress is nowhere to be seen. Why it matters: The Senate's getting more optimistic about cutting a deal soon, as we told you last night. But the pain for the American public will get worse fast after Nov. 1. Food: 42 million Americans are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is state-administered but federally funded. Those benefits are running dry. A federal judge today ordered the Department of Agriculture to release contingency funds "as soon as possible," but it's unclear if funds could be deposited before tomorrow. The USDA says those funds are "only for true emergencies," and they wouldn't fully cover November's costs. Health care: 22 million Americans receive subsidies for their Affordable Care Act health care plans. Open enrollment starts tomorrow, and premiums are set to spike by an average of 26% for those plans nationwide. Zoom in: Federal workers are entering their second month of unpaid work or furlough, with predictable consequences. Flight delays are up big in recent weeks, according to data tracked by Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick. A broad array of unions — representing federal workers, airline pilots and air traffic controllers — has demanded the swift passage of a "clean" spending stopgap. The bottom line: Senate Democrats voted 13 times this month against a "clean" CR. They want an extension of those ACA premium subsidies, which will otherwise expire at the end of December.

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? Off-ramp in sight

The contours of a three-legged plan to end the government shutdown came into sharper focus today, senators and aides told us.

Why it matters: Two of the plan's three pillars — a vote on Affordable Care Act tax credits and a new short-term funding bill — include significant question marks. But the optimism today was unmistakable.

• "I think we're getting close to an off-ramp here," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.
• "Now the challenge is to get leaders of both parties and both chambers to actually talk to each other," Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told us.
• "They're trying again, and they seem more optimistic," Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters.

Reality check: GOP senators are at odds over the length of the next continuing resolution. The December-vs.-January debate we told you about last week is far from resolved.

• "The longer sort of runway there is," the better, Thune said today.
• If there's a deal, the House would have to come back late this week to approve a spending bill that goes beyond Nov. 21.

"The day is going to have to change," Thune said.

• "Mine is Dec. 19," Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters. "My worry is that if we go into January … we'll end up with a disastrous yearlong CR."
• "Completely agree with @SenRickScott on extending a CR well beyond the New Year," Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said on X.

What we're hearing: While Republicans are willing to give Democrats a vote on the health care tax credits, it's unclear if it will require a 60-vote threshold — or just a simple majority.

• Fifty is possible but will require an agreement between Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. They haven't been particularly chatty with each other.
• Senate GOP leadership outlined the concept of a deal at a meeting with legislative directors earlier in the day, according to people familiar with the matter.
• The plan's third leg seems like the easiest lift: passing a "mini-bus" to fund military construction, legislative affairs and agriculture. It would provide proof of concept that appropriators can still do full-year bills.

The bottom line: After a weekend of frequent phone calls among centrist senators, Democrats appeared ready to claim victory and end the shutdown.

• "What they've been saying for a month is 'We won't negotiate with you at all,'" Coons told us. "That's clearly a position they've moved away from."
• The gist: A handful of Democrats will supply some eight votes for a new short-term CR in exchange for a promised vote on the ACA tax credits.

— Hans Nichols, Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight

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New House "gang" on health care

A bipartisan group of four House centrist lawmakers released a broad outline today for a potential compromise on ACA tax credits. The Enhanced Premium Tax Credits would be extended for two years, with a phased-out income cap for those making between $200,000 and $400,000 a year. Why it matters: The coordination among Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) is the latest signal that lawmakers in both parties are fed up with the shutdown. The proposal includes several reforms, including requiring ACA marketplaces to confirm recipients haven't died, creating a new standard for cracking down on fraud and providing more transparency into the value of recipients' tax credits. What we're hearing: A House Democratic leadership aide did not dismiss the proposal, telling us that a set of ideas is never a bad idea to consider. A House Republican familiar with GOP leadership discussions told us last week that new restrictions, like income verification and caps, were under consideration. — Andrew Solender and Kate Santaliz

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? Record House exodus

Data: Ballotpedia; Chart: Axios Visuals One year out from the 2026 midterm elections, a record number of House incumbents have already decided not to return to Congress. Why it matters: If the redistricting brushfire continues to blaze across the country, wiping out as many as a dozen incumbents from each party, that number is likely to soar. Factor in the growing youth rebellion in the Democratic Party, and it's pretty clear the House of Representatives will look considerably different when the next Congress is sworn in Jan. 3, 2027. Consider California. If Proposition 50 passes, four GOP incumbents will suddenly be facing long odds. Retirement might look more dignified than a long-shot reelection bid. By the numbers: 31 House incumbents have decided not to run this year as of Nov. 1, according to data compiled by Ballotpedia. Two years ago, 17 House lawmakers had announced their retirements at this point in the cycle. In the first 10 months of 2017, the year before the midterm elections in Trump's first term, the corresponding number was 23. Zoom in: When a disproportionate number of lawmakers from one party heads for the exits, it's sometimes an indicator that control of Congress might flip. That was true in the 2018 cycle, when 34 House Republicans decided not to run for reelection, and only 18 Democrats did before their party wrested control from the GOP. A similar dynamic occurred in 2022, when Republicans won the House. Eighteen Republicans retired, compared to 31 Democrats. In the first 10 months of this year, 20 House Republicans have announced they are leaving, versus 11 Democrats. The bottom line: The next few months will provide a clearer picture of how much turnover to expect in the next Congress. November and January typically see the most retirement announcements of the cycle.  — Hans Nichols

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? Cracks in GOP filibuster unity

Some of the newer, populist Senate Republicans are warming to President Trump's demand to end the 60-vote filibuster. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told us he'd prioritize "feeding 42 million Americans ... [who] have to have federal food assistance to eat" over "defending the arcane rules of the Senate." Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) told us he would be willing to change the filibuster rules "under certain circumstances." Why it matters: Majority Leader John Thune and his deputies are dead-set against it. But Trump is ready to make the lives of GOP holdouts "a living hell," one adviser told us. "He will call them at three o'clock in the morning. He will blow them up in their districts. He will call them un-American. He will call them old creatures of a dying institution," the source continued. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) raised the idea of changing the filibuster to end the shutdown last month on Fox News, saying, "Let's make this a Republican-only vote." Zoom in: "The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks the filibuster outrageous and anti-democratic," one Trump adviser told us. Trump was already steamed about the Senate's "blue slip" tradition, which has allowed Democratic senators to block certain judicial nominees.  — Marc Caputo, Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam

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? House Dems bend on "ironclad" demand

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled today he's willing to walk back his pre-shutdown demand for an "ironclad" deal on Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Why it matters: If a bipartisan deal does come over from the Senate, it may need Democratic votes to pass in the House. Many House Republicans have spoken out against extending the ACA subsidies.

• Jeffries said at a press conference ahead of the shutdown that "any agreement related to protecting the health care of the American people has to be ironclad and in legislation."

Asked at a press conference today whether he would accept a bill that doesn't include written provisions to extend the subsidies, Jeffries referred to a previous answer that suggested he is open to it.

• "We will evaluate in good faith any bipartisan agreement that emerges from the Senate, reopens the government, makes life better for the American people and decisively addresses the Republican health care crisis," he said.

— Andrew Solender

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On Day 36, the government shutdown is the longest ever as Trump pressures GOP senators to end it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has entered its 36th day, breaking the record as the longest ever and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with program cuts, flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks.

https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-longest-trump-republican-senators-democrats-9712df6c11ef19c5df8f18c8a4f7b341?

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Dems dig in on shutdown

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Democratic leaders are facing new and mounting pressure not to cut a quick deal to reopen the federal government, following their party's sweeping victories in yesterday's elections. "There would be hell to pay if Senate Democrats don't let events play out," one House Democrat told Axios' Andrew Solender. "We had a huge night last night, and striking a weak deal in the immediate aftermath would be a self-own." Liberal grassroots groups — which have held significant sway over Senate Democrats' shutdown maneuverings — echoed that message today. ? Democrats still haven't clearly articulated what specific concessions would be considered good enough to end the shutdown. But momentum is building against one option — an agreement for a Senate vote on extended health care subsidies. "If it's just a piece of legislation that passes the Senate ... then it becomes a meaningless gesture," Sen. Bernie Sanders said today as he crashed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's press conference to argue against a deal without firm guarantees on health care. ? "Democrats throwing [Republicans] a rope in exchange for nothing would be political self-sabotage," talking points making the rounds through congressional offices today said.

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? Dems squeeze harder

Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to force Democrats to again vote down a deal tomorrow to end the government shutdown, he told his conference.

Why it matters: The optimism around a fast deal from earlier this week has evaporated.

• "I think we're at least seven days, and more likely 10, and very possibly, two weeks away from opening up at the best," said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). He prefaced that by saying that's only if Democrats are "sincere" and "don't get scared."
• Senate Democrats believe there aren't enough votes to advance the funding package tomorrow and are committed to dragging the fight into next week, multiple sources told us.
• They're emboldened after sweeping election victories this week, and after President Trump said Americans are blaming Republicans for the shutdown more than Democrats.

What to watch: Senate appropriators are hustling to finish language on a three-part appropriations package, with text expected to be released as soon as tonight, sources tell us.

It's a key part of Republicans' latest offer to Democrats, which includes:

• Passing a spending stopgap until at least Dec. 19 (final date TBD).
• Fully funding military construction, Veterans Affairs, the Agriculture Department and the legislative branch through the next fiscal year — taking programs like WIC and SNAP out of the shutdown equation.
• A promise of a vote on some kind of bill to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies — the exact substance of which is still a major question mark. (See item No. 2).

Between the lines: Democrats remain unpersuaded, with a bloc of the caucus actively encouraging their colleagues to hold out even longer.

• They want Republican leaders to commit to passing an extension of ACA subsidies and assurances from Trump that he will approve it.
• Thune has repeatedly said he cannot guarantee outcomes.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson only caused more concern by refusing today to guarantee even a vote on an ACA package in the House.

The other side: Bipartisan negotiators have been making progress over the last two weeks, and it's clear moderates are feeling the drain over the prolonged shutdown.

• Missed paychecks by federal workers, the loss of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans and reductions in airport operations are all pulling lawmakers toward a deal to end the stalemate.

— Stephen Neukam, Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

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? One spot of quiet GOP hope

A growing number of Senate Republicans are indicating they're open to a deal on extending the ACA premium subsidies. Why it matters: A clear path forward on the ACA issue would solve one corner of the Senate's shutdown puzzle. But reforms will be needed. There's very little appetite for a straight extension. "Just extending the status quo is like putting fresh paint on rotten wood, " Sen. Kennedy said. "It's got to be fixed." Zoom in: At least 13 Republicans will need to support a deal to help the 47 Democrats clear the Senate's 60-vote threshold. Some GOP senators told us they think they can get there. "I think so," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told us when asked if he believed there could be 60 votes to extend the credits. "I've had positive conversations with my Republican colleagues," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said. "My hope is that more of them will come forward so we can find a path forward to end the shutdown and prevent health care premiums spiking for tens of millions of Americans." Between the lines: Around 10 GOP senators have reached out to Democratic negotiators exploring ways to address the premium increase, according to a person familiar with the matter. Tillis — along with Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) — are among those most expected to support an extension. But some more conservative members have also expressed a willingness to back a short-term extension with an income cap. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said, "There are a number of members that have been working on" ways to extend the subsidies with reforms. She said she is "certainly open" to voting for a deal. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told us in September that while he would rather let the subsidies expire, he could support an extension that at least included an income cap. — Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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? Pelosi retirement relights generational war

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) retirement announcement is touching off a new round of debate about congressional Democrats in their 70s and 80s who are resisting calls to retire.

Why it matters: There are 62 House Democrats who are 69 and older. However, Pelosi, who is 85, is one of just half a dozen who are retiring without plans to seek higher office.

• Luke Bronin, the former Hartford, Connecticut, mayor challenging 77-year-old Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), said in a statement: "Her decision today sends a powerful message that it's time to let new leaders step forward."
• Jasmine Clark, a state representative running against Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), 80, released public records today showing Scott hasn't voted in half a dozen recent elections, including the 2024 presidential election.

Between the lines: Since stepping down as Democratic leader in 2022, Pelosi played a central role in pushing then-President Biden off the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024 due to his age and fitness to run.

• She also openly backed several House Democrats who ran last year against septuagenarian committee leaders.

What's next: Sources told us former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is seen as particularly likely to retire.

• A senior House Democrat told us "Steny will" retire, with another Democratic lawmaker saying Hoyer, 86, "has been looking for a replacement" to endorse for his seat.
• Hoyer, who suffered a "mild" stroke last year, is facing several primary challengers and raised just $43,000 between July and September.
• A Hoyer spokesperson did not provide a comment.

— Andrew Solender

ps:Others should retire! They should have term limits

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⚡️ What Dems want

Democrats will vote to end the government shutdown in exchange for a one-year extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said today.

• The proposal has been pushed internally by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), a key moderate negotiator, sources told Axios' Stephen Neukam and Stef W. Kight.
• The ACA extension would be attached to a package of appropriations bills and a short-term spending bill.

?️ Senate Republicans are scheduled to meet at the Capitol this afternoon.

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The missing piece in the Senate committee hearing on the challenges facing newly unionized workers

Earlier this month, the Republican-led U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) notably held a hearing on labor law reform that sought to both identify problems workers face when they seek to unionize and explore possible solutions.

https://www.epi.org/blog/the-missing-piece-in-the-senate-committee-hearing-on-the-challenges-facing-newly-unionized-workers/?

?Now they're talking

Senators are grudgingly preparing to slog into the weekend after Republicans immediately rejected the Democrats' offer to end the shutdown.

Why it matters: Democrats have finally — and formally — named a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits as their price to reopen the government.

• Republican senators began discussing counteroffers in a closed-door meeting earlier tonight.

? Zoom in: "Democrats are offering a very simple compromise," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said this afternoon on the Senate floor.

• The proposal, pushed internally by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), has broad support within the Democratic caucus, multiple sources said. That includes some senators who've pressed for their party to hold out longer.

? Senate Majority Leader John Thune called it a "nonstarter," and Republicans in both chambers said it was dead on arrival.

• "I think it's an indication that they're feeling the heat, and they know that their last proposal was unserious and unrealistic," Thune told reporters about the Democratic offer.
• President Trump is also becoming more interested in the negotiations, saying on Truth Social that lawmakers "should not leave town until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown."

? Between the lines: Republicans are closing in on internal agreement on at least one aspect of their counteroffer — the revised stopgap spending bill will likely go into late January, per multiple senators in the meeting.

• Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) told reporters they will "absolutely" be working through the weekend. She's been a key negotiator on a package of appropriations bills and says it is hoped the text gets posted tonight.

? The big picture: Today was a major climb-down for Democrats, who started the shutdown demanding a permanent extension to ACA tax credits and the evisceration of the "big, beautiful bill."

• Last month, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described a proposed one-year tax credit extension as "laughable." He's since expressed more openness to a compromise.

The bottom line: The Democratic proposal, if passed, would guarantee that ACA tax credit extensions move through the Senate.

• That's a huge priority for Democrats, who have argued internally that the party needs to hold out for more concessions.
• And for moderates, including key appropriators, the passage of full spending bills along with a stopgap funding measure is persuasive.

— Stephen Neukam, Stef Kight, Hans Nichols, Andrew Solender and Kate Santaliz

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? Shutdown burnout

The record-long government shutdown is pushing lawmakers who were pessimistic about congressional productivity into a state of near-despondency.

• Why it matters: House members were already fleeing their chamber in droves, either to seek higher office or simply walk off into the sunset. And that was before the government shut down for 38 days and counting.

The big picture: The 2024 election cycle saw an astonishing number of relatively young and middle-aged lawmakers with easy reelection prospects opt to throw in the towel rather than seek higher office.

• Many of those lawmakers cited the chaotic three-week speaker vacancy created by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster in the fall of 2023, which bookended a year of rebellions, brinksmanship and political stunts.

This 2025 shutdown appears to be something of a second act, with lawmakers grumbling that D.C.'s dysfunction is worse than ever.

• "We ran for office to get things done for our people back home," Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told us. "Having the Speaker give up all our power to the executive makes it harder and harder for us to truly represent our constituents."

Between the lines: "It's not just the shutdown," stressed one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts about the downsides of serving in Congress.

• "The whole experience of being in Congress — violence, dysfunction, emasculated authority, polarization, travel, no cost of living increase for nearly 20 years — can make this a truly miserable job," they told us.
• "To the degree that the shutdown is involved," said a second House Democrat, "I think it's that it's reflective of dysfunction that makes this job less appealing."

The other side: House Speaker Mike Johnson has defended keeping the House in recess throughout the shutdown, arguing his chamber did its job by passing a stopgap spending bill that Senate Democrats are blocking.

• "There is really nothing for us to negotiate. We sent them a clean CR ... back in September," he said at a press conference yesterday.

The bottom line: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who announced his retirement before the shutdown, said it resonated with him when retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) wrote he now dreads "the prospect of winning."

• "I felt, too, but never said that the thought of winning and doing two more years was depressing," Bacon told us.

— Andrew Solender

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A Tricky Bank Shot (Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg / Getty)

View in browser Every government shutdown is a game of a chicken between Democrats and Republicans, or sometimes between Congress and the White House. And every administration tries to use its power to squeeze opponents, moving around money to keep some programs running and closing others. After Republicans shut down the government in 2013, for example, the Barack Obama White House closed National Park Service sites. Although it sounds quaint today, this caused a huge stir at the time, and Republicans in Congress called it a brazen political ploy. But the ploy worked: Many voters blamed the congressional GOP for the closures. Donald Trump’s version of this is, as one might expect, both more dramatic and more vicious. This week, he and his administration have threatened to withhold SNAP funding, deploying starving children and seniors as political weapons, and moved to throw airline travel into disorder by reducing flights through major hubs. Like Obama’s National Park closures, the justifications offered are semi-plausible, but the Machiavellian way the president is messing with essential services and infrastructure demonstrates the dangers of the vision of big government that Trump has pursued. An executive branch unbound by Congress or the courts has a unique ability to inflict and prolong pain on the people. The president’s approach to SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, has been especially mercurial. On the eve of the shutdown, the Agriculture Department posted a memo saying that emergency funding would cover any shortfall. “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue,” the memo stated. But late last month, the administration yanked down the memo and announced that funding would end on November 1. Last week, a federal judge ordered the administration to restore the funding. The administration responded by saying that it would pay out only half of SNAP benefits in November. On Tuesday, Trump said he would defy the court, posting on Truth Social that SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” Fortunately, the White House basically ignored him. Yesterday, the judge ordered the administration to pay out full benefits rather than only half, saying that it had created the gap “for political reasons.” As if to prove his point, the administration appealed the order today, seeking to keep essential food aid in limbo. The Federal Aviation Administration also announced on Wednesday that it would mandate a 10 percent reduction in flights at some of the nation’s busiest airports. The move was framed as a safety measure, to “alleviate the pressure” on air traffic controllers who are working temporarily without pay, some of whom have reportedly taken a second job to make ends meet. The multiplying stresses within the nation’s air-traffic system are genuine problems (though the Trump administration’s record on them is not encouraging), but the way the FAA is handling them doesn’t suggest an orderly, methodical approach. After announcing the reduction, the FAA went radio silent until last night, leaving airlines and airports scrambling to guess what steps they’d need to take. If Trump’s goal is indeed to inflict political pain on Democrats, he’s attempting a tricky bank shot. In the past, shutdowns have typically been instigated by Republicans in Congress, usually with a Democratic president. That made it relatively straightforward for the White House to put the blame on the GOP. This time, although Democrats forced the shutdown, polls consistently show that more voters blame the Republicans than the Democrats. Trump even said so after Democrats swept elections on Tuesday night. “If you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for Republicans,” he said at a meeting with GOP senators this week. Yet the White House wants to continue making things worse for more people and hopes that Americans will flip whom they blame instead of blaming the administration even more. That might work, but it’s dubious. Even though Republicans didn’t start the shutdown, the White House has displayed obvious glee for cutting various programs since it began. In some cases, Trump or other officials explicitly described moves as punishment for Democrats or Democratic-led states; the president also posted an AI video of Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, as the Grim Reaper. Speaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, has refused to bring the House back until an agreement is struck or to swear in Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who won her seat six weeks ago. Nor are Trump’s moves hurting only Democrats: Millions of the people who depend on SNAP live in red states and districts. One reason Democrats decided to shut down the government was to protest Trump’s circumvention of Congress. The administration has cut off or moved funding around without Congress’s say-so, and Vought has argued for refusing to spend money that Congress has appropriated, in violation of the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which he maintains is unconstitutional. Democrats argued that they couldn’t make a deal with Trump if he might simply refuse to honor it or use the rescission process to undo it with only GOP votes later. A shutdown was a risky way for Democrats to make a point, because it gave the executive branch even more discretion in the short term. But Trump’s aggressive use of that leeway has helped prove their point—and demonstrated why checks and balances aren’t just an abstraction. Related: This could be how the shutdown ends Americans on food stamps have no good options.

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?️ Chart du jour: Aging Congress

Data: Public data and the House Press Gallery. Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios 47 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are 75 or older. Five — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi — have announced plans to retire. Go deeper: Shutdown burnout fuels congressional retirement surge.

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Government shutdown reaches its 40th day as senators work through a crucial weekend

The government shutdown stretched into its 40th day Sunday even as senators held a weekend session in hopes of finding an end to the impasse that has disrupted flights nationwide, threatened food assistance for millions of Americans and left federal workers without pay. The Senate has shown few signs of progress over a weekend that could be crucial for the shutdown fight. Read more.   Senate takes first step toward ending the government shutdown WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight. https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-trump-641e7e2324f261da72395b604d9540e8?

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How the dam broke

Shutdown fatigue triumphed over anger among moderate Democrats in the Senate, which took a crucial procedural step late last night toward ending the country's longest government shutdown, now in Day 41.

• The crucial Democrats folded on the party's biggest shutdown demand — a one-year extension on Affordable Care Act tax credits — without much to show for it, Axios' Hans Nichols writes.

Why it matters: It looks like federal workers will get paid, food assistance will flow and flights should resume normal schedules in time for Thanksgiving.

State of play: After final passage by the Senate, the bill, which advanced last night on a 60-40 vote, will go to the House, where it's expected to pass and be sent to President Trump for his signature.

• Eight senators in the Democratic caucus voted for the deal, which reverses shutdown RIFs, funds the government until late January, and promises a vote (not a guarantee) on extending the health care credit.

? How it happened: Four former governors — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, and Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, home to about 147,000 civilian federal workers — broke the six-week stalemate.

• "It wasn't working," King said of his effort to broker a compromise. "It's been six weeks. Republicans made it clear they weren't going to discuss the health care issue, the Affordable Care Act tax credits, until the shutdown was over."
• A promise from the White House to rehire federal workers helped bring a deal to fruition. "When I talk to my constituents in New Hampshire, you know what they say to me?" Shaheen said at a press conference. "They say, 'Why can't you all just work together to address the problems that are facing this country?'"

Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, joined six centrist Democrats and one independent to vote with 52 Republicans.

• In addition to the four former governors, the three others voting aye were Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.

? Progressives expressed outrage. "As everybody here knows, that is a totally meaningless gesture," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said about the promised vote on Affordable Care Act tax credits. "The House is not going to take it up."

• Still, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted against the compromise, but insisted Democrats had gained ground on health care. Schumer said on the floor at 8:23 p.m. ET as he concluded his remarks before voting began: "Health care costs made a major impact on the 2025 election, and they will certainly have an even greater impact on the 2026 election."

? Between the lines: Not a single Democratic senator who'll face voters in the 2026 midterms supported the deal. Save Durbin, who's retiring, the entire Democratic leadership voted against it — a stark reversal from their move in March to support a spending stopgap.

• Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), the party's most endangered incumbent, voted no.

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? Dems go ballistic

Democratic lawmakers and liberal grassroots groups erupted last night after moderate Senate Democrats cut a deal with Republicans to end the government shutdown, Axios' Andrew Solender and Kate Santaliz report.

• Why it matters: Less than a week after Democrats' election-night triumphs, the deal threatens to reopen deep divisions that have roiled the party all year.

What we're hearing: House Democrats' text message chains lit up in fury as details of the deal began to trickle out.

• A progressive House Democrat said "people are pissed" and that it feels like Senate Democrats "got almost nothing. It seems like they are just tired."
• A centrist House Democrat told Axios: "It's an awful deal and a total failure to use leverage for anything real."

Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told Axios of the deal for a vote, not a guarantee, on extending health-care tax credits: "It's complete B.S. — a concept of a possible vote ... People need health care, damn it, not some lame promise about a mythical future vote."

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a statement: "We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives."

Progressive groups were even more strident in their criticism. MoveOn spokesperson Joel Payne said the deal will "screw over millions of working Americans ... [T]oo many Democrats in Congress ... are failing to listen to the clear message voters sent on Election Day."

• Ezra Klein, influential N.Y. Times columnist, writes this morning: "If I were in the Senate, I wouldn't vote for this compromise."

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Senate takes first step toward ending the government shutdown On Sunday, a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight. Read more.

What to know: In a test vote that is the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing compromise legislation to fund the government and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan. 1.   A group of three former governors — New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — broke the six-week stalemate on Sunday when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January in exchange for a mid-December vote on extending the health care tax credits.   Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.

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Speaker Johnson says House will return to Washington for voting on shutdown deal

The Senate is drawing closer to a vote on legislation to end the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hopes passage will take “hours not days.” The legislation would still need to clear the House before the government could reopen. Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington “right now” given travel delays. Read more.   House GOP backs shutdown deal House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed confidence today that his chamber will be able to pass the Senate's compromise bill to reopen the federal government. Johnson urged lawmakers to get back to D.C. as soon as possible, citing widespread flight delays. ? What we're watching: Several of the House Republicans who are often thorns in Johnson's side on spending bills say they won't make a fuss over this one, Axios' Kate Santaliz reports. House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told Axios last week he "ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT!!" vote for a bipartisan product out of the Senate. He told Axios today that he will support it, pending final details. Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), also members of the Freedom Caucus, signaled their willingness to vote for it in phone interviews last week.

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?? Schumer's private fight

A group of moderate Senate Democrats told Minority Leader Chuck Schumer two weeks into the shutdown they were ready to vote to open the government, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.

Why it matters: Democrats are blaming Schumer (D-N.Y.) for not prolonging the shutdown (see item No. 2). In reality, it could have been much shorter.

• It's unclear if that group was big enough to end the shutdown. But Schumer persuaded the moderates to hold out until at least the beginning of November, when open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act began.
• In mid-October, he made it clear to his entire caucus he was likely to come out against the emerging bipartisan deal that a group of moderate senators was pushing.

Zoom in: At the very beginning of the shutdown, Schumer was put on notice that a group of moderate Democrats didn't want to pick the government shutdown fight in the first place.

• "We let him know what we were doing," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who led the bipartisan talks to find a compromise.
• Asked if she ever felt Schumer was working against her compromise package, Shaheen declined to comment.
• "I don't really want to get into the private discussions we had," she told reporters this afternoon.

— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols

Go deeper: MoveOn is calling on Schumer to step aside, as we first reported tonight.

• The group said that "some Senate Democrats, under Leader Schumer's watch, decided to surrender."