As the United States government shutdown drags into its fourth week, the mood in Washington has turned from tense anticipation to outright frustration and confusion. The impasse, which began on October 1, 2025, has become the second-longest in U.S. history, trailing only the 35-day shutdown of President Trump’s first term. With over 1.4 million federal workers impacted and vital government functions on pause, the finger-pointing and political maneuvering have only intensified, leaving Americans wondering when, and how, the stalemate will finally end.
At the center of the storm stands House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose approach has left both his allies and opponents scratching their heads. During a press conference on October 27, Johnson insisted, “The Democrats are required to open the government. They keep saying the Republicans are in charge of government. We aren’t—not in the Senate! Sixty votes control the Senate. Not a bare majority.” Despite Republicans controlling the White House, Senate, and House, Johnson has repeatedly shifted blame for the shutdown onto Democrats, arguing that the real power to reopen the government lies elsewhere.
This rhetorical sleight of hand has not gone unnoticed. According to The New York Times, Johnson has largely abstained from the traditional duties of a House Speaker during a shutdown. Instead of rallying his party or pushing for creative solutions, he’s kept the House on an indefinite hiatus—now stretching into its second month. Policy debates, votes on spending legislation, and oversight hearings have all ground to a halt. Johnson’s rationale? The House, he claims, has no reason to meet as long as Senate Democrats block a bill to reopen the government. “The only congressional leader who has given up their power is Chuck Schumer,” Johnson’s spokesman Taylor Haulsee asserted, shifting blame yet again.
But not everyone in Johnson’s party is on board with this strategy. Representative Kevin Kiley, a centrist Republican from California, has staged a one-man protest by showing up to work at the Capitol, urging colleagues to do the same. Others, like Representatives Beth Van Duyne and Elise Stefanik, have called for the House to return to vote on paying troops during the shutdown. The dissonance among Republicans has only grown as the shutdown drags on, particularly over whether to extend expiring health insurance subsidies—a central demand from Democrats.
Meanwhile, the consequences of inaction are being felt nationwide. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, has been vocal in its demands for an immediate end to the shutdown. “No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley declared on October 27. “Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay—today.” The union represents over 800,000 workers across nearly every federal agency, from Veterans Affairs to Homeland Security and Defense. Since the funding lapse began, at least 670,000 federal employees have been furloughed, with another 730,000 working without pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Many received their last paychecks on October 10, covering work through September 30, but nothing since. The Pentagon managed to pay active-duty military personnel on October 15 using previously appropriated funds, but those funds are set to run out by the end of the month.
Kelley’s message was blunt: “These are patriotic Americans—parents, caregivers, and veterans—forced to work without pay while struggling to cover rent, groceries, gas, and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington. That is unacceptable.” The AFGE has even filed lawsuits on behalf of furloughed and laid-off workers, including one against the Education Department for blaming congressional Democrats in automatic email responses.
At the heart of the deadlock is a disagreement over the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Democrats have made it clear they will not vote to reopen the government without a permanent extension of these subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans, for their part, have refused to negotiate on the ACA credits until after the shutdown ends. This standoff has torpedoed multiple attempts at compromise. A GOP-backed “clean” continuing resolution (CR) passed the House on September 19, with only one Democrat, Maine’s Jared Golden, voting in favor. But the measure has failed in the Senate a dozen times, largely due to Democratic opposition over the ACA issue.
Behind the scenes, appropriators in both chambers are trying to chart a path forward. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said on October 23 that lawmakers are close to completing compromise drafts of three key spending bills—Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-VA—but these can’t move forward until the government reopens. “We’re continuing to have an open dialogue, but what we really need is the government open again so the process can move forward,” Cole told Roll Call. He expressed hope that, if the shutdown ends soon, Congress could pass more than just the first package of bills by November 21, when a funding extension is set to expire. However, he acknowledged that another extension will likely be needed, as full-year appropriations won’t be finished in time.
Some Republicans have floated the idea of a full-year continuing resolution, which would keep discretionary spending frozen for a third consecutive year. But Cole and other appropriators from both parties oppose this approach, arguing it would erode Congress’s power to set federal spending priorities. “We actually all agree on that. We don’t want a full-year CR,” Cole said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, meanwhile, has warned that a longer-term stopgap may be necessary if Democrats continue blocking the House-passed extension.
Amid the legislative gridlock, Johnson’s leadership style has come under increasing scrutiny. He has used the shutdown to send Republican lawmakers back to their districts for what he called “some of the most meaningful work of their careers.” He’s also delayed swearing in Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona who won election a month ago and has sued to take her seat. Grijalva’s presence could provide the final signature needed to force a vote on releasing government files related to Jeffrey Epstein—a move opposed by former President Trump.
Johnson has also stirred controversy with his public defenses of Trump administration policies. He claimed that cutting trillions from Medicaid had “strengthened” the program, and supported the administration’s refusal to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting in November, citing a legal analysis he called “legitimate.” In a particularly jarring moment, he praised Trump’s use of social media—even after the president circulated an AI-generated video depicting a bomber jet dumping feces on protesters—saying, “You can argue he’s probably the most effective person who’s ever used social media for that.”
Critics argue that Johnson’s deference to Trump and his avoidance of legislative action have diminished the role of Congress at a critical moment. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi put it bluntly: “It is clear that Donald Trump has effectively abolished the House of Representatives.” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed the sentiment, pleading for Trump to allow negotiations to proceed, since “we know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”
As the shutdown grinds on, the cost—in dollars, morale, and institutional credibility—continues to mount. The stalemate has exposed deep divisions not just between parties, but within them, and has left millions of Americans caught in the crossfire of a political battle with no clear end in sight.
Whether or not Congress can break the deadlock soon, the legacy of this shutdown is already being written in the frustrations of federal workers, the erosion of legislative norms, and the growing sense that Washington’s leaders are more interested in blame-shifting than governing.
