On October 18, 2025, the government shutdown entered its 18th day, sending ripples through every corner of Washington, D.C., and beyond. While many Americans might only feel the effects of the funding lapse from a distance, for the Capitol Police officers who guard lawmakers and the Supreme Court justices who interpret the nation’s laws, the shutdown’s consequences are immediate and deeply personal.
The most visible symbol of the impasse: the Supreme Court itself, which ran out of funding on Saturday. According to CBS News, the iconic marble building closed its doors to the public "until further notice," though the justices and their staff continue the court’s essential work. Patricia McCabe, the court’s public information officer, told the network, "The Supreme Court will continue to conduct essential work such as hearing oral arguments, issuing orders and opinions, processing case filings, and providing police and building support needed for those operations." Still, the closure means no tours, no curious visitors, and a stark reminder of the real-world consequences of political deadlock.
The Supreme Court isn’t alone. The entire federal judiciary faces a looming financial cliff. By Monday, October 20, 2025, the judiciary will run out of money to sustain full, paid operations. Federal judges will continue to serve and be paid, but the same cannot be said for many of their staff. Those working on critical cases may continue—without pay—while others will be furloughed. Each appellate, district, and bankruptcy court is left to decide how to manage its caseload and resources, as detailed in a press release from the United States Courts.
If the shuttered Supreme Court is a symbol, the Capitol Police are the shutdown’s beating heart. These officers, more than 2,000 strong, missed their first full paycheck on October 10, and they are expected to keep serving without compensation for as long as the shutdown lasts. Their predicament is especially poignant: these are the very people tasked with protecting the lawmakers who have failed to reach a deal.
"They’re asked to be everything to everybody," Terry Gainer, a former Capitol Police chief, told NPR. "You need to be ready at the drop of a hat to take very aggressive enforcement action, but you also have to be a person who will welcome visitors and be a tour guide." The job, Gainer noted, has only grown more challenging as threats against public officials increase.
Senator Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, voiced her frustration, squarely blaming Democrats for the impasse. "These men and women are paying the price," Britt said. "It’s absolutely selfish and ridiculous. It’s heartbreaking. People have mortgages, they have families." Her remarks echo the deepening partisan divide over who bears responsibility for the shutdown.
Officer Gus Papathanasiou, the Capitol Police union chair, made his own plea to lawmakers last week. In an October 14 statement, he wrote, "Banks and landlords do not give my officers a pass." The financial strain on officers is mounting, and their patience wears thin as the shutdown drags on.
Representative Joe Morelle, a Democrat from New York who sits on the House committee overseeing the force, has been in contact with both Papathanasiou and Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan. Morelle told NPR, "What I find really strange is that there doesn’t seem to be any negotiation going on at all and yet we’re walking among people who are directly impacted by this." He also raised concerns about the Trump administration’s plan to repurpose funds to pay federal law enforcement during the shutdown, questioning the legality of such a move. "I’m not unhappy with that result if it’s the case," Morelle said, "but I’m still mindful of the fact that what the president is talking about, whether it’s military troops or law enforcement, it’s patently illegal."
The officers’ sense of being overlooked isn’t new. Morelle pointed out that Capitol Police felt stung when some GOP lawmakers did not oppose President Trump’s pardons of rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6. To add to the insult, a memorial plaque honoring officers who defended the Capitol that day remains uninstalled, despite a federally mandated deadline.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has publicly expressed support for the Capitol Police. "We’ve always stood with Capitol police and law enforcement and we’ve shown that in word and deed," Johnson told reporters last week. Still, Morelle countered, "All of a sudden after all of these issues where they have been frankly insulting to members of the Capitol Police, now they’re going to say, ‘Oh well, we really care about them.’"
Despite the mounting challenges, officers continue to carry out their duties with professionalism. Gainer, the former chief, observed that "each slight makes it more difficult to convince them that the long hours and personal risk are worth staying for." Last week, tensions briefly flared when Representative Nanette Barragán, a California Democrat, clashed with an officer during a protest, prompting the union to demand an apology. Barragán said the officer grabbed her as she tried to enter Speaker Johnson’s office. Gainer commented, "One of the skill sets we require of police officers is your ability to remember, because you’re good witnesses. So your memory doesn’t get erased, but what you try to do is reset the clock."
For now, officers say they’re holding up—but with a caveat. "Give it a month, maybe not," one officer told NPR, hinting at the limits of their endurance.
Meanwhile, the Senate remains deadlocked. On October 16, senators failed for the tenth time to pass a GOP bill that would fund the government and end the shutdown, falling nine votes short of the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Another bill to fund the Pentagon for the next year also failed to reach the necessary votes. President Donald Trump and Republicans have accused Democrats of causing the shutdown, while House Speaker Johnson has pointed to his chamber’s passage of a "clean" funding bill on September 19, refusing to call the House back until the Senate acts.
The core of the dispute? Democrats have demanded a permanent extension of tax credits for Americans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. These enhanced premium tax credits, first introduced in 2021 and extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act, have made health insurance more affordable for roughly 22 million low- and middle-income Americans. Enrollment in ACA marketplace plans has nearly doubled, according to KFF, a healthcare policy outlet. While some Republicans have introduced a bill to extend the subsidies through 2026, Democratic leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have dismissed it as insufficient. "It’s a laughable proposition. It makes no sense," Jeffries told reporters. "The Democratic position has been clear: Permanent extension, and let’s go from there."
The pressure is mounting, as open enrollment for Obamacare coverage begins November 1 and runs through December 15, with a final deadline of January 15, 2026, for coverage effective February 1. For millions of Americans, the stakes are high—and the clock is ticking.
As the shutdown grinds on, the Capitol Police keep watch, the Supreme Court carries on its essential business behind closed doors, and lawmakers remain at odds. In the nation’s capital, the cost of gridlock isn’t just measured in political points, but in paychecks missed, doors closed, and the quiet endurance of those caught in the middle.
