The United States government entered its fourth week of a partial shutdown on October 21, 2025, with no resolution in sight and lawmakers locked in a fierce standoff over federal funding and health care policy. The shutdown, which began on October 1 after Congress failed to pass legislation to fund the government for the 2026 fiscal year, has rapidly become the longest full shutdown in U.S. history, surpassing previous closures in both cost and scope, as reported by multiple outlets including Roll Call and The Young Turks.
At the heart of the impasse is a deeply entrenched dispute between Republicans and Democrats over the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., have refused to support a short-term continuing resolution put forward by the Republican-controlled House and Senate unless it includes a provision to extend ACA premium tax credits—subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans, meanwhile, insist that the government should be reopened without such policy riders, arguing that negotiations over health care can wait for a later date.
As the shutdown drags on, President Donald Trump is expected to host Senate Republicans for a high-profile Rose Garden lunch on Tuesday, October 21. This meeting comes as the Senate majority plans to call up a bill that would pay federal workers who are required to work during the shutdown. According to Roll Call, the Senate is also set to continue confirming Trump’s judicial nominees and is maintaining a packed committee schedule, including a Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee hearing with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Despite these efforts, there was little sign over the weekend that the Senate’s latest attempt to break a Democratic filibuster on the House-passed continuing resolution would succeed. The measure failed to clear the 60-vote threshold on Monday evening, marking the twelfth unsuccessful vote, with a tally of 50 to 43. According to Roll Call and USA Today, this continued deadlock has prompted Senate Republicans to consider alternative options, such as a proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., that would guarantee pay for federal employees working without compensation during the shutdown. "We are going to have a vote on Ron Johnson’s bill that is basically going to say we are going to pay you during a shutdown," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said on Fox News Sunday. "And I’m hoping that our Democrat friends will join with us on this one, because to me—another easy one, although the simplest solution, as I’ve said numerous times already this morning, is to just reopen the government."
Johnson’s bill, which would also apply to future lapses in appropriations, faces an uphill battle. Democrats argue that it would give the Trump administration too much flexibility to operate without appropriations, making it less likely for them to support the measure. The Democratic caucus has remained largely united behind Schumer, who has insisted that any continuing resolution must address health care policy. On the podcast "The Checkup with Dr. Mike," Schumer said, "The Republicans are misreading how bad this is. But day by day, more and more people are getting these notices. By Oct. 31, everyone who has any health insurance will be getting these notices."
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has instructed lawmakers to remain in their home districts through at least October 23, designating a "district work period" with no votes or hearings scheduled. This maneuver, as reported by Fox News Digital, is part of a broader strategy to keep the political heat on Senate Democrats, particularly Schumer, and to pressure them into accepting the GOP’s funding plan. However, the extended recess has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told MSNBC, "It is absolutely unacceptable to me and I think only serves further distrust." Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., the only Democrat present when the district work period was declared, criticized Johnson for "keeping the chamber out of session" during a critical period for the nation.
For many Americans, the shutdown’s impacts are no longer abstract. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed, while those deemed essential—including air traffic controllers and employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration—are working without pay. On October 20, about 1,400 employees with the National Nuclear Security Administration were expected to be furloughed. The shutdown has also led to significant disruptions at airports, with 516 flights delayed and five canceled between 6 and 10 a.m. on Monday, according to FlightAware.com. Transportation Secretary Sen Duffy publicly thanked air traffic controllers for their dedication, noting on X, "THEIR NEXT PAYCHECK WILL BE $0! Many controllers have to find second jobs like driving Uber, just to bridge the gap and put food on the table. Democrats: open the government NOW so controllers can feed their families!"
The political rhetoric has grown increasingly heated. At a news conference, Speaker Johnson dismissed the recent "No Kings Day" rallies protesting Trump administration policies as "politics" and "spectacle," quipping, "The irony was very clear. They called it the ‘No Kings’ rally. What we’ve pointed out over and over was if President Trump was a king, the government would be open." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., placed the blame squarely on Democrats, stating, "Democrats are solely responsible for the Obamacare tax credit cliff, yet they’re trying to pin this disaster on Republicans while also asking Republicans to bail them out. We’re not going to negotiate until Democrats stop holding government funding hostage."
Democrats, for their part, have accused Republicans of political grandstanding and of being beholden to President Trump and his administration. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said, "The House Republicans are divorced from reality and have continued to function as nothing more than wholly owned subsidiaries of Donald Trump and his extreme administration from the very beginning of this Congress." He added, "Donald Trump definitively needs to get involved. We know that House and Senate Republicans don't do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump."
Fueling the controversy further, The Young Turks reported on October 20 that Speaker Johnson was fact-checked over his statements about the shutdown and a failed scheme to resist swearing in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, which was allegedly intended to avoid a vote on the release of Epstein files. This episode added yet another layer to the already complex and contentious political landscape.
As the shutdown barrels toward the end of October, both parties remain entrenched. Democrats are steadfast in their demand for ACA subsidy extensions, warning that millions of Americans will soon face skyrocketing health insurance premiums. Republicans, meanwhile, are holding firm against what they describe as partisan policy riders, emphasizing the need to reopen the government without further delay. With all insured Americans expected to receive notices about changes to their health insurance by October 31, the pressure on lawmakers to find a solution is only intensifying. The coming days promise further high-stakes negotiations, finger-pointing, and, for many Americans, continued uncertainty about when their government will reopen and what it will mean for their lives.
