Month: October 2025

The Senate is gearing up for another round of government funding votes during today’s session, but an end to the shutdown is not imminently expected. However, in an interview with MSNBC, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) indicated that he’s prepared to give Democrats a floor vote on their key health-related priorities, namely extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. Leader Thune said he has told Democrats that “if you need a vote, we can guarantee you get a vote by a date certain.” When asked if this would be enough to move things toward a government reopening, the Majority Leader demurred, instead saying that he can “guarantee you that there will be a process and you will get a vote.”

• What’s next? The Senate is set to gavel in for votes on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), as well as a “test vote” on the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Defense appropriations bill. While some Democrats have been clamoring for a return to “regular order” appropriations, action on FY 2026 spending bills has languished in the current political climate. Some Democrats may also be hesitant to engage in the process as well given the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind congressionally-obligated funding for programs, as well as lay off workers across executive branch agencies. Absent a significant bipartisan breakthrough or change of mind from Senate Democrats, these votes are not expected to succeed during today’s session.

The federal government remains in a shutdown with no clear progress toward a deal, as lawmakers continue to clash over an extension of the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. The White House is continuing to place pressure on Senate Democrats to support the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government until Nov. 21, 2025. Late last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) initiated a series of reductions-in-force (RIF) across various executive branch agencies, including at the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). For their part, Democrats have maintained that the ACA premium tax credits must be extended for more than one year so that it does not create a similar policy “cliff” at the end of 2026 and weaken the underlying program. They have also sought to message against the House GOP’s decision not to bring lawmakers back in session during the shutdown, demanding standalone action on items such as keeping the military paid during the shutdown. However, these votes are not imminent as neither side appears willing to stand down right now.

The Senate was originally slated to be out of Washington this week for a state work period, but senators will instead return for legislative business tonight where an eighth vote to reopen the government will take place. Notably, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will not provide Senate Democrats with the opportunity to vote on their own alternative to the seven-week CR as he did during the previous vote series. Meanwhile, House lawmakers are on track to stay out of Washington, D.C. this week in a move to try and keep the pressure on Senate Democrats to vote yes on their CR. However, some within the Republican conference, including Reps. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), have started to openly question the strategy of staying out of session during the shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has consistently noted that lawmakers will be given 48-hours notice should they need to return to D.C.