As the government shutdown enters its second week there is no deal in sight to end the impasse. Punchbowl news reports the Senate will vote this week - for the fifth time - on advancing the House-passed Continuing resolution (CR) to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21. However, there is no indication that the eight Senate Democrat votes needed to pass the bill can be found. Senate GOP leaders continue to believe that eventually enough votes will emerge as the standoff continues and pressure mounts to get a deal done. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) intends to continue to bring the measure up for additional votes. Speaker Johnson (R-LA) has kept the House in recess for an additional week believing that he has done his job and it is now up the Senate.
<brSenate Democrats primary demand is that the CR include an extension of expiring subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance policies. The enrollment period for 2026 policies starts Nov. 1. Majority Leader Thune has ruled out considering the ACA subsidies until Democrats agree to reopen the government and in a separate legislative vehicle.
The partial government shutdown has forced the furlough of half of USDA’s workforce, including most of the field staff that directly serves farmers. Some 42,000 of USDA’s 86,000 employees are currently furloughed, including most of those working for the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The shutdown is delaying work on processing commodity program payments and implementation of changes to farm bill programs made by the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill, enacted in July.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) employees and transportation construction funding have not been directly impacted by the shutdown as these programs are funded separately through the Highway Trust Fund. However, the Trump Administration has withheld federal funding from some high-profile projects in Blue states to keep the pressure on Congressional democrats to support the short term extension.