Where things stand now
• Shutdown, day 2: The federal government remains shut down after a deadlocked Congress failed to reach a funding deal. Republicans and Democrats are at odds over enhanced Obamacare subsidies.
• How long will it last? The shutdown is likely to extend into next week. Senate Democrats are expected to block a GOP-backed short-term funding bill again when they vote tomorrow, and the Senate is not expected to be in session this weekend.
• Jobs on the chopping block: The Trump administration says thousands of government layoffs could begin to be announced as soon as tomorrow. The White House has already compiled a list of agencies to target for cuts, officials tell CNN. Agencies and activities deemed essential are still open, and we’re tracking which programs are affected.
• Is the shutdown affecting you? Tell us about it.
Low-income mothers and young children could lose food assistance within two weeks due to shutdown
Federal funding for WIC, the food assistance program for low-income women, infants and young children, could run out within one to two weeks if Congress doesn’t allocate more money, according to the National WIC Association.
The program, which serves nearly 7 million people and has long had bipartisan support, is caught up in the standoff between Republicans and Democrats over passing a federal spending package for fiscal year 2026, which began on October 1 and prompted a government shutdown.
The US Department of Agriculture told state agencies on Wednesday that due to the lapse in funding they will not receive their quarterly allocation of fiscal year 2026 money for WIC, formally known as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
However, the department intends to allocate up to $150 million in contingency funds to state WIC agencies suffering from shortfalls. Also, states can use rebates from infant formula manufacturers, as well as their own funds, according to the USDA guidance obtained by CNN.
WIC helps participants purchase milk, cheese, yogurt, bread, juice, eggs, fruits, vegetables and other staples, as well as provides breastfeeding and nutrition support. It received $7.6 billion in funding for fiscal year 2025, which ended September 30. A proposed full-year Senate spending bill provides $8.2 billion for this fiscal year, while the House version keeps funding flat and reduces WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit.
Trump cautions "it's a two-way street" as he accuses Democrats of dangerous rhetoric
President Donald Trump cautioned that “it’s a two-way street” that “can bounce back on the other side,” as he continued to accuse Democrats of dangerous rhetoric that leads to violence.
Asked in an interview with One America News if he has any big plans to hit the campaign trail in 2026, Trump said he just wants to “survive,” seeming to nod to an assassination attempt during one of his rallies in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year.
“Big plans? I want to survive. That’s one of my big plans are. You look at what’s going on. It’s crazy. You know, the rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using is very dangerous. They’ve made politics very dangerous,” the president said.
He went on to say that he agreed with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman’s recent post that “unchecked extreme rhetoric, like labels as Hitler or fascist, will foment more extreme outcomes. Political violence is always wrong—no exceptions. We must all turn the temperature down.”
“Well, he’s right, and it can bounce back on the other side too,” Trump said in response to a question about the Pennsylvania lawmaker’s post. “You know, it’s a two way street and it can bounce back the other way.”
“What they’re doing is very dangerous. It’s very bad. And there probably hasn’t been this kind of intensity, maybe, in a long time in this country,” he added.
White House has list of agencies to target with firings, which could come as soon as tomorrow
The White House has already compiled a list of agencies it’s planning on targeting with impending federal firings, which it’s expecting to announce as early as tomorrow, according to two White House officials.
“We could announce the RIFS (Reductions in Force) tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday,” one of the officials said.
The administration is still ironing out some of the specifics of the firings, but the list was mainly put together by the Office of Management and Budget in coordination with the targeted agencies.
President Donald Trump met with OMB Director Russell Vought today — a meeting he had previewed earlier in the day on Truth Social, saying they’d be determining “which of the many Democrat Agencies” they plan to cut “and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”
Trump meets and talks with Vought multiple times a day, one of the officials said.
Some of the agencies are in the crosshairs because of their diversity, equity and inclusion policies, officials said, but they’re mainly being targeted because the administration doesn’t think they align with the president’s priorities.
“We’re looking at agencies that don’t align with the president’s values” and “that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier today.
Trump-appointed Comey prosecutor spotted at White House
Interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who is overseeing the prosecution of former FBI director James Comey, was spotted entering the West Wing Thursday afternoon.
President Donald Trump last month nominated Halligan, his former personal attorney, to serve as the top federal prosecutor in Virginia’s eastern district, and she soon after convinced a grand jury to indict Comey on counts of lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
It’s unclear if Halligan met directly with Trump, but her appearance at the White House is unusual given her new role.
CNN previously reported that the Justice Department did little to help Halligan in her efforts to indict Comey, with many at the department and the Virginia office believing the evidence wasn’t strong enough to support criminal charges.
Halligan rose to the position after her predecessor, US Attorney Erik Siebert, resigned after facing pressure from Trump to go after New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud.
Here are the national parks and monuments that have been forced to close due to the government shutdown
As a busy fall tourism season commences, iconic national parks across the country have been forced to shutter as a result of the federal government shutdown.
While a contingency plan released by the US Department of the Interior said park roads, trails and open-air memorials would generally remain accessible, areas with sensitive resources may close if they can’t be protected by limited law enforcement staff.
National parks stand to lose as much as $1 million in fee revenue, while surrounding communities could lose as much as $80 million each day the shutdown continues, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has warned.
Here are the major national parks and monuments that are closed to visitors:
- Alcatraz Island: In the Bay Area, this popular tourist attraction is closed, according to the National Park Service.
- Carlsbad Caverns: The New Mexico national park is closed due to the shutdown, according to its Facebook page. That includes entry into the caverns, access to the visitor center and roads leading into the park.
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: The park is officially closed, according to Cobb County. All park operations are suspended. However, the outdoor areas of the park remain open to the public.
- Fort Point National Historic Site: The historic site’s interior, along with the parking lot and nearby road, are closed, according to the National Park Service.
- Independence National Historical Park: Independence National Historical Park, including the Liberty Bell Center and Independence Hall, are temporarily closed, according to Visit Philadelphia.
- Muir Woods: The well-frequented national park is closed and parking reservations will be refunded, according to the National Park Service.
- Washington Monument: Thousands of tourists who visit the Washington, DC, monument will be turned away as the interior is currently closed, according to the Trust for the National Mall.
Jeffries slams Republicans for refusing to negotiate on government funding
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday afternoon lambasted Republicans for refusing to negotiate with Democrats, as the federal government remained shut down for a second day with no end in sight.
“Unfortunately, Republicans have shown zero interest in even having a conversation after the White House meeting on Monday,” the New York Democrat told reporters on the steps of the Capitol. “We’ve seen behavior by the president that is unserious and unhinged, and Leader Schumer and myself haven’t gotten a single phone call as it relates to a follow up conversation.”
Speaker Johnson in a press conference Thursday morning had argued there was nothing to negotiate. He implored Democratic senators to simply accept the Republicans’ measure for a seven-week extension of current spending. It passed the House last month but has been blocked in the Senate.
Jeffries warned the failure to extend the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies – a key demand from Democrats in the standoff - would hit Americans’ pocketbooks hard.
“What you’re going to see is more than 20 million Americans experience dramatically increased health care premiums, copays, and deductibles,” he said, adding that “of course” Americans should accept nothing less than a permanent extension of the credits.
Jeffries also made clear the Trump administration’s threats to conduct mass firings in light of the shutdown wouldn’t pressure him to cave and accept the GOP bill. He said the executive branch had been conducting mass layoffs anyway.
“The Trump administration has been firing thousands of federal employees outside of the context of a government shutdown, since January 20th. Literally,” Jeffries said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson meets with Trump at White House
House Speaker Mike Johnson met with President Donald Trump at the White House this afternoon, a White House official told CNN.
Johnson was at the White House for a “social visit,” the official said. CNN spotted the top House Republican walking in a hallway outside the Oval Office with a group of people, including his wife, Kelly.
He arrived just before 3:30 p.m. and was on the phone as he entered the West Wing on day two of the government shutdown. He left about an hour later.
This post has been updated with additional details.
Military troops are due to miss first paycheck on October 15 if government remains shut down
We’re in day two of a government shutdown with no clear end in sight.
Earlier today, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it is “unlikely” the Senate will stay in town over the weekend to continue voting on funding.
The longer the shutdown continues, the more likely it becomes that furloughed federal workers, including US military troops, will not receive their next paycheck.
More than 200,000 military officers and other personnel will go without pay during the shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.
If Congress is unable to pass a funding measure beforehand, troops will miss their first paycheck on October 15.
There is currently a House bill aiming to exempt military troops from shutdown pay repercussions, but lawmakers were unable to push it through before funding lapsed.
Republican Rep. Jennifer Kiggans of Virigina introduced the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 in September, which according to the text of the bill would continue appropriations for military pay in the event of a shutdown.
As of September 30, the bill had 91 cosponsors, including 68 Republicans and 28 Democrats.
More than 36 hours in, here are the latest government shutdown headlines
It has been more than 36 hours since the government shutdown began, with no immediate end in sight.
Here’s the latest on where things stand:
- Latest timeline: At this point, it looks like the shutdown will extend into next week. Senate Democrats are expected to block the GOP-backed short-term funding bill again tomorrow, and the Senate is not expected to be in this weekend. The House is not in session and will return next week.
- Remember: The Senate is taking a break from voting today and leaders allowed members to leave Washington to observe Yom Kippur.
- What leaders are saying: Senate Majority Leader John Thune did not rule out meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer before the weekend. Thune also said he is in “regular conversations” with the White House. Meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson said “of course,” the Senate should work through the weekend.
- Federal worker firings: The number of federal workers who could be fired amid the ongoing government shutdown is “likely going to be in the thousands,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. President Donald Trump said earlier today that he was meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought to determine more about the cuts.
- Out of office: Some furloughed workers from the Department of Education had out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown automatically sent from their email accounts without their consent or knowledge, according to four sources familiar with the situation. Workers at other agencies said they received suggested language.
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Sunlen Serfaty, René Marsh, Michael Williams, Veronica Stracqualursi and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed reporting to this post.
White House plays meme videos in briefing room mocking Democrats
Meme videos mocking Democrats continue playing inside the White House briefing room on day two of the government shutdown, as reporters work in the seats or walk past to their desks.
One of the clips shows “a day in the life of a Democrat who was asked to keep the government open,” featuring Michael Scott from “The Office,” which the White House X account posted on Tuesday.
Another shows House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the White House “searching for the common sense they lost.”
The White House is continuing to falsely claim that Democrats want to give free health care to undocumented immigrants, as depicted in another meme portraying Schumer as a character from comedian Tim Robinson’s show “I Think You Should Leave.”
Yesterday, Vice President JD Vance excused a racist AI video circulated by President Donald Trump of Jeffries with a sombrero as a joke, as the White House continues to lean into a more informal and often mocking style of messaging.
Read more context on the White House’s norm-breaking social media strategy here.
Shutdown expected to extend into next week, with no weekend votes scheduled
The government shutdown is likely to extend into next week, as Senate Democrats are expected to block the GOP-backed short-term funding bill again on Friday, and the Senate is not expected to be in this weekend
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday that it is “unlikely” the Senate will stay in town over the weekend to continue voting on funding.
“They’ll have a fourth chance tomorrow to vote to keep — to open up the government. And if that fails, then they can have the weekend to think about it, we’ll come back, we’ll vote again on Monday,” he said.
GOP senator says tomorrow’s vote on funding is “crucial"
GOP Sen. Mike Rounds, who was involved in the informal talks between bipartisan senators on the Senate floor on Wednesday, told CNN that Friday’s vote on advancing the GOP-backed funding bill will be “crucial,” warning “things go south real quick” if the government isn’t reopened before the weekend.
“I think, really, tomorrow’s vote is a crucial vote. Our Democrat colleagues have got to open this up again,” he argued.
As of now, however, Democrats appear to largely remain dug in against the GOP bill and it’s not clear that any more will cross party lines to vote with Republicans in Friday’s vote.
Rounds added, “All we’re trying to do is to get them to understand how serious it is in terms of the timing doesn’t work in their favor. And the sooner we get past this shutdown, as soon as they allow government to operate again, we can get back to all of the other negotiations that we normally do in regular order.”
“And that continues to be the message: stop this shutdown, and let’s get back to work.”
Rounds pushed back on the idea that Republicans could face backlash if federal workers are permanently laid off during the shutdown, insisting that Democrats will be more hurt by the cuts.
“I think it’s gonna bite them harder than it does us, because the place where, you know, the OMB has looked in the past has been in places that are not consistent with President Trump’s policies,” he told reporters.
“And there’s a whole lot of things out there that the Democrats care about that are not consistent with the President’s policies, and those are the first things at risk,” he said. “Now, what does that do for actually getting any kind of an agreement on anything after the shutdown is complete? It does not help their cause.”
Thune doesn’t rule out meeting with Schumer before the weekend, if they can make progress in shutdown talks
Senate Majority Leader John Thune did not rule out meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer before the weekend, though he warned that he would want any discussion to have a real chance of moving government shutdown talks forwards.
“We’ll see,” said Thune. “If the meeting is focused around just a, you know, a photo op along the lines of what they tried to get out of the White House, I’m not sure there’s a lot of purpose in that. But if they want to actually come forward and talk about how to, how to end this thing, yeah, we’ll see.”
Thune said that he is being read in on informal bipartisan discussions over an off-ramp out of the shutdown, though he emphasized that the government would have to reopen first.
He added he is in “regular conversations” with the White House, including on “some of the things that are being floated out there by Democrat members to Republican members,“ though he emphasized that until there are at least 8 Democrats ready to vote to reopen the government, “I’m not sure this, this goes anywhere.”
The GOP leader said it is “unlikely” the Senate will stay in town over the weekend. “They’ll have a fourth chance tomorrow to vote to keep — to open up the government. And if that fails, then they can have the weekend to think about it, we’ll come back, we’ll vote again on Monday,” he said.
He also noted he hasn’t specifically talked to Trump about federal workers being laid off, but insisted the goal is to ensure the shutdown “does the least amount of harm.”
Head of air traffic controllers union describes what it's like for those working without pay
For Air traffic controllers who are working without pay, the government shutdown is an “unnecessary distraction,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told CNN.
Daniels said that the longer the shutdown continues, the more financial stress air traffic controllers will likely face.
“But they’re also thinking about, ‘I have, you know, medical bills I need to pay, student loans I need to pay off.’ And not knowing in how long this will go: October 14, they’ll receive their first partial paycheck. October 28 — if it’s to go there — they receive no pay at all,” he said.
Daniels said that while some may argue that controllers will eventually receive their pay, “not being able to plan and having that burden, that stress on you, absolutely does not put an air traffic controller in a position to go in and do the amazing work that they are expected to do every single day.”
FAA funding officially lapses at midnight tonight, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association later confirmed.
This post has been updated with additional comments from Daniels.
CNN’s Alexandra Skores contributed to this report.
Johnson to Jeffries on Trump's racist, manipulated posts: "Man, just ignore it"
House Speaker Mike Johnson advised Hakeem Jeffries to “just ignore” the president’s attacks against him on social media, as President Donald Trump continues to share racist, manipulated images of the House Democratic leader.
“These are games. These are sideshows. People are getting caught up in battles over social media memes. We got to keep the – this is not a game. We got to keep the government open for the people,” Johnson said.
“Don’t respond to it,” Johnson added.
Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance dismissed questions over whether Trump’s sharing an offensive, AI-generated video mocking Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was racist and contrary to his contention that the White House was ready to negotiate in good faith to end a government shutdown. Vance said he found it funny and argued the president “was joking” and having “a little bit of fun.”
The posts have included images depicting Jeffries, who is Black, with a fake mustache and wearing a sombrero. The shared video also included Schumer with a fabricated voice and falsely accused Democrats of trying to give free health care to undocumented immigrants to gain their support.
See what Jeffries told CNN’s Abby Phillip about the racist video.
Speaker Johnson: "Of course" Senate needs to work the weekend amid shutdown
House Speaker Mike Johnson is imploring the Senate to stay through the weekend and keep voting on a short-term funding bill.
Johnson argued that President Donald Trump has the constitutional authority during a shutdown to layoff federal workers and withhold funding for congressionally approved projects.
“The president takes no pleasure in this,” Johnson said. “When Congress turns off the funding and the funding runs out, it is up to the commander in chief, the president of the United States, to determine how these resources will be spent.”
Johnson also claimed the White House’s budget director, Russ Vought, is making cuts to the federal government “reluctantly.”
“Russ has to sit down and decide, because he’s in charge of that office, which policies, personnel, and which programs are essential and which are not. That’s not a fun task and he’s not enjoying that responsibility,” he said.
Johnson placed blame on Democrats.
“Real pain is being inflicted upon the American people because 44 Democrats in the Senate have voted for the third time to reject the completely nonpartisan, completely clean, very simple, 24-page continuing resolution that we passed in the House here two weeks ago,” he said.
Shutdown-related federal firings are "likely going to be in the thousands," White House says
The number of federal workers who could be fired amid the ongoing government shutdown is “likely going to be in the thousands,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
President Donald Trump said earlier Thursday that he was meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought “to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies” will be cut and whether that’s “temporary or permanent.”
Asked specifically about which agencies are being targeted, Leavitt said: “Those conversations are taking place today. I won’t prejudge them.”
She then added: “We’re looking at agencies that don’t align with the president’s values” and “that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar.”
Asked during an earlier Fox News appearance whether Trump’s threats of cuts were just a negotiating tactic, Leavitt said: “Oh, it’s very real.”
Weekend votes on government funding proposals in question
A GOP leadership aide says the Senate is “trending” toward not holding votes this weekend.
Lawmakers, the aide said, will vote on funding proposals to reopen the government on Friday and can use the weekend to weigh the consequences of the shutdown before another vote on Monday.
For context: Congress left town Wednesday without a solution to break its bitter impasse over government funding, with the shutdown now set to last until at least Friday when members return for more votes. No votes are being held Thursday to allow members to observe the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
More federal workers receive instructions to blame Democrats for shutdown in out-of-office messages
The US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that employees of the federal agency were instructed to blame Democrats for the government shutdown in their out-of-office messages.
According to HHS’ director of communications, “Employees were instructed to use out-of-office messages that reflect the truth: Democrats have shut the government down. The Trump Administration is working to reopen the government for the American people while ensuring mission-critical HHS activities continue.”
CNN reported yesterday that a federal worker at the Small Business Administration who was furloughed as the result of the government shutdown was shocked when agency leadership sent employees politically charged “suggested” language to use in their automated out of office emails during the shutdown.
The message, reviewed by CNN, took the highly unusual step of encouraging federal employees to take a partisan position blaming Senate Democrats for the ongoing shutdown.
Some federal workers said they believed the request was a violation of the Hatch Act, which states federal government officials and employees are obligated to perform their duties in a nonpartisan manner. The federal law is intended to “protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace,” according to the Office of the Special Counsel.
Another source familiar at a federal agency said they were told to put an out-of-office message saying that Democratic Senators are blocking the passage of a clean continuing resolution leading to a funding lapse and that due to the lapse, the employee was in furlough status.
Government shutdown presents a new challenge for tourism in states ravaged by Hurricane Helene last year
Just over a year after Hurricane Helene ravaged the mountainous areas of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee as the fall foliage season was set to bring throngs of tourists, officials now worry how the ongoing government shutdown could affect tourisms at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Currently, those National Parks, including their main roadways, remain accessible. However, some services or popular areas, such picnic areas and visitor centers, are closed as a result of the federal government shutdown.
To fully open the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, local and state governments are now working on a plan with the National Park Service to fully open those and other areas of the park, a release from local officials said.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States and “plays a critical role in the economy and culture of the region, especially during the fall season when hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to the area,” the release said.
National Park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials remain accessible to visitors, the contingency plan released by the Department of the Interior this week said. As a result, the Blue Ridge Parkway, which had been heavily impacted by Helene, remains generally open to drivers looking to see some fall colors.
