Here's what we covered today
• Shutdown standoff: Senate Democrats again blocked Republicans’ stopgap funding bill from advancing in a 50 to 43 vote. The parties remain in a standoff over health care subsidies as the shutdown drags on.
• Growing impacts: The ramifications are being felt across the federal workforce, with Senate staffers told they will no longer be paid for the rest of the shutdown and the federal agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile furloughing most of its workforce. Is the shutdown affecting you? Tell us about it.
• Trump’s meeting: Also today, President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a key rare minerals agreement at the White House — a topic that has become a major sticking point between the US and China.
Our live coverage of the government shutdown and Trump administration news has wrapped for the day. Please scroll through the posts below for all the details.
GOP senators signal no change in strategy and vow to block Democrat efforts to pay all furloughed workers
Republican senators made clear today that they believe onus to stop the stalemate and reopen the government remains on Democrats, even as both parties are confronted by pressure as federal workers miss paychecks.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune hopes to bring a bill to the floor later this week that would continue to pay essential employees during the shutdown. He threw cold water on Democrats’ push to also include furloughed federal workers, who are not currently receiving paychecks, but will get back pay after the shutdown ends.
GOP Sen. John Kennedy said he was “surprised” that Thune decided to bring up a bill to guarantee paychecks for essential government employees, calling it “risky” to initiate a vote on the issue this week.
“I’m not saying he’s wrong, I was just a little surprised,” he said, predicting that there will be a “bunch of amendments” if the bill comes to the floor.
Pressed on whether lawmakers need to change course as the Senate repeatedly fails to advance a bill to reopen the government, GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer responded, “why Chuck Schumer sticks to this bizarre strategy of keeping the government shut down and not paying their troops and other people is beyond me.”
The shutdown will drag on into another day. Here's what happened
Senate Democrats have one again blocked a GOP funding proposal to reopen the government this evening.
The vote means that the government shutdown will continue into tomorrow, which will be Day 21 of the impasse.
Here’s what else happened today:
- Failed vote: Republicans’ stopgap funding bill failed to advance for an 11th time in a 50 to 43 vote. Two senators in the Democratic caucus voted with most Republicans. House Republican Chip Roy thinks his party should consider eliminating the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
- Another piece of legislation: Majority Leader John Thune wants the Senate vote on a bill to pay federal workers that are working through the shutdown. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he doesn’t support the legislation because “it appears to be more like a political ploy to pick and choose” which employees get paid. GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville said paying federal workers would take the “pressure” off lawmakers to negotiate a way out of the shutdown.
- Shutdown impacts: Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker criticized the decision to furlough the majority of staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the US nuclear stockpile. The agency said it will keep contractors employed through the end of the month. Today, Senate staffers were told they will no longer be paid for the rest of the shutdown.
- Funding freeze: The Office of Management and Budget defended its decision to pause over $11 billion in projects with the Army Corps of Engineers. According to internal talking points obtained by CNN, the agency argued the administration wants to “reorient” the federal funding.
- Travel delays: Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages caused “longer than usual” wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport today. It’s not clear why there was a shortage in this instance, but an increased number of controllers have called out sick to protest the shutdown or take part-time jobs, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said.
- Meanwhile, Trump’s crime crackdown: An appeals court ruled to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in Portland, saying it is likely to succeed on its appeal of an order that blocked the deployment. The appellate court ruling is an important legal victory in a showdown over presidential power.
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Ellis Kim, Alison Main, Ted Barrett, Manu Raju, Annie Grayer, Alexandra Skores, Karina Tsui, Amanda Musa and Andy Rose contributed reporting to this post.
Senate Democrats skeptical of GOP push to pay certain federal workers during shutdown
Some Senate Democrats are so far sounding skeptical of a GOP push to pay some federal workers during the shutdown, raising doubts that it can win enough support to pass later this week.
Senate GOP leaders are planning to put a measure on the floor as soon as Wednesday that would authorize the government to pay all “essential workers” — including those in the US military — despite the ongoing shutdown. It’s a strategy shift by GOP leaders that reflects the weeks-long stalemate that even missed paychecks for workers has been unable to break.
But multiple senior Democrats said they have issues with paying only certain workers, particularly since President Donald Trump has authority to declare which are essential.
“I worry that it basically is a bill that just lets the president decide who he wants to pay and who he does want to pay. And I would have some serious concerns about that,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, who represents a large federal workforce in Virginia.
Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, a Nevada Democrat who has broken with her party to support the GOP funding plan, said she “need[s] to look at the whole thing to see who has authority to make the decision.”
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, meanwhile, said he’s “looking at all the options” and will have more to say in the coming days.
Democratic Sen. Jon Osoff, who faces a tough reelection in Georgia next year, did not say whether he’d support the measure. “We’ll see what comes up on the floor,” he told CNN
Senate Democrats block GOP bill to reopen government for 11th time
Senate Democrats again blocked Republicans’ stopgap funding bill from advancing in a 50 to 43 vote.
Republicans need 60 votes to advance the bill that would fund the government through late November.
Two senators in the Democratic caucus voted with most Republicans. They were Catherine Cortez Masto and Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman who has before voted with Republicans did not vote Monday.
GOP Sen. Rand Paul, meanwhile, voted against advancing the measure. Senate GOP leader John Thune switched his vote to “no” at end – a procedural move that will allow him to bring it back up again in the future.
Senate Armed Services chairman calls mass furloughs at National Nuclear Security Administration “unacceptable”
Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker is criticizing the decision to furlough the majority of staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration, calling it “unacceptable.”
While he blamed Democrats for the shutdown, Wicker added that “it is incumbent upon Secretary Wright to work with Congress, OMB, and the White House to ensure that our nuclear weapons stockpile remains safe, secure, and capable of deterring our adversaries.”
House Democratic Leader Jeffries calls Senate GOP bill to pay some federal workers “a political ploy”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Senate Republicans’ plans to bring up a bill this week that would allow federal workers deemed essential to receive pay through the shutdown, batting it down as a political ploy.
Jeffries said he doesn’t support the legislation because “it appears to be more like a political ploy to pick and choose, giving Donald Trump discretion which employees should be compensated and which employees should not be compensated. All employees should be compensated, and that will happen when we reopen the government.”
Jeffries told reporters Monday that he and Speaker Mike Johnson spoke over the weekend amid the stalemate over government funding. He didn’t offer further details on the conversation, however.
During the press conference, Jeffries blamed Republicans for rising health care premium costs he said millions of Americans would soon experience. He also slammed Republicans for being on “vacation,” calling out House leaders’ decision to keep lawmakers in their districts instead of returning to work at the Capitol.
“It’s extraordinary to me that for four consecutive weeks, House Republicans are on vacation. They’ve canceled votes, week after week after week after week. Where are you?” he said.
GOP senator warns that push to pay all federal workers eases pressure to resolve shutdown stalemate
GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville warned that finding a way to continue to pay federal workers amid the ongoing stalemate on Capitol Hill would take the “pressure” off of lawmakers to negotiate a way out.
Asked about Democrats’ desire for a bill to keep paychecks flowing to all federal workers, including those who have been furloughed, instead of making them wait to receive backpay, Tuberville responded, “Well, it’s called a shutdown. I mean, you start paying everybody then no pressure on anybody from either side.”
He said he thinks Congress should leave the issue “as it is,” adding that military and law enforcement should be paid amid the shutdown, and “everybody else, shut it off.”
Federal law requires all furloughed employees to receive back pay, but if the shutdown drags on, hundreds of thousands of federal workers will not get paychecks for weeks.
“There’s got to be some give and take here,” Tuberville said. “There’s got to be some negotiation.”
The Alabama Republican predicted that Americans would be “screaming bloody murder” at the cost to the US economy if Congress agrees to simply extend the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
He acknowledged that ending ACA tax credits would increase premiums for his constituents, but argued that former President Obama’s signature health care law has “ruined our health care system” and attempting to subsidize costs for those in need has “really put us in harm’s way.”
NOW: The Senate is voting on Republicans' proposal to fund the government
Senators are now voting on a short-term government funding proposal from the Republican Party.
The House-passed stopgap bill would fund the government through November 21. It does not address Democrats’ health care demands.
It needs 60 votes to advance, meaning Republicans would need Democrats to sign on.
Agency overseeing US nuclear stockpile will keep thousands of contractors employed through end of month
As the agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile furloughed most of its staff on Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he was concerned the ongoing government shutdown could jeopardize national security.
“We need to maintain our nuclear stockpile; have our adversaries confident that we have our stuff together, we have it secure and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice stockpile,” Wright said, delivering remarks at the Nevada National Security Site — part of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The NNSA furloughed around 1,400 federal workers on Monday amid the ongoing government shutdown. The agency is exempting nearly 400 staff from furlough to keep the nuclear stockpile safe.
Contractors are still on the job, according to Wright. He said the Trump administration and White House budget office had found “creative ways” to move funding around to keep around 3,000 NNSA contractors employed “at least through the end of the month” as the shutdown drags on.
“It is our national security; these are jobs of great gravity,” Wright said.
Thune pulls back on Russia sanctions vote in Senate
Senate Republican Leader John Thune pulled back from his insistence on a vote on Russia sanctions within the next few weeks, citing President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit in Budapest.
Thune told reporters last week that he wants to see a vote on the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill within the next 30 days. However, today he backed off, citing the expected summit in Budapest with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thune said that he had spoken to Sen. Lindsey Graham, the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, earlier today, and that Graham is “working with the White House with trying to determine whether or not that meeting that happens in a couple of weeks will be a fruitful one and will help move the process forward.”
“If it doesn’t, I still think that the sanctions bill is a tool in the president’s tool chest that he can use against the Russians to get them to the table,” he added.
GOP Leader Thune throws cold water on pay for furloughed federal workers, setting up Senate clash this week
Senate Majority Leader John Thune threw cold water on the idea of adding furloughed federal workers to a bill that would only pay “essential” employees during the shutdown, despite a Democratic push to ensure all federal workers continue to be paid.
As the shutdown drags on, Thune said he’s hoping to have the Senate vote on a bill, originally introduced by GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, that would pay federal workers that are being asked to continue working through the shutdown.
The GOP leader said federal workers are “all going to get paid eventually, but I think people who are working right now and not getting paid ought to get paid.” His dismissal of this idea signals there may not be enough Democratic support to pass the bill.
Pressed on whether it was time for the House to consider returning to Washington to vote on a new continuing resolution as the current House-passed bill only provides for funding through November 21, Thune replied: “Yes, for sure. I mean, every day that passes, we got less time to fund the government.”
In other news: Top Trump officials held talks on the Gaza ceasefire deal and Ukraine war today. Catch up here
President Donald Trump and top administration officials continue to move forward with key foreign policy negotiations while the government shutdown stretches on at home.
Here’s a recap of where things stand on the Gaza ceasefire deal, war in Ukraine and US relations with Colombia:
- Gaza ceasefire: Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner held lengthy meetings with senior Israel Defense Forces generals in Tel Aviv at the Kirya headquarters on Monday to discuss ceasefire arrangements in Gaza, an Israeli source told CNN. During a bilateral meeting at the White House with the Australian prime minister today, Trump threatened to “eradicate” Hamas if it doesn’t abide by its ceasefire agreement with Israel, saying that he could order a fresh offensive in the region.
- Ukraine War: Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday discussed “next steps” to follow up on the call between their two presidents. Rubio “emphasized the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war, in line with President Trump’s vision,” according to a US State Department readout of the call. Earlier at the White House today, Trump said he still believes Ukraine can win the war with Russia, but that the outcome was unlikely.
- Clash with Colombia’s president: Colombia’s ambassador to the US has been recalled to Bogotá for “consultations,” the Embassy of Colombia in Washington said today. This comes as Trump said today that his administration plans to announce tariffs on Colombia today. Tensions between President Gustavo Petro and Trump have been growing following a deployment of US military assets in the Caribbean and attacks on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs.
CNN’s Tal Shalev, Adam Cancryn, Jennifer Hansler, Billy Stockwel and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.
A timeline of the Trump administration's efforts to lay off federal workers during the shutdown
A judge last week put a stop to the Trump administration’s efforts to layoff thousands of federal workers during the shutdown — for now.
As the legal challenge brought against the administration by unions plays out, here’s a look back at how we got here.
- On October 1, lawmakers fail to fund the government.
- On October 2, the White House said the Office of Management and Budget was compiling a list of agencies it was targeting for federal layoffs.
- On October 10, Trump said he planned to fire “a lot” of federal workers in retaliation for the shutdown, vowing to target those deemed to be aligned with the Democratic Party. A few days later, Trump said he would release a list of Democratic-backed programs on the chopping block.
- Also on October 10, the Trump administration pulled the trigger on layoffs across seven federal agencies. This accounted for about 4,100 workers.
- On October 14, the White House Office of Management and Budget said it would continue to “ride out” the shutdown with more reductions in force. OMB Director Russ Vought later said that layoffs could reach “north of 10,000” if the shutdown continues.
- On October 15, a federal judge in San Francisco halted the Trump administration’s efforts, calling the layoffs during a shutdown unlawful and “politically motivated.”
20 days into the government shutdown: What happened and where things stand
The federal government shutdown has dragged on into a new week, with lawmakers still at an impasse over heath care subsidies.
The standoff has now lasted for 20 days, so here’s a recap of how we got here.
First, some history: This is the first time the federal government officially shut down since 2019. That last shutdown was overseen by President Donald Trump and was the longest in US history.
That brings us to the beginning of this month: On October 1, a deadlocked Congress failed to keep the government funded, commencing the shutdown.
Since then, Republicans and Democrats have been blaming each other. Democrats want to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies as part of any deal to reopen the government, while Republicans say the government must be reopened first before there is any negotiation over the issue.
Another vote today: The GOP funding bill, which failed to pass repeatedly last week, is expected to be up for another vote in the Senate later today.
Here are some of the most recent impacts:
- The federal agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile will furlough most of its workforce starting today. Roughly 1.4 million federal employees are furloughed or working without pay.
- Air traffic control facilities reported more staffing shortages over the weekend, with controllers working without pay.
- Roughly 42 million Americans could lose food assistance in November, as the SNAP program is set to run out of money.
- The Supreme Court announced it will close its doors to the public because of a lack of funding, though it will continue to process cases and filings.
- Senate staffers were informed on Friday that they will no longer receive their paychecks today and will not be paid for the remainder of the shutdown, according to an email of the notice reviewed by CNN.
OMB says in talking points for Capitol Hill that Army Corps of Engineers funding freeze is to "reorient" federal funding
The Office of Management and Budget defended its decision to pause over $11 billion in projects with the Army Corps of Engineers by arguing that the Trump administration wants to “reorient” the federal funding, according to internal talking points circulating on Capitol Hill and obtained by CNN.
The talking points provide further insight into how the Trump administration is using the government shutdown to reallocate federal funding to reflect its priorities, while stifling funding to Democratic-strongholds.
“The Army Corps shouldn’t be funding bike lanes in Cape Cod, billion-dollar fish ladders, and municipal sewage systems,” the talking points read.
The OMB memo also said it was pausing projects in so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
“Taxpayer dollars should not be subsidizing infrastructure in states led by governors ignoring federal law,” the memo states.
Some of the projects OMB said it was reviewing include: replacing an existing San Francisco pier with a waterfront park; restoring aquatic habitat for salmon and steelhead trout; replacing bridges in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to expand bike lanes; and the design and construction of wastewater treatment and water supply systems in Queens, New York.
OMB said The Army Corps’ outstanding authorizations easily exceed $100 billion and there are many projects eligible for federal funding.
TSA staffing shortages at Atlanta causes passenger delays
Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages are causing “longer than usual” wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the airport said Monday as the federal government’s shutdown heads into its 20th day.
As of noon ET, the main checkpoint at the airport had up to a 30-minute wait time, though some of the other checkpoints have shorter lines.
The cause of the staffing shortage was not immediately clear; however, TSA officers and air traffic controllers are essential employees and must work during the shutdown but are not being paid.
An increased number of controllers have called out sick to protest the shutdown or take part time jobs to earn money, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said.
The TSA did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment on the situation.
Trump and Australia's Albanese strike deal on rare earth minerals
President Donald Trump said Monday in his bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that the two countries have struck a deal on rare earth minerals — a topic that’s become a major sticking point between the United States and China.
Albanese said the deal signifies a $8.5 billion “pipeline that we have ready to go” and is an example of the two countries strengthening ties. The deal will kick off with both countries paying $1 billion over the next six months for new projects.
China earlier this month ramped up restrictions on its rare earth exports. That didn’t sit well with Trump, who threatened to call off an upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. China is a major producer of rare earth minerals, which are ubiquitous in everyday technology.
Australia, a key US ally, also has rich deposits of many rare earths, and it has ramped up production over the past half decade, according to a study from the Interior Department. Australia also mines about half of the world’s lithium, which is used for the production of electric vehicle batteries.
“We work together very much on rare earths, critical minerals and lots of other things, and we’ve had a very good relationship,” Trump said of Australia. “We’ve been working on that for quite a while. In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths, and you won’t know what to do with them.”
Colombian ambassador to the US recalled to Bogotá for consultations amid Trump's back-and-forth with president
Colombia’s ambassador to the US has been recalled to Bogotá for “consultations,” the Embassy of Colombia in Washington said Monday, a move that comes as US President Donald Trump clashes with the nation’s leader.
“The Ambassador of Colombia to the United States, Daniel García-Peña, has been recalled to Bogotá for consultations by President Gustavo Petro Urrego,” Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy said in a statement posted on X.
“The Government of Colombia will announce the corresponding decisions in due course,” the minister added.
Trump on Sunday accused Petro of being “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs.” Trump also threatened to cease “large scale payments and subsidies” to the nation, which he sees as largely having failed to combat drug cartels producing and shipping narcotics to the US.
Tensions between Petro and Trump had been growing following a deployment of US military assets in the Caribbean and attacks on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs.
At least seven vessels have been attacked as part of these operations, leaving more than two dozen people dead. Petro claimed that some of them were Colombians and accused the United States of “murder.” Meanwhile, a Colombian citizen aboard the latest vessel attacked was returned to his country over the weekend.
Trump threatens to "eradicate" Hamas if it breaks ceasefire deal
President Donald Trump threatened to “eradicate” Hamas if it doesn’t abide by its ceasefire agreement with Israel, saying Monday that he could order a fresh offensive in the region.
US troops would not be involved in any renewed fighting, Trump added, insisting that other forces are in place and ready to carry out orders should he decide that Hamas has violated the ceasefire.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza over the weekend, prompting waves of airstrikes, which marked the first major test of the peace agreement.
Internal clashes in Gaza have also created a volatile security situation in the battered enclave with violence erupting between Hamas and rival groups.
“We’ve had countries calling me when they saw some of the killing with Hamas, saying we’d love to go in and take care of the situation ourselves,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’re going to give it a little chance, and hopefully there will be a little less violence.”
Russia-Ukraine war: Trump on Monday separately said that he also urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine that have made it more difficult to reach a peace deal between the two countries.
