What we're covering
• Stalemate continues: The Senate returns to Capitol Hill today to vote on the Republicans’ government funding proposal as the shutdown hits the two-week mark with no indication there has been any progress to end the stalemate.
• Growing impacts: The White House budget office said it is preparing to “ride out” the shutdown by continuing layoffs – but noted that troops and law enforcement will be paid. This comes as President Donald Trump said his administration has “identified funds” to pay troops this week.
• Trump welcomes Milei: Meanwhile at the White House, Trump is hosting Argentina’s President Javier Milei after the US agreed to provide a $20 billion lifeline to the country. Later, Trump will award the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• CNN will host a live town hall tomorrow with progressive lawmakers Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the shutdown. Send us your questions here.
Speaker Johnson stands by delay in swearing in Democrats' newest member
As the House remains out of session into a third week, Speaker Mike Johnson defended his decision to not swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva until the full chamber returns to Washington.
The Arizona Democrat won a special election late last month and would be the 218th signature needed to force a bipartisan vote to compel the release of more Jeffrey Epstein case files.
“She won her election after the House was out of session, so we’ve not had a full session. She deserves to have all the pomp and circumstances everybody else does,” Johnson said.
Amid the shutdown, the House has been holding brief “pro forma” sessions where the chamber is quickly gaveled out and is not engaged in legislative business. Johnson told CNN last week that Grijalva could be sworn in “as soon as she wants,” but has since broken his own practice of swearing in new members during the pro forma sessions.
He pointed out that GOP Rep. Julia Letlow was sworn in by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi more than 20 days after she won a special election to fill her late husband’s seat in 2021.
Frustrated Johnson says he's not changing shutdown strategy on talks with Schumer: "I'm not playing his game"
Speaker Mike Johnson insists he has nothing to negotiate in order to reopen the government as the shutdown stretches into a third week and Democrats show no signs of caving on their demand to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
“I’m doing the right thing, the clearly obvious thing, the traditional thing, that’s exactly what Chuck Schumer voted for in March of this year and gave impassioned speeches, was the right and only thing,” he continued.
A notably frustrated Johnson said he doesn’t have “anything to negotiate” with Democrats when it comes to the House-passed clean stopgap bill to extend current funding levels through November 21.
The Speaker, who has held press conferences nearly every day since the start of the shutdown, said all he can do is publicly ask Americans to “call your Senate Democrats and ask them to do the right thing.”
“We’re not playing games. They’re playing a game. We’re not the strategy is to do the right and obvious thing and keep the government for the people,” he added.
For context: Senate Democrats – except Sens. John Fetterman and Catherine Cortez Masto, as well as independent Sen. Angus King who caucuses with the party – have voted seven times to block Republicans’ stopgap bill. The GOP measure is due to come to the floor again this evening, and likely fail, for an eighth time. Since GOP Sen. Rand Paul refuses to vote for the bill, five Democrats would need to change their votes to avert a shutdown.
The US is bailing out Argentina with $20 billion. It's drummed up some controversy
As President Donald Trump meets with Argentina’s President Javier Milei today, the United States’ bailout of the country could be in the spotlight.
What happened in Argentina: The country’s currency fell sharply after Milei’s party suffered a significant defeat in elections last month. The losses shook investors’ confidence in Milei’s ability to see through his economic reforms.
US action: The Trump administration has argued that Argentina’s financial strife could spill over into other economies. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration finalized a $20 billion currency swap agreement with Argentina’s central bank, allowing it to exchange its local currency for the US dollar. It’s essentially a $20 billion loan, according to experts.
What critics say: The United States has provided foreign countries with financial lifelines before, usually when the stability of the global economy is at risk or when a close geopolitical ally finds itself underwater. But critics are accusing Trump of using billions of American dollars just to prop up one of his own personal allies. Plus, this is all happening while the US government is shut down, which has resulted in more than a million federal workers being furloughed or working without pay.
Effect on farmers: American farmers are having a tough year, in no small part because of Trump’s bid to reshape global trade. And Argentina’s bailout inadvertently worsened their plight. China, a major buyer of US soybeans, halted purchases of the commodity in May in response to Trump’s trade war. Then, after Argentina temporarily scrapped export taxes on grains, China swooped in and bought tens of thousands of pounds of Argentine soybeans instead.
White House budget office says it is preparing to "ride out" shutdown with more layoffs
The White House budget office said today it is preparing to “ride out” the government shutdown.
The post comes as the Senate is returning to Washington to take an eighth vote on Republicans’ stopgap funding proposal to reopen the government.
Last week, OMB Director Russell Vought announced reductions in force notices, or RIFs, had been sent to the federal work force. Thousands of federal workers across seven agencies received layoff notices, as the administration reshapes the government amid the shutdown.
A Friday court filing from the government that revealed the number of people affected as part of the layoffs indicated additional agencies are considering more layoffs.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said his administration has identified funds to pay members of the military – even as the president has threatened to fire “a lot of people” and vowed to target those aligned with the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, Erika Kirk to join officials as Trump awards her husband a posthumous Medal of Freedom
Erika Kirk will join Cabinet secretaries, lawmakers and conservative activists at the White House today as President Donald Trump awards her late husband, Charlie Kirk, a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who has described Kirk as “brother” to him, is also expected to attend, one source familiar with the plans said.
Erika Kirk was named CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization Charlie Kirk led, after her husband’s assassination last month.
"I'm disgusted," veteran says after losing job as part of Trump's shutdown layoffs
Douglas Jackson, a service-disabled veteran who lost his job during Friday’s federal worker layoffs, couldn’t believe it when he heard the vice president say the Trump administration was being forced to choose between Americans and “federal bureaucrats.”
“I’m an Orlando veteran. I’m not a DC bureaucrat,” he told CNN, just days after the administration sent more than 3,500 federal workers reduction in force – or RIF – notices. “Either they don’t know who they’re firing or they just don’t care.”
Jackson, who served in the Marines for four years during which he was exposed to burn pits in Iraq, said it feels as if the administration has reneged on its pledge to protect veterans.
After President Donald Trump said those laid off “happen to be Democrat-oriented,” Jackson, who is not registered with either party and has voted for Democrats and Republicans alike, said: “There’s no way he could know our party affiliation”
The 40-year-old had been reinstated earlier this year to his public affairs job in the IRS’ Large Business and International Division as part of the court-challenged DOGE cuts. But the latest layoff has left him feeling like a pawn in the political fight over how best to fund the government.
“It’s retaliatory, it’s retribution. It creates uncertainty for everyone affected, and I don’t know how this stands up in court,” he said.
Read more on the shutdown’s impact on the federal workforce.
Military families concerned about not getting paychecks during government shutdown
Texas-based CNN affiliate, KXXV, reported military families were in line at a food pantry as they feared not getting their paychecks during the government shutdown. President Trump said on Saturday that the administration has “identified funds” to pay military troops on October 15.
Listen to their stories in the video below:
Here's how many federal workers have been laid off since the beginning of the shutdown
The Trump administration has carried out layoffs across seven federal agencies, dismissing employees who handle a wide range of topics — from IRS matters to housing grants, and special education programs to cyberattack defense.
Several major US airports refuse to play Noem video that blames Democrats for government shutdown
Several major US airports - including Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International, Portland International, Seattle-Tacoma International, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and three in New York - are refusing to play a video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown.
The video, first obtained by Fox News, is intended to play at security lines, with Noem stating, “It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe.”
She also says, “However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”
In an email to CNN, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, which operates Portland International Airport, Hillsboro Airport and Troutdale Airport, confirmed a request came from the Transportation Security Administration to display the video message.
“We did not consent to playing the video in its current form, as we believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” said Molly Prescott, spokesperson for the Port of Portland.
The Hatch Act is a 1939 law which prohibits political activities of federal employees to ensure government programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.
Trump to host Argentina's president today after his return from Middle East
Here’s a look at the president’s schedule today:
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Argentinian President Javier Milei today following his return to the White House from the Middle East overnight.
The two leaders are set to meet at 1 p.m. ET and then will have a bilateral lunch in the Cabinet room of the White House, which is closed to press.
At 4 p.m. ET, the president is expected to participate in a Medal of Freedom ceremony for late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at the White House.
Noem says US Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck during government shutdown
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck this week as the government shutdown continues.
DHS has “worked out an innovative solution to make sure” the Coast Guard did not go without pay, Noem said yesterday in a post on X. While the US Coast Guard is a branch of the US armed services, it is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Coast Guard also confirmed that its service members would be paid and receive their pay between October 15 and 17.
“We are grateful for the actions taken by President Trump and Secretary Noem to ensure that our members — who protect and defend our nation’s maritime borders and our citizens every day — receive the pay they have earned,” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement.
President Donald Trump said in a post on his platform Truth Social over the weekend that the administration had “identified funds” to pay troops this week. Otherwise, members of the military were set to miss their first paycheck on October 15.
During the last government shutdown in 2018 and 2019, members of the Coast Guard went without pay, marking the first time in history a branch of the military was not paid due to a government funding lapse.
