Overview
- Senators rejected the House short-term funding bill for the 14th time on Tuesday, shifting the focus to closed-door bipartisan discussions.
- Democrats are withholding votes to reopen the government unless expiring ACA premium tax credits are extended, while Republican leaders and the White House insist negotiations start after funding is restored.
- Following court orders, the administration is using USDA contingency funds to issue partial SNAP payments as President Trump threatens to halt broader food aid.
- Negotiators are weighing a new continuing resolution that could run into December or January, with some proposing a small bipartisan appropriations package for areas like agriculture and military construction.
- Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are unpaid or furloughed and services have been curtailed, even as some senators express cautious optimism that a deal could come this week.