Overview
- With the shutdown tying the 35-day record on Tuesday, another Senate test vote failed and the lapse is expected to surpass the mark after midnight.
- Senate leaders expressed guarded optimism as bipartisan talks intensified, with options coalescing around a longer stopgap that could run into January.
- Democrats continue to condition reopening on extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, while Republicans and the White House insist health-care talks follow a funding vote.
- A bipartisan House group floated a framework to extend the enhanced ACA subsidies for two years with caps, though it is uncertain whether the Senate or White House would back it.
- Public impacts are escalating, including partial SNAP payments after court orders, mounting air travel delays and unpaid federal workers, while off-year elections are viewed as a potential inflection point for negotiators.