Overview
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he hopes to force a Friday vote to advance a short-term funding bill, though bipartisan backing remains uncertain.
- The FAA plans a 10% reduction in flights across 40 major markets starting Friday because of staffing shortfalls tied to the funding lapse.
- Democrats, bolstered by fresh state election wins and polls showing about half the public supports holding out, continue to demand binding ACA subsidy extensions.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to promise even a House vote on extending the subsidies, undercutting Senate talk of a compromise.
- Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed or working without pay, and SNAP recipients are slated to receive partial, potentially delayed benefits under a court-ordered continuation.