Overview

• President Donald Trump said permanent dismissals of federal employees are in progress, offering no details beyond blaming Democrats for the stalemate.
• Roughly 750,000 federal workers have been placed on unpaid furlough, while essential services such as air traffic control and law enforcement continue operating.
• Senate Republican leader John Thune described negotiations as a stalemate, though he said quiet discussions on extending Obamacare support are continuing.
• The administration has withheld infrastructure funds from Democratic-led cities, including an estimated $18 billion for New York projects and billions for Chicago, according to a CNN report citing OMB’s Russell Vought.
• A CBS News/YouGov poll finds 39% of Americans primarily blame Trump and Republicans, 30% blame Democrats, and 52% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the shutdown.