Overview
- The president publicly called for the 'nuclear option' to eliminate the filibuster so a simple GOP majority could pass a stopgap and reopen the government.
- The shutdown has reached about 31 days, with both chambers largely out until early next week and the lapse nearing the 35‑day record set in 2019.
- Senate Republicans hold 53 seats, but Democrats continue to block the House-passed funding bill unless it extends Affordable Care Act subsidies and reverses planned Medicaid cuts.
- Majority Leader John Thune and several Republicans rejected ending the filibuster, even as some conservatives backed Trump's push, leaving rule-change votes unlikely.
- Operational fallout is intensifying, including threatened SNAP food aid starting this weekend, unpaid air traffic controllers and flight delays, missed federal paychecks, and an estimated $7–$14 billion economic hit.