Overview

• House leaders paused floor action, with Speaker Mike Johnson saying there is nothing to negotiate and urging a handful of Senate Democrats to back a seven‑week continuing resolution.
• The White House directed agencies to finalize contingency plans, and after Trump said firings were happening, his press secretary clarified he was referring to furloughs while layoffs remain planned if the closure persists.
• Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed without pay and public services face disruptions, with some workers required to report without pay.
• Markets are pricing greater uncertainty as gold set record highs and delayed federal data complicates Federal Reserve decision‑making; UBS estimates roughly a 0.1 percentage‑point GDP drag per week.
• During the standoff, the Senate approved about $9 billion in cuts affecting foreign aid and public media including PBS and NPR.