Overview
- The shutdown reached day 20 as White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said it could end sometime this week and warned of tougher steps if talks stall.
- Repeated Senate votes on a short-term funding bill have failed to clear the 60-vote threshold, with Democrats holding out for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
- OMB Director Russ Vought said a large-scale personnel reduction is underway, targeting roughly 4,000–4,100 positions concentrated in departments such as Treasury and Health and Human Services.
- Public-sector unions AFGE and AFL-CIO filed suit in California, and a federal judge in San Francisco ordered a pause on the planned displacements during the shutdown.
- Services remain disrupted with about 600,000 employees unpaid and the IRS temporarily laying off more than 34,000 staff, while nationwide “No Kings” protests continued over the weekend.