Senate returns to Washington as government shutdown nears 36-day record
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The Senate returns to Washington, D.C., this week as the government shutdown approaches a record-breaking milestone and lawmakers remain firm in their positions.
The government shutdown, which will take place late Tuesday night, will officially be the longest shutdown in history at 36 days, breaking the previous record set in the history books in early 2019. And as that record approaches, as payday deadlines are missed and federal aid runs out, the Senate is still largely in a holding pattern.
Still, as bipartisan talks increased last week, there was new optimism among some lawmakers, and many hope the same momentum will continue this week.
TRUMP’S ‘NUCLEAR’ DEMANDS ARE NOT REACHING SENATE REPUBLICANS DURING LOCKDOWN
The Senate heads back to Washington, D.C., as the shutdown approaches its longest on record and neither side is ready to budge from their positions. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
However, for now, neither side is giving up the positions they have maintained since October 1, when the closure officially began.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratic caucus, wants a deal to end Obamacare premium subsidies before agreeing to reopen the government. Open registration officially began nationwide on Saturday.
They have long warned that without a deal before open enrollment, Americans who rely on subsidies would see their premiums rise, even though the subsidies don’t end until the end of this year.
“People are going to see very significant increases in their health care costs,” Schumer said last week. “People will sit at the dinner table with a hole in their stomach on a Friday night and say, ‘How are we going to do this?’ they will say.
ADVANTAGES OF FOOD COTTON FOR 42 MILLION AMERICANS AT RISK TODAY AFTER THE CLOSURES
President Donald Trump looks on as he speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews on Nov. 2, 2025. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
Senate Republicans largely agree that the subsidies should be extended in some way, but they also want a series of reforms to the program developed under former President Joe Biden.
And Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) has offered Senate Democrats a vote on Obamacare subsidies, but they say that’s not enough and are demanding President Donald Trump step in.
Trump has officially returned to the country after a nearly week-long trip to Asia, but he still appears to be keeping the shutdown at arm’s length.
While Schumer and his Democratic caucus’ demands have focused on ending Obamacare subsidies, they have also accused Trump of failing to fund federal food aid as he did in 2019, and Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) have called for a meeting with the president.
GOVERNMENT ENTERED THE LONGEST NEVER-ENDED TOTAL SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks at a news conference with Senate Republican leaders following a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 28, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images)
But Trump won’t meet with top congressional Democrats until the shutdown ends; he and Republicans have said this repeatedly.
The government will not compromise on health care negotiations until it reopens.
“I’m not going to do this by being blackmailed by Democrats who have lost their way,” Trump said on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” “There’s something wrong with these people.”
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Trump, meanwhile, has called on Senate Republicans to get rid of the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the upper chamber. Doing so is the proverbial third rail for Senate Republicans and a long-standing priority for Senate Democrats.
He renewed this call with the posts he made on the social media platform Truth Social on Saturday and Sunday over the weekend.
“Republicans, you will regret the day you DIDN’T END THE FILIBUSTER!!! BE Tough, BE SMART, AND WIN,” he said.
