The U.S. government shutdown reached a significant milestone, now tied with the 2018-2019 shutdown as the longest in the nation's history. The political deadlock continues with both sides at an impasse, though there are emerging, fragile signs of a potential path toward a resolution.
The federal government entered its 35th day of the shutdown on Tuesday, matching the record set during a shutdown in President Trump's first term. This has resulted in the furlough of roughly 900,000 federal employees, while another 2 million are working without pay. The shutdown stems from a failure to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year, with the core conflict revolving around partisan disagreements over health insurance subsidies and federal spending levels.
The real-world consequences of the shutdown intensified as nearly 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faced uncertainty. After a federal judge ordered the administration to continue funding the program, the USDA announced it would provide only half of the normal November benefits by tapping into the program's contingency fund. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the administration is "fully complying with the court order," clarifying that the president's social media post referring to future payments meant he does not want to keep depleting an emergency fund. However, this partial funding has caused panic among recipients, and states may take weeks to distribute the reduced benefits due to complex system reprogramming.
In an attempt to break the legislative gridlock, President Trump urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, a long-standing rule requiring 60 votes to pass most legislation calling it the "nuclear option". This move, however, was met with immediate and firm resistance from his own party. Senate Majority Leader John Thune's spokesperson confirmed his position on preserving the filibuster is "unchanged," calling it a "bulwark against a lot of really bad things happening to the country". Other prominent Republicans, including Senators John Curtis and Roger Marshall, also voiced their firm opposition, with Senator Markwayne Mullin stating he would "absolutely not" favor abolishing it.