President Donald Trump’s move to pay the military outside the congressional spending process on Oct. 15 removes a key shutdown pain point for Congress — and that could push this standoff into record territory.
The Senate is back today for Day 14 of this shutdown; without a deal by this weekend, it will become the third-longest shutdown ever, ticking past 16- and 17-day shutdowns of 2013 and 1978, respectively.
There’s no end in sight despite continuing bipartisan chatter and Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s hopes for an off-ramp.
House Republicans may need to eventually write a new stopgap bill, considering the seven-week continuing resolution they passed earlier is already outdated by two weeks.
On the flip side, Democrats want a deal on expiring health care subsidies before the Affordable Care Act marketplaces open up on Nov. 1. Now, they have barely two weeks to achieve that result.