The United States government shutdown entered its third day on Friday, with no resolution in sight as negotiations between Republican and Democratic leaders remain stalled. The impasse is expected to extend until at least next week, as the Senate has postponed further votes until Monday and the House has cancelled all votes for the upcoming week. The House is scheduled to reconvene on October 14, NBC News reported.Republican leaders insist they will not negotiate unless Democrats agree to the GOP’s short-term funding bill, which aims to reopen the govt and allow time for discussions on a more comprehensive funding package. “They have taken hostage the federal govt and, by extension, the American people, who are the only losers in this,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., stated during a news conference alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., at the Capitol on Friday. Thune added, “What’s in the best interest of the American people is keeping the govt open and operating, so it can continue to work on their behalf.” He also commented that talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are “not going to accomplish a lot.” Democrats, however, have declared they will not support the funding bill without their input, asserting their stance after four recent national polls indicate that Americans hold President Donald Trump and Republicans more accountable for the shutdown than Democrats. “Donald Trump and the Republicans own this shutdown,” Schumer said on X. For the fourth consecutive week, the Senate has voted down competing Republican and Democratic funding bills without any change in senators’ positions. Passage of either bill requires 60 votes. House Speaker Johnson previously stated, “The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government.” When queried about the possibility of House Democrats returning to Washington next week, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., responded simply: “Yes.” The Democratic funding bill proposes reopening the govt through October 31, extending expiring Obamacare subsidies, and repealing Trump’s Medicaid cuts, among other measures. The bill lacks support from the GOP. “It’s day three of the Trump shutdown because Donald Trump and Republicans insist on raising Americans’ health care premiums and kicking millions off their insurance,” Schumer remarked on the Senate floor on Friday. Thune mentioned that he could not commit to extending the enhanced Obamacare tax credits, originally enacted in 2021 during the Covid pandemic. In recent Senate votes, only three Democratic caucus members—Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Angus King, I-Maine; and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.—have supported the GOP bill. Republicans are attempting to persuade other moderate or retiring Democrats to join these three senators. The GOP requires five additional Democratic votes to overcome a filibuster and advance the funding bill.
