Government shutdown, Day 24: House cancels votes, no sign of progress toward end

The GOP-led House canceled votes Friday for a fifth week with still no hint of progress between congressional Republicans and Democrats to end the federal government shutdown, which on Saturday enters its 25th day.

The White House is already suggesting the federal closure could stretch into the holiday season, potentially impacting travel. President Donald Trump’s departure Friday night for a multicountry trip to Asia at least delivers a definitive blow to any immediate resolution over the weekend and next days.

The possibility of the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 becoming the nation’s longest ever is now very real. The record is 35 days, from late 2018 through early 2019, during Trump’s first term.

The Senate is back in Washington next week. But in this stalemate, the House hasn’t voted at all since Sept. 19. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is sticking to a strategy of stopping legislative floor action to try to put pressure on Senate Democrats to finally help advance a House-passed bill to get funding temporarily flowing again to agencies.

But that hasn’t worked in 12 votes so far in the Senate, the latest on Thursday.
Democrats haven’t budged on their demand to add language that would renew Affordable Care Act — or Obamacare — subsidies, which help lower health insurance premiums, but are set to expire on Dec. 31. Republicans say those discussions can occur later.

There have been predictions by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, that this upcoming week will be decisive in pushing one side or the other over the edge.

The key date is Nov. 1, next Saturday. That is when federal funding runs out for federal food assistance and early education programs, and when other programs, such as heat assistance, will be forced into delays of their normal timelines with cold weather approaching.

But the most pivotal significance of Nov. 1 is that day starts open enrollment for Obamacare. That means millions of Americans will start shopping for their 2026 health coverage plans and could be faced with sticker shock over the higher costs, reflecting that the federal tax breaks have still not been renewed.

One scenario is Democrats will fold their tent that day, declaring their point has been made. Another is that Republicans will get hit with more pressure to renew the subsidies.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) on Friday said he and other Democrats will not back down. Democrats have been circling that day, he said, because “once we hit open enrollment, and Republicans have still refused to act with Affordable Care Act tax credits, I think that’s going to increase the intensity and need for urgent action to take place.”

He suggested that adjustments could still be made to policies retroactively, even if Congress does not act by Nov. 1 on the tax breaks.