As Monday, Oct. 20, begins, the federal government remains largely shut down, marking the third-longest shutdown in U.S. history, trailing only the 1995 and 2018–2019 closures.
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona told Face the Nation on Sunday that lawmakers could potentially reopen the government this week if Republicans are willing to negotiate over health care subsidies now. “We should be able to wrap things up this week, if they will sit down and have a negotiation with us,” Kelly said.
Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, appearing on the same program, urged Democrats to “do the right thing” and reopen the government first.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene at 5:30 p.m. ET Monday for the 11th vote on a measure to end the shutdown. If the bill passes and is signed by President Donald Trump, federal operations will resume. If not, the shutdown will stretch into a third week.
Who’s affected?
Since just after midnight on Oct. 1, more than 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed and told not to report to work. Essential personnel—like military members, law enforcement officers, border patrol agents, and air traffic controllers—remain on the job, even though some, including most civilian staff, may not be paid until Congress passes a funding bill.
President Trump signed an executive order guaranteeing that active-duty military personnel will be paid, but this does not extend to all federal employees required to continue working.
What are Democrats and Republicans demanding?
Democrats are insisting that the government spending bill protect tax credits for roughly 24 million Americans who buy insurance under the Affordable Care Act. They want the credits made permanent and measures to ensure the Trump administration cannot temporarily withhold funds.
Republicans say they are open to addressing the expiring ACA tax breaks but prefer to handle it separately from the budget fight. They also have falsely claimed that Democrats’ proposal would fund health coverage for undocumented immigrants—a claim the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office disputes.
What services are still running?
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid: Benefits continue, though the Social Security Administration has furloughed 12% of its staff and paused marketing campaigns.
U.S. Mail: Postal services continue, as the USPS does not rely on congressional funding.
Airports: More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and roughly 50,000 TSA officers must work during the shutdown, though pay is delayed until a budget deal is approved.
Food aid: Programs like SNAP and WIC are operating as funds allow. Federal officials warn, however, that if the shutdown continues, November’s SNAP benefits may not be fully funded, with state agencies in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Minnesota already alerting recipients to potential shortfalls.
How the shutdown affects the military and security agencies
While 1.3 million active-duty troops were paid on Oct. 15, roughly 55% of the Defense Department’s 740,000 civilian employees—those in training, procurement, and administrative support—have been furloughed. Civilians working in cybersecurity, medical care, weapons systems maintenance, intelligence, and logistics remain on duty but are not guaranteed pay. National Guard forces deployed to cities are also required to work.
At the Department of Homeland Security, only 5% of the 271,000 employees have been furloughed. More than 70,000 sworn officers, including Customs and Border Patrol, ICE, Secret Service, and TSA staff, continue working and will be paid for all hours worked.
This shutdown, the 15th since 1981, is on track to become the third-longest in U.S. history, surpassing the 17-day closures under Presidents Jimmy Carter in 1978 and Barack Obama in 2013. Photo by Scrumshus, Wikimedia commons.