Appropriations News (12-month Archives)

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Tues, Nov. 11 – Shutdown Day 42 – VETERANS DAY

• Today in the House of Representatives:

  • Tuesday evening, the House Rules Committee is considering whether to allow amendments to the Senate-passed spending package. [Note: The Rules Committee is highly unlikely to permit amendments since any changes would require another round of votes in the Senate.]

  • Jeffries, Democrats offer 3-year extension of ACA subsidies at Rules Comm. – The Hill

• A provision of the spending package that would end the government shutdown allows eight senators to bring lawsuits if federal law enforcement subpoenaed their data in connection with January 6 investigations, with potential damages of $500,000 for each violation. – CBS

• As Shutdown Nears End, Trump Still Confronts Soaring Health Costs. The central issue of the govt closure remains unresolved, leaving Republicans under pressure ahead of the midterms. – NYT

• Democrats lose shutdown battle — as Trump, Republicans risk losing war. – WP

• Supreme Court extends order blocking full SNAP payments – AP

• The Senate spending bill would fund the Government Accountability Office at $812 million, a full rejection of the nearly fifty percent cut to the agency sought by House Republicans. – Politico

• Spending package forgives $3.4 Trillion in Debt from Trump’s megabill – CRFB

• How Senate Rs won the vote to end the shutdown. Sen. Kaine wanted a “moratorium on mischief” from the Trump administration. He didn’t get it until Sunday night – Politico

• The shutdown was always going to end like this – WP Editorial Bd.

• Congressional Budget Office estimate of the Senate-passed appropriations package – CBO

Mon, Nov. 10 – Shutdown Day 41

• Today in the Senate:

  • 6:23pm: Senate voted 60-40 to proceed to the shutdown ending package.

  • 7:02pm: Senate defeated 47-53 a Democratic motion aimed at permitting a vote on an amendment to extend Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies one year.

  • 7:24pm: Senate defeated 47-53 a Democratic motion aimed at permitting a vote on an amendment to prohibit “pocket rescissions” by the President.

  • 8:08pm: Senate tabled (defeated) 76-24 a Paul (R-KY) amendment to strike a McConnell (R-KY) provision in the bill placing limits on hemp.

  • 8:25pm: Senate voted 60-40 to end debate on (advance) the Senate substitute amendment to the House continuing resolution.

  • 8:42pm: Senate passed 60-40 the Senate substitute amendment to the House continuing resolution.

  • 8:56pm: Senate voted 60-40 to end debate on (and advance) the amended House bill, HR 5371.

  • 9:25pm: Senate gave final approval 60-40 to the spending bill (HR 5371 as amended) to end the shutdown and send it to the House. The final bill does not include an extension of expiring ACA insurance subsidies; Majority Leader Thune has agreed to a December vote on a yet-to-be determined bill addressing the expiring ACA subsidies.

• Schumer privately fought to extend government shutdown – Axios

• Senators appear close to an agreement that would allow them to fast track a bill to end the shutdown, while President Trump said he approved of the deal under consideration. – NYT

• While Trump threatens controllers, US flight cancellations will drag on – AP

• US Airlines Cancel 1,600 Flights as Shutdown Talks Advance – Bloomberg

• President Trump threatened to dock the pay of air-traffic controllers who do not return to work amid a government shutdown. – WSJ

• Democratic opposition to Senate deal runs party’s ideological gamut. Calls for Schumer to step down as party leader mount – Roll Call

• Trump Backs Deal to End US Shutdown as Senate Plans Vote on Bill – Bloomberg

• Trump administration wants Supreme Court to intervene in SNAP fight again. – WP

• Trump administration seeks SCOTUS stay on paying full SNAP benefits. – Politico

• Appeals court denies Trump effort to halt full SNAP benefits for November. – WP

• Shutdown proposal pits Dem moderates, progressives against centrist Senate dealmakers – AP

• Johnson faces multitude of challenges in House vote to reopen government – Punchbowl

• US Senate compromise sets stage for end to government shutdown – Reuters

Sun, Nov. 9 – Shutdown Day 40

• ON SUNDAY, THE SENATE TOOK THE FIRST PROCEDURAL STEP TO END THE SHUTDOWN:

  • The Senate advanced, by a 60-40 vote (60 being required) a package to end the government shutdown which consists of the following six components:
    Collins Stmt | Murray Stmt

    1. Three full-year spending bills for FY 2026:

       • Legislative Branch: Bill Text | Statement | R-SUMM | D-SUMM

       • Ag-Rural-FDA: Bill Text | Statement | R-SUMM | D-SUMM

       • Mil Con – VA: Bill Text | Statement | R-SUMM | D-SUMM | HSE D-STMT

    2. A continuing resolution (stopgap funding) through January 30, 2026 for agencies covered by the 9 unfinished appropriation bills: Bill Text | Sec-by-Sec
       

    3. Program extensions: Bill Text | Sec-by-Sec: Divisions E-G

    4. Backpay for furloughed and “excepted” workers (section 116);

    5. Reverses the mass layoffs announced during the shutdown (section 120); and

    6. Reimbursement of states for expenses incurred due to the federal shutdown (section 118).

  • How was the Senate impasse resolved? A sufficient number of Senate Democrats agreed to support the spending package in exchange for a vague agreement by Majority Leader Thune to schedule a vote in December on a bill relating to ACA health insurance subsidies–the details of which are unspecified, passage of which would require 60 votes, and House action on which is unlikely.

  • Final passage by the Senate is still required. Following final passage, the amended bill will be sent back to the House for that chamber’s consideration. It is unclear when the final vote will occur since post-cloture debate time is available to opponents of the bill.

• Trump administration orders states to pause paying full SNAP benefits – WP

• Thune Plans Shutdown Test Vote as Democrats Lean Toward Deal – Bloomberg

• US Senate takes steps toward vote on ending federal shutdown – Reuters

• Senate leader eyes potential shutdown deal but there’s no guarantee of success – AP

• Senate Closes In on Vote on Ending Government Shutdown – WSJ

• Senators believe enough Democrats are ready to reopen the government. The White House isn’t standing in the way of an emerging deal. – Politico

• As many as 10 Democratic senators are expected to vote for a bill to reopen the government as soon as Sunday evening or early Monday – Hill

• Lawmakers release first pieces of funding package to sweeten shutdown endgame. The initial release of the legislation would fund veterans programs and military construction through September 2026. – Politico

• College students, stressed about federal food aid uncertainty, look to campuses for support – Politico

• Republicans Pitch Alternative to ACA Extension to End Government Shutdown. GOP senators propose sending money directly to consumers’ health accounts. WSJ

• Trump administration demands states ‘undo’ full SNAP payouts – AP

• Families in Limbo After Supreme Court Order Interrupts Food Stamp Payments. – NYT

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that US air travel would come to a virtual standstill during the Thanksgiving holiday if the government shutdown persists. – Bloomberg

• Hunger, Flight Chaos, Health-Care Woes Fail to End Shutdown (updated) – Bloomberg

• Data Fog Intensifying for Fed as Shutdown Delays US Inflation Numbers – Bloomberg

Sat, Nov 8 – Shutdown Day 39

• Talks to end US shutdown look promising, Senate majority leader says – Reuters

• Weekend session gets off to slow start in Senate as lawmakers look for a way out of shutdown – AP

• Hunger, Flight Chaos, Health Premium Shocks Fail to End Shutdown – Bloomberg

• In shutdown fight, fiscal hawks in US Congress push for flat spending – Reuters

• US Supreme Court lets Trump withhold $4 billion in food aid funding for now – Reuters

• Trump urges Senate GOP to give ACA subsidies directly to Americans – WP

• Senate hopes for a weekend shutdown miracle. Majority Leader Thune is keeping senators in Washington for the first time amid the record shutdown. – Politico

• Trump clings to filibuster demand as shutdown drags on. – Politico

• Senate negotiations on reopening the government are descending into another impasse.- Semafor

Fri, Nov 7 – Shutdown Day 38

• Today in the Senate:

  • The Senate failed to advance S. 3012, 53-43, a bill to pay federal employees required to work during the shutdown (60 votes required).

• US Senate rejects bill to restore federal worker pay, remains at odds over shutdown – Reuters

• Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments – AP

• Trump administration asks Supreme Court to halt order providing full SNAP payments for November – AP

• A federal appeals court left in place a district court order requiring Trump Administration to provide full SNAP benefits for November – AP

• Republicans denounce new Democratic offer to end shutdown. Meanwhile, Senate appropriators try to finish work on three full-year bills. – Roll Call

• The Democratic shutdown gambit. At least 10 Republican senators are willing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies in some form. – WP

• Senate GOP rips Democratic offer to end shutdown: ‘Nonstarter’ – Hill

• Democrats Make Counterproposal to End Government Shutdown. The move was quickly rejected by Republicans – WSJ

• Republicans Reject Shutdown Offer as Travel, Food Aid Delays Hit – Bloomberg

• US airlines cancel 1,000 flights while complying with shutdown order – AP

• Senate GOP eyes funding bill with Jan. 30 end date. It’s longer than appropriators would like but shorter than fiscal hard-liners are demanding. – Politico

• Democrats present offer to end shutdown as air travel situation gets worse – CNN
  

• Administration warns airline flight reductions could rise to 15 – 20 percent – CNN

• Flight cancellations hit major airports on first day of FAA reductions. Airlines have canceled more than 1,000 flights to comply with a shutdown-related FAA directive to reduce traffic at 40 airports, including Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. – WP

• Impact of US government shutdown far worse than expected, White House adviser says – Reuters

• Senate eyes likely weekend work amid shutdown stalemate. Lawmakers are continuing to negotiate the terms of an agreement to reopen the government. – Politico

• USDA says it’s working to comply with judge’s order to pay full SNAP benefits. The department’s memo to state SNAP directors comes after the Trump administration filed for an emergency stay of the court’s decision. – Politico

• Senate Republicans eye vote on federal worker pay. The legislation from Sen. Ron Johnson pays federal employees working during the shutdown and active-duty troops. – Politico

• Deal to reopen government falters over Democrats’ distrust of Trump – Hill

Thurs, Nov 6 – Shutdown Day 37

• Senate will vote Friday to advance shutdown-ending deal, Thune tells Republicans. Democrats are expected to oppose the GOP plan as they seek a better deal. – Politico

• Judge orders Trump administration to pay full SNAP benefits. The Trump administration is appealing the decision, which requires officials to send the money to millions of food stamp recipients by Friday. – Politico
  The judge noted that President Donald Trump’s post on social media that benefits wouldn’t be funded until the government reopened “stated his intent to defy the court order.”

• GOP makes new funding offer, opens door to reversing mass firings. Republicans delivered their latest proposal just ahead of a crucial Democratic lunch meeting. – Politico

• US Shutdown Dealmaking Hits New Roadblocks as Tensions Flare – Bloomberg

• Bipartisan talks to end the shutdown intensify, but agreement elusive – AP

• Johnson refuses to promise House vote on extending ObamaCare subsidies – Hill

• Democrats lean toward digging in on shutdown fight – Semafor

• Federal workers face more missed pay, financial challenges as longest government shutdown continues – CNBC

• US flight cancellations accelerate as airlines comply with government shutdown order – AP

• Travelers brace for mass holiday delays amid dragging government shutdown and cut flights. The reductions in airspace capacity will start Friday, the 38th day of the shutdown, and just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period. – NBC

• The House’s prolonged recess during the government shutdown is paralyzing legislative action on Congress’ biggest energy and environment priorities. – Politico

• The federal government is still shut down. Here’s what that means across the country – NPR

• Democrats Mull Shutdown Deal as Thune Plans a Spending Vote – NYT

Wed, Nov 5 – Shutdown Day 36 – Now the Longest Govt Shutdown in History

• Senators closing in on key piece of shutdown deal. Republicans say they are nearing an agreement on a three-bill “minibus.” – Politico

• As shutdown hits record length, many fear long-term impacts. In the wake of setting the record for longest-ever shutdown, some organizations are turning the conversation toward the need for big reforms in the long-run. – FNN

• Trump Blames Shutdown for Republican Losses on Election Day – NYT

• Trump pressures GOP senators to end the government shutdown, now the longest ever – AP

• The government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. See how it compares – NPR

• The US Government Shutdown Is the Longest Ever. – Bloomberg

• Senate Republicans brush off Trump’s push to end filibuster. – Reuters

• FAA Warn Air Traffic Will Soon Be Cut 10 Percent in 40 Markets if Shutdown Continues – NYT

• GOP divisions emerge over end date for funding bill to end shutdown – Hill

• Group of Senate Democrats eye abandoning shutdown fight — but get pushback – Hill

• Dems’ big wins could prolong the shutdown – Politico

• Understanding the ACA subsidy discussion – CRFB

• Senate Dems splinter on shutdown after election success – Axios

• US Shutdown Tests Air Travel, Federal Workers and Patience – Blooomberg

• The shutdown is hurting schools whose budgets are mostly federal money – AP

Tues, Nov 4 – Shutdown Day 35 and Election Day in Several States, Cities

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 54-44 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

• Senate votes down GOP-led stopgap for 14th time. But Republicans and Democrats are talking about a possible off-ramp to end the government shutdown. – Politico

• Speaker Johnson throws cold water on December end-date for funding bill – Hill

• Americans will still get partial SNAP benefits despite Trump post, White House says. The clarification comes after the president threatened on Truth Social to withhold federal food aid funding until Democrats agree to reopen the government. – Politico

• Senate spurns GOP spending bill for 14th time amid bipartisan talks to end shutdown – Hill

• When SNAP benefits will arrive is still in flux. What communities are doing to fill the gap – NPR

• White House Says It Will Make SNAP Payments After Trump Threatened to Defy Court– NYT

• US government shutdown ties record, as congressional inaction takes toll – Reuters

• Talks to end the government shutdown intensify as federal closure nears longest ever – AP

• 23 effects being felt on Day 35 of the shutdown – CNN

• Document reveal chaos and confusion behind government shutdown layoffs – Axios

• Democrats are showing unmistakable signs of splintering as the government shutdown reaches the cusp of setting an all-time record. – Politico

• Threats to Maternal and Infant Health Won’t End After Shutdown Resolved – Georgetown

• House Dems bend on demand for “ironclad” shutdown deal as talks ramp up – Axios

Mon, Nov 3 – Shutdown Day 34

• Senate leaders prepare to pivot to a new bill to end shutdown. GOP-led House would have to come back to vote – Roll Call

• A bipartisan quartet of House lawmakers released a “statement of principles” Monday for a potential compromise on an extension of Obamacare subsidies, which would include a two-year sunset and an income cap for eligibility. – Politico

• US to pay reduced food aid benefits, but warns of weeks or months delay – Reuters

• New hope and pain as shutdown nears record. Talks among rank-and-file senators appear to be headed in the right direction, according to four people granted anonymity. – Politico

• New CR date under discussion, Johnson says. “We’re very mindful of the calendar,” the speaker said Monday. – Politico

• The Trump administration faces a Monday deadline to tell judges if it will fully fund SNAP – AP

• Some Head Start preschools shutter as government shutdown continues – AP

• Democrats urge Trump to engage in talks as the shutdown nears a record. – WSJ

• Deadlines Loom for White House to Explain Food Stamp Funding Plans – NYT

• Government shutdown approaches 35-day record – Semafor
  Trump said on 60 Minutes he’s open to a fix for rising ACA premiums after Democrats reopen the government, while reiterating his view that Republicans should kill the legislative filibuster.

Sun, Nov 2 – Shutdown Day 33

• A Shutdown Reality Check, From 1 Federal Worker – Politico

• Food Stamp Cuts Expose Trump’s Strategy to Use Shutdown to Advance Agenda – NYT

• SNAP’s Future Is Uncertain, Despite Order to Continue During the Shutdown – NYT

• Pressure is on for Congress to reopen government immediately as SNAP benefits run out – CBS

• Bessent says food benefits could flow by Wednesday – USA

• Flight delays persist as government shutdown leads to air traffic controller shortages – AP

Sat, Nov 1 – Shutdown Day 32

• After a month of the shutdown, workers face mounting bills, car repossessions. Finances are becoming dire for the more than 750,000 government workers who have been going without pay for a full month. – WP

• Trump shutdown workarounds test a 150-year-old law – NYT

• ‘The problem is everybody wants to win’: Congress bitterly deadlocked as shutdown pain skyrockets – CNN

• Obamacare premiums double, adding post Halloween fright for US health insurance shoppers – Reuters

• As the Shutdown Pain Grows, Trump Attends to Other Matters – NYT

Fri, Oct 31 – Shutdown Day 31

• Lawmakers face urgency to resolve impasse as food aid is imperiled, airports are snarled and Affordable Care Act enrollment begins – WSJ

• Trump administration must release billions in SNAP funds, judge says. Officials must act “as soon as possible” to avoid prolonged interruption, a federal judge in Rhode Island said. A Massachusetts judge also told the administration to consider contingency funds. – WP

• Staff Shortages at 35 Air Traffic Control Sites Disrupt Travel. Growing problems are unfolding days after the controllers missed their first full paycheck because of the shutdown. – NYT

• Agriculture Secretary calls SNAP “corrupt” one day before benefits lapse – Axios

• New polling showed Americans mostly blame US President Donald Trump and Republicans for the government shutdown – Semafor

• Republicans quickly push back on Trump’s call to nix filibuster. Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on the idea Friday. – Politico

• Feds told shutdown furloughs extended to late November – FNN

• The White House thought the shutdown would be quick. Now they’re frustrated. – Politico

• SNAP rulings ease shutdown pressure as Thune rebuffs Trump’s call to end Senate filibuster – CBS

• Trump administration must fund SNAP payments during the shutdown, judges rule – AP

• The government shutdown won’t be completely recouped—and it could cost the economy up to $14 billion, estimates say – Fortune

• Employees are receiving renewed furlough notices as shutdown enters second month, this time without back pay guarantees. The shutdown is heading into November, sparking new, altered furlough notices to 650,000 employees. – GovExec

• Why the Biggest Federal Worker Union Broke With Democrats on the Shutdown. The largest federal employee union has long endorsed Democrats. Its leader explains why he just broke ranks over the shutdown. – Politico

• Republican leadership has called off votes for Monday in the House as Speaker Mike Johnson sticks with his strategy of keeping the chamber out of legislative session during the government shutdown. – AP

• Trump isn’t issuing Oval invites to end shutdown — yet – Politico

• Obamacare sticker shock is more shocking in some states than others. The premium hikes can be higher or lower depending on a person’s state, income and how much help they receive. For some, the loss of subsidies can amount to triple-digit increases. – Politico

• Government shutdown offers schools a glimpse of life without an Education Department – AP

• Trump Urges Republicans to End the Filibuster to Reopen Government. GOP senators, including Majority Leader Thune, have defended the 60-vote requirement for legislation – WSJ

• Trump urges Republicans to kill the filibuster. The president wants the GOP to use the “nuclear option” as government shutdown drags on. – Politico (Publisher’s note: The Senate’s 60 vote requirement for passage of legislation is the last remaining institutional incentive for bipartisan negotiation. Ending this requirement would be a disaster for the institution and the nation.)

Thurs, Oct 30, 2025 – Shutdown Day 30

• Judge says she’ll likely order Trump administration to send SNAP funds to states. The move could keep food assistance flowing despite the federal government shutdown. – WP

• Judge indicates she’ll intervene in fight over SNAP food assistance money – CNN

• Shutdown-ending stopgap will have to move first in any deal, Thune says. The Senate majority leader struck a cautionary note as a bipartisan group explores advancing appropriations. – Politico

• Federal government shutdown threatens SNAP food aid as several states scramble to help – AP

• A Month Without Data Muddles the Economic Picture. Tariffs and uncertainty were already making the economy hard to read. The loss of government data during the shutdown has made the situation much worse. – NYT

• The ACA premium surge hits home – Axios

• Here’s How Much Obamacare Prices Are Rising Across the Country – NYT

• Piecemeal bills are a waste of time. Just fund the whole government. – WP

• Uncertainty over back pay, RIFs deepening apprehension for federal employees – FNN

• Federal Workers Are Barely Making It Through the Government Shutdown – Wired

• Lots of talk but no deal as shutdown heads for the record books – Roll Call

Wed, Oct 29, 2025 – Shutdown Day 29

• Senators in both parties — below the leadership level — are starting to see an unmistakable shift that they hope leads to a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown, perhaps as early as next week, according to more than a dozen sources. – Semafor

• A looming cliff of crucial deadlines, plus fresh outside pressure, is adding new urgency into bipartisan conversations that have been sputtering for weeks. “I think they’ve picked up,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Politico about the rank-and-file bipartisan talks. “Deadlines have a way of doing that.” – Politico

• White House finds 11th-hour shutdown workaround to pay troops — for now – Axios

• Bipartisan talks to end shutdown gaining steam, senators say – Roll Call

• Government Reopening Proposal Would be the Costliest in History – CRFB

• A Quantitative Analysis of the Effects of the Government Shutdown on the Economy Under Three Scenarios–four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks – CBO

• Federal Reserve cuts key rate as government shutdown clouds economic outlook – AP

• Government Shutdown of Food Aid Is Unprecedented – Bloomberg

• Food aid for 42 million imperiled by shutdown politics, as Trump tests law – Reuters

• FAA Delays Newark Airport Flights on Controller Staffing Crunch – Bloomberg

• Americans Are Getting a Look at Next Year’s ACA Premiums and Many Don’t Like It. Many Affordable Care Act enrollees could pay hundreds of dollars more if they stick with their health plans – WSJ

Tues, Oct 28, 2025 – Shutdown Day 28

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 54-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

• Senate fails to reopen government for 13th time as SNAP battle takes center stage – The Hill

• Fresh Republican shutdown divisions erupt in private call – Axios

• Judge extends order barring the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the shutdown – AP

• Democrats still not supporting GOP bill to end the shutdown. A statement from a powerful federal employees’ union calling on Congress to reopen the government didn’t have an immediate effect. – Politico

• Democratic states sue to force SNAP payments during government shutdown. The Agriculture Dept has $5.5 billion in backup funds for food stamp benefits but says it can’t use them. – WP

• Federal food benefits and preschool aid to run dry starting Saturday if shutdown continues – AP

• Shutdown Makes Air Travel System ‘Less Safe,’ Air Traffic Controllers Say – NYT

• Murray, Kaptur Blast Russ Vought’s Move to Block Funding for Army Corps Projects in Democratic States and Cities – Approps/Murray

• President Trump and Russ Vought’s Corrupt Abuses of Power Make Shutdown More Painful – Approps/DeLauro

• How the Shutdown Has Cut Off Key Data Guiding the Fed – Bloomberg

• Vance said the Trump administration expects to pay military personnel on Friday. The administration had previously moved funds to cover the military’s payroll on Oct. 15, but it is unclear what money would be used to pay troops this time. – Bloomberg

• GOP, Democrats face rising pressure on multiple fronts to end shutdown – The Hill

• Federal employee groups want to reopen government. They disagree on how. While the nation’s largest federal employee union called for Congress to enact House Republicans’ short-term funding deal, another association for federal workers and retirees warned it isn’t as “clean” as proponents say. – GovExec

• No plans for SNAP patch in House, Johnson says. The speaker addressed fellow House Republicans on a sometimes-heated conference call. – Politico

• States sue Trump administration to keep SNAP benefits during government shutdown – CNBC

Mon, Oct 27, 2025 – Shutdown Day 27

• Largest federal workers’ union calls for an immediate end to the shutdown. The American Federation of Government Employees urged Congress to immediately pass a clean continuing resolution. – Politico

• Union Pressures Democrats to End Government Shutdown. ‘Both political parties have made their point,’ AFGE president says – WSJ

• It’s Past Time to End This Shutdown – AFGE

• Shutdown Challenges Republicans’ Vow to Never End the Filibuster. GOP senators gave their word to protect the 60-vote rule. ‘I’m praying to God they keep it,’ says former Sen. Joe Manchin – WSJ

• 6 ways the shutdown is about to get worse. Programs ranging from Head Start to SNAP face new strain Nov. 1. – Politico

• Largest government union calls for clean CR to end shutdown – The Hill

• After courts hampered earlier efforts, Trump wants to cancel more funding during shutdown – PBS

• Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1 – AP

• ‘No Idea How Long People Can Hold Out’: Federal Workers Feel Brunt of Shutdown. As more than one million government employees go without pay, many are turning to side jobs and food banks to make ends meet. – NYT

• Trump wants to cancel more funding during the shutdown. Courts have hampered his earlier efforts – AP

• Transportation secretary says he will pull $160M from California over noncitizen truck licenses – AP

• Hunger and Cold Loom as Shutdown Imperils Funding for Antipoverty Programs. Within days, tens of millions of low-income Americans may lose assistance for food, child care and utilities if the federal government remains shut down. – NYT

• Food banks brace for 42 million without SNAP – Axios

Sun, Oct 26, 2025 – Shutdown Day 26

• US Department of Agriculture says no food aid benefits will be issued next month – Reuters

• US government shutdown threatens the spending power of Congress – Reuters

• The Lone House Democrat Who Thinks His Party Has the Shutdown All Wrong. Maine’s Jared Golden says his party is being pushed in the wrong direction by far-left groups – WSJ

Sat, Oct 25, 2025 – Shutdown Day 25

• How the D.C. region is bracing for a possible loss of SNAP food stamps – WP

• Trump administration says it won’t tap emergency funds to pay food aid. The move means 42 million people will miss SNAP benefits in November unless Congress acts. – Politico

• Vought promised to use the shutdown to shutter the bureaucracy. It didn’t go as planned. The White House advised agencies to go big on downsizing, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. They haven’t. – Politico

• Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune. Timothy Mellon is a billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump. – NYT

• The Speaker’s decision to hold the House in an indefinite hiatus during the shutdown is his latest move to diminish the role of the legislative branch — and his own post. – NYT

• US food banks brace for surge as shutdown threatens benefits – Reuters

Fri, Oct 24, 2025 – Shutdown Day 24

• Federal workers flock to D.C. food bank as they missed first full paycheck of shutdown – NBC

• It’s supposed to be payday for many federal workers. Instead, they’re getting nothing – NPR

• Pay for Trump and Congress continues in shutdown, unless they ask it be held – NewsFromtheStates

• Average Obamacare premiums are set to rise 30 percent, documents show. The higher prices — affecting up to 17 million Americans who buy coverage on Healthcare.gov — reflect the largest annual premium increases by far in recent years. – WP

• Pentagon accepts $130 million donation to help pay the military – AP

• Millions to lose food assistance in November: The US Department of Agriculture says it will not tap into its $6 billion contingency fund to cover food stamp benefits next month. – CNN

• USDA says it can’t use contingency fund for food stamps. Department memo appears to contradict shutdown plan released last month for SNAP. – Roll Call

• DeLauro Statement on White House Unlawfully Blocking SNAP funds – Approps

• Government shutdown likely means no inflation data next month for 1st time in decades – AP

• Why Nov. 1 is a key date in the government shutdown. Impacts on SNAP, WIC, Obamacare. – USA

• Staffing shortages for air traffic controllers accounted for about 5% of flight delays before the shutdown. It now accounts for about 53% of delays. – FNN

• Government shutdown continues to add to stress on air traffic controllers and disrupt flights – AP

• How Trump Violated the Law to Pay the Military – Lawfare

Thurs, Oct 23, 2025 – Shutdown Day 23

• Today in the Senate:

  • A GOP bill (Johnson, R-WI) to pay excepted federal workers who must work during the shutdown, along with active duty military and contractors, failed to pass 54-45 (60 being required).

    • Democrats argued the bill was unfair to furloughed employees and gives too much authority to the Administration to decide who gets paid. However, three Democrats–Fetterman of PA, Ossoff of GA, and Warnock of GA–voted for the bill.)

  • The GOP blocked a Democratic alternative bill (Van Hollen, D-Md) that would have paid all federal employees, excepted and furloughed, as well as servicemembers and contractors. A second Democratic alternative (Peters, D-MI) was also blocked that would have paid federal employees, servicemembers, and contractors from October 1 through the date of enactment.

• The Five Funding Cliffs Approaching as Shutdown Pain Builds – WSJ

• What federal employees should know about retroactive pay after a government shutdown – PFPS

• Senate rejects bills to pay federal workers during government shutdown – AP

• Trump Bypasses Shutdown Fight to Focus on Ceasefires, Ballroom – Bloomberg

• Senate rejects pay plan for some federal workers. Democrats voted down the proposal from Sen. Ron Johnson after putting out their own plan. – Politico

• Lawmakers failed to provide a last-minute reprieve for air-traffic controllers and other federal workers who are set to miss their next paychecks. – WSJ

• Blaming Democrats, Johnson won’t bring the House back to pay air traffic controllers – Politico

• At least 25 states plan to cut off food aid benefits in November. – Politico

• U.S. Health Workers Recalled From Shutdown Furlough for Medicare, A.C.A. Enrollments.– NYT

• As the US government shutdown hurtles through a fourth week, the main source of federal funding for disaster relief efforts is running critically low. – Bloomberg

• Obamacare ‘auto-enrollees’ are key target as GOP formulates tax-credit extension plan – Politico

• Republicans struggle to explain shutdown of the House. Speaker Mike Johnson’s initial strategy to jam the Senate has not worked, but he refuses to change tactics. – WP

• Democrats Block Federal Worker Pay Bill as Shutdown Drags On. A Republican measure that would pay essential government employees faltered in the Senate, and the G.O.P. blocked a pair of Democratic bills to pay a broader swath of workers. – NYT

Wed, Oct 22, 2025 – Shutdown Day 22

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 54-46 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

• The shutdown has reached day 22, making it the second-longest in history, surpassed only by the 35-day shutdown in 2018–19 during Donald Trump’s previous term.

• 10 Key Dates to watch as shutdown nears record length – USA

• Senate GOP chatter rises on filibuster reform to end shutdown – The Hill

• USDA is reopening 2,100 offices to help farmers access $3B in aid – AP

• The shutdown is proving to be ‘gang’-proof. Informal bipartisan talks are nowhere close to ending the second-longest government closure in U.S. history. – Politico

• Government shutdown signals weakness to foes, ex-Defense Secretary says – Axios

• 60,000 aviation safety staff face financial strain as crisis deepens. – Reuters

• Trump is creating two classes of federal workers:Paid and unpaid.Within agencies, some employees are drawing their salaries during the shutdown, and others are working without pay. – WP

• Members of the House Freedom Caucus and at least one influential Republican chairman are pushing for a long-term stopgap spending bill to end the US government shutdown. A long-term continuing resolution would freeze spending at current levels and is unlikely to appease congressional Democrats, who have demanded an extension of Affordable Care Act enhanced premium subsidies. – Bloomberg

• Republican moderates press leadership on health credit extension. Millions of Americans in red states rely on subsidies to keep insurance costs down – Roll Call

• As Shutdown Drags and Trump Flexes, Congress Cedes Its Relevance. “It’s like we have given up,” one Republican lawmaker said. – NYT

• Washington begins to confront the funding unthinkable – Punchbowl News

• The federal government is still shut down. Here’s what that means across the country –NPR

Tues, Oct 21, 2025 – Shutdown Day 21

• Trump tells Democrats no meeting over shutdown until government reopens – Reuters

• Republicans broach longer stopgap bill as shutdown enters 4th week. What was a 7-week funding punt is now a 4-week patch, and some GOP want to extend funding into next year. – Politico

• Republicans aren’t negotiating an Obamacare extension yet. But they’re getting ready. The discussions surround how to structure and advance an extension of key insurance subsidies before the end of the year. – Politico (Publisher’s note: However, by end of the year, many of the 24 million ACA beneficiaries may have already dropped coverage due to the announcement of steep premium hikes.)

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans are a “united team” amid the government shutdown. Thune made the remarks after GOP senators dined with President Donald Trump at the White House. – AP

• What’s happening to end the government shutdown? Nothing. – CNN

• How Trump Played ‘Budgetary Twister’ to Pay Some Workers During the Shutdown. By paying troops and law enforcement officials, the president stretched the limits of his spending powers, posing a fresh test to Congress. – NYT

Mon, Oct 20, 2025 – Shutdown Day 20

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 50-43 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

• TRILLIONS – Shutdown Day 20 and Week in Review – fedbudgetguy.substack.com

• Government shutdown imperils dozens of Head Start preschool programs – AP

• Top energy appropriators underscore how Trump’s shutdown RIFs will weaken efforts to lower Americans’ energy costs and weaken oversight to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse – Approps

• Senate to vote on immediately paying feds working during shutdown as funding deal remains elusive. Democrats appear to oppose the idea, while Republicans suggest a long-term stopgap bill is possible if government does not reopen soon. – GovExec

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday he would oppose a Senate GOP-backed bill that would allow some federal government employees to receive paychecks during a shutdown, slamming it as a “political ploy” to allow the Trump administration “to pick and choose” which employees to pay and which to furlough. – Politico

• Air Traffic Controllers Could Soon Be Getting No Pay. Controllers have already received one reduced check, because the shutdown began in the middle of a pay period. The next pay date, Oct. 28, will be the first fully missed paycheck. – NYT

Sun, Oct 19, 2025 – Shutdown Day 19

• Nearly 3 weeks in, White House and GOP remain aligned on shutdown. Hill Republicans voice few quibbles over federal closures. – Politico

• Congress Is Running Out of Time to Decide the Fate of Obamacare Subsidies – WSJ

Sat, Oct 18, 2025 – Shutdown Day 18

• Shutdown impact: What it means for workers, federal programs and the economy – AP

• Trump moves closer to eliminating Education Department amid shutdown. The administration is looking to shed workers and transfer some operations to other departments as it seeks to close the Education Department – WP

• Trump really wants a shining capital. Can you do that while battering the city economy? – Politico

• DHS Sec. Noem spends $200m on 2 luxury private jets during government shutdown – Approps

Fri, Oct 17, 2025 – Shutdown Day 17

• Trump administration freezes $11bn for infrastructure in Democratic states. Vought ups ante in shutdown fight, announcing work pause in cities such as NYC, San Francisco & Boston – Guardian

• Court extends restraining order to shield more feds from shutdown RIFs – FNN

• OMB delays firing federal workers to comply with court order. Administration says about 2,500 layoff notices sent to government employees, but they remain on hold – Roll Call

• The office that administers the federal court system said that as of Monday, the judiciary will not have funding to sustain “full, paid operations.” – NYT

• Resources for federal employees during the shutdown – FNN

• DHS keeps paying 70k law enforcement officials amid shutdown using reconciliation funds – FNN

• It’s ‘too late’ to extend ACA subsidies without major disruptions, some states and lawmakers say. States are worried Congress missed its opportunity to extend enhanced ACA subsidies and lower premiums before consumers start picking plans in a few weeks. – Politico

• Higher Obamacare Prices Become Public in a Dozen States – NYT

• Funding shortfall hits judiciary harder than during last government shutdown – Reuters

• Top nuclear weapons agency to furlough most staff amid shutdown – Politico

• Government Is Shut Down. But Not for Fossil Fuels. Federal workers who issue permits for oil, gas and mining operations are on the job, along with those working to repeal pollution limits. – NYT

• Trump’s military pay move puts Congress in the back seat on spending. White House’s budget maneuvers render the appropriations process ‘essentially meaningless,’ critics argue – Roll Call

• Shutdown set to go 20 days – Semafor

• The Supreme Court is about to run out of money, and federal courts across the country are expected to run out by early next week because of the government shutdown. – The Hill

• Food stamp benefits may run out in November, officials warn. – NYT

• Trump Administration to Pay Some ICE and T.S.A. Agents During Shutdown. The moves marked President Trump’s latest effort to pay some federal workers even though Congress has not approved a spending deal. – NYT

Thurs, Oct 16, 2025 – Shutdown Day 16

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 51-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Defense Appropriations Bill failed to advance 50-44 (60 being required)
    GOP Stmt

• As the government shutdown drags on with no end in sight, a new AP-NORC poll finds that most Americans see it as a significant problem — and all of the major players are being blamed. At least three-quarters of Americans believe each deserves at least a “moderate” share of blame, underscoring that no one is successfully evading responsibility. – AP

• Military spending bill blocked in US Senate as shutdown grinds on – Reuters

• Thune dangles Obamacare vote after shutdown ends. The GOP leader is trying to sway Senate Democrats to reopen the government without making a guarantee whether key insurance subsidies will be extended. – Politico

• SNAP running out of funds: The US Agriculture Department is warning states that funding for food stamps will run out next month if the government shutdown continues. People receiving food aid through SNAP will get benefits through the current month, but there will be insufficient funds to pay full November benefits. Seventeen states stopped issuing October SNAP benefits to new applicants. – Bloomberg

• Thune signals White House is flexible on rolling back shutdown moves. The South Dakota Republican said he didn’t have specifics but believes the White House has indicated “flexibility” on its shutdown posture. – Politico

• The closure is driven by partisan fury and a fight over who controls government. That could make it harder to resolve. – WP

Wed, Oct 15, 2025 – Shutdown Day 15

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 51-44 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

• Democrats float a new shutdown demand: Reversing Trump’s mass firings. Even as the courts step in, some lawmakers want workers protected in any standoff-ending deal. – Politico

• The Impossible Politics That Mean the Shutdown Is Set to Drag On – WSJ

• Judge blocks Trump’s layoffs during shutdown, calling them illegal – NBC
  Federal District Judge Illston said the Trump administration had “taken advantage of the lapse in government spending and government functioning to assume that all bets are off, the laws don’t apply to them anymore, and they can impose the structures that they like on the government situation that they don’t like.”

• The administration is finding ways to pay troops and for government work Trump favors, while targeting “Democrat programs” for layoffs or closures. – WP

• Vought says layoffs during shutdown likely to exceed 10,000 – The Hill

• Why Dems aren’t fighting Trump’s “illegal” shutdown workarounds – Axios

• Backpay: Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski is joining more than 150 congressional Democrats to demand that White House budget director Russ Vought commit to providing back pay to furloughed federal workers. – Politico Text of Letter

• Johnson suggests House would return to fund DOD — but only if government reopens – The Hill

• Shutdowns do not require Presidents to layoff workers or cancel projects – Approps/Murray

• Three-Quarters of Public Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year, Including Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters – KFF

• Shutdown is putting a renewed spotlight on the cracks in the US aviation system – AP

Tues, Oct 14, 2025 – Shutdown Day 14

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 49-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

• President Donald Trump said he will announce a new list of programs to cut Friday should the government shutdown drag on through the end of the week. – Politico

• Shutdown layoffs target services for vulnerable students, homeless, seniors. The most-at-risk Americans will suffer from the Trump administration’s latest layoffs, current and former federal officials warned. – WP

• Senate fails to advance GOP funding bill for 8th time – CBS

• White House Warns More Layoffs Are Coming – Forbes

• Trump and budget chief Vought are making this a government shutdown unlike any other – AP
  “Vought has seized on the opportunity to fund Trump’s priorities… while slashing jobs in health, education, the sciences and other areas with actions that have been criticized as illegal and are facing court challenges. Trump said programs favored by Democrats are being targeted and ‘they’re never going to come back.’”

• Shutdown continues to scramble Congress’ agenda. Hearings and markups have been canceled and work on appropriations and permitting reform has stalled. – Politico Pro

• 4 GOP ideas for an Obamacare subsidies compromise. Repubs on Capitol Hill and in the White House are quietly mulling proposals that could unite members on Obamacare subsidies.-Politico
  New income limits; minimum out-of-pocket premiums; cutting off enhanced tax credits for new enrollees; new abortion restrictions.

• “Ag retailers and their farmer customers rely on USDA programs and data to make informed decisions. We urge Congress to act swiftly to restore these essential services,” said Daren Coppock, ARA President & CEO – Daily Scoop

• White House to continue reductions in force as shutdown drags on – Politico

• White House budget office says it is preparing to “ride out” shutdown with more layoffs – CNN

• Who will lose out when ACA health insurance subsidies expire? – WP

• White House Guts Education Department With More Layoffs. About a fifth of the agency’s remaining staff was affected, including employees working on special education, funding for low-income students and civil rights enforcement. – NYT

Mon, Oct 13, 2025 – Shutdown Day 13

• A lot of attention has focused on the Supreme Court’s virtual reversal of Humphrey’s Executor on the shadow docket. But that is not the only case that the court is also effectively overruling…It is doing the same to Clinton v. City of New York, the 1998 case that struck down Line Item Veto Act.-ScotusBlog

• Government shutdown could be the longest ever, Speaker Johnson warns – AP

• Congress is losing its grip on the power to spend Americans’ money. “Congress doesn’t really have a say on anything,” said former Michigan congressman Fred Upton. “No one’s putting their hand up to say ‘stop.’” – WP

Sun, Oct 12, 2025 – Shutdown Day 12

• Vance warns ‘deeper’ cuts ahead for federal workers as shutdown enters 12th day – AP

• Partisan shutdown standoff ignores key risk to US stability: rising national debt – Reuters

• The Government Shutdown Is Finally Starting to Bite. Pressure on federal workers and contractors grows, while servicemembers get good news. Shutdown has closed Smithsonian museums and halted federal worker pay, and is deepening strain on contractors and businesses. – WSJ

• Vance says ACA credits fuel fraud as Democrats push for extension to end shutdown – Reuters

• Trump administration and government shutdown updates – CNN

• “It feels terrible.” Federal worker’s family tightens their belts as shutdown drags on – NPR

• Pressure growing on Johnson to call House back amid shutdown fight – The Hill

• The OTHER Democratic Demand for Reopening the Government. It’s about stopping Donald Trump and Russ Vought—and it can’t happen soon enough. – Bulwark

Sat, Oct 11, 2025 – Shutdown Day 11 – Trump says military will be paid

• What to Know About Trump’s Latest Round of Government Layoffs. The White House and Russell Vought are following through on a threat to fire federal employees during the government shutdown. – WSJ

• DeLauro Statement on Destruction of CDC Through Illegal Mass Layoffs – Approps/DeLauro

• Trump’s Shutdown Layoffs Deepen Impasse, Angering Democrats. The president’s move to fire federal workers and his threats to make others go without pay were aimed at pressuring Democrats to cut a deal to reopen the government. The tactics have fueled Democrats’ resolve. – NYT

• Trump orders Defense Dept. to issue military paychecks during shutdown. Trump said that the Pentagon would repurpose money to make payroll, as military service members were poised to miss paychecks on Wednesday. Most other government workers will not be paid. – WP

• Trump Says Military Will Get Paid Despite Shutdown – WSJ
  A recent Congressional Budget Office memo said that some funds from Trump’s tax and spending package, signed into law in July, potentially could be used to pay active-duty personnel during a shutdown. According to the CBO memorandum, “Active-duty military personnel generally are considered excepted employees and thus are required to work during a government shutdown. Like other federal employees, they are paid once appropriations are enacted. Some of the funds in DoD’s direct appropriation under the 2025 reconciliation act could be used to pay active-duty personnel during a shutdown, thus reducing the number of excepted workers who would receive delayed compensation.”

• Pentagon will pay military troops, Trump says. The president said Saturday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has funds available to pay troops on Wednesday. – Politico
  “To scrounge up enough money to pay the troops, the Pentagon is tapping into its research and development accounts to use money Congress made available for two years, according to an OMB official… ‘They are violating the law left and right,’ Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House’s top Democratic appropriator, told reporters on Friday about the administration’s moves to shift funding during the shutdown… DeLauro said she trusts that the federal government’s top watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, will push back against any illegal shifting of funding during the lapse.”

• Trump directs Pentagon to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown – AP

• Some Americans Are Starting to Feel the Impact of the Government Shutdown. The Trump administration said over 4,000 workers would be laid off. Farmers trying to plan next year’s crops don’t have all the tools they need. Some medical services have been curtailed in Native communities. – NYT

• The ‘least intensity’ shutdown ever and why it could go on longer – WP

• Elon Musk’s team started a behind-the-scenes push for White House control over federal spending that is now an undercurrent of the government shutdown – NYT

• Trump Fires Thousands In Shutdown Layoffs—Hitting Treasury And Health Departments Hardest: Here’s What To Know – Forbes

Fri, Oct 10, 2025 – Shutdown Day 10: No deal as the shutdown marches toward Week Three Speaker Johnson cancels another week’s session as shutdown drags

• Congress erupts at Trump’s shutdown mass firings – Axios

• WIC food program receives $300M to keep running during government shutdown – AP

• Approps Dems respond to OMB Mass Firings: Murray Stmt DeLauro Stmt

• Federal employees brace for first partial paychecks as shutdown continues. The partial paychecks are the final earnings that excepted and furloughed federal employees will receive until the government shutdown ends. – FNN

• Trump administration begins laying off federal workers amid shutdown. White House budget director Russell Vought said reductions-in-force were underway. – WP

• Over 4K federal workers hit with shutdown-related layoffs, so far. Court filing makes clear that additional layoffs are possible. – Roll Call

• The Shutdown Layoffs Begin – WSJ

• Budget office says ‘substantial’ firings of federal workers have started – AP

• White House has, for now, ruled out legislative fix for military pay. Over 1 million military paychecks could go unfulfilled on Oct. 15. – Politico

• Vought sounds layoff siren: ‘The RIFs have begun.’ At least nine agencies appear to be affected. – Politico

• USDA tells lawmakers WIC will be funded through October – Politico

• As government funding expired, so too did the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act – Roll Call

• Labor Department recalls furloughed workers to compile critical inflation data. The quality of data produced by the agency is key to Federal Reserve interest rate decisions that affect everything from mortgages to corporate debt. – Politico

• ‘RIFs have begun’: Trump’s budget office escalates government shutdown with mass firings of federal workers – Fortune

• Mike Johnson sticks to no-show shutdown strategy as resistance mounts. “There is absolutely no reason for the House to be out of session,” GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley said. “It’s embarrassing.”–Politico

• The Fiscal Gambit at the Center of the Shutdown. It is a well-worn strategy to temporarily create a government benefit and hope that its eventual expiration will create a standoff like the shutdown fight. – NYT

• The shutdown has caused widespread disruption to state-administered services that depend on federal funding streams. Nearly all states are reporting delays or suspensions of critical programs in areas like nutrition, healthcare, housing, and small business support. – NCSL

Thurs, Oct 9, 2025 – Shutdown Day 9

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 54-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Democratic alternative CR (S 2882) failed again 47-50 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

• Union leaders representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers urged both parties to negotiate as their members prepared to receive their last paychecks until standoff resolved. – NYT

• IRS pulls back on promise of back pay for idled workers. It’s another sign federal employees may not receive compensation once the government reopens. – Politico

• Some GOP lawmakers have warned the president’s aides against mass layoffs and sharp cuts to government assistance – WSJ

• Why Schumer thinks Dems have momentum – Punchbowl News

• Senate Republicans eye piecemeal government reopening – Axios

• White House declines to engage Democrats as shutdown drags into second week – WP

• More on White House’s view that furloughed workers aren’t guaranteed back pay – Axios

• These Democrats Could Hold the Key to Ending the Shutdown. As the federal closure slides into a second week, Republicans are working to peel off five more Democratic senators to join them in voting to reopen the government. – NYT

• Top GOP defense appropriator breaks with Johnson on shutdown troop pay. The rare move ratchets up the pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson over his shutdown strategy. – Politico

• Senate won’t touch filibuster to end shutdown, Thune says. The “nuclear option” has gained traction in some circles — mostly off Capitol Hill. – Politico

• Days Before Open Enrollment Begins, Senator Murray Joins Idaho Leaders, Residents Who Rely on ACA Tax Credits to Call on Republicans to Come to the Table to Prevent Health Care Costs from Skyrocketing – Approps/Murray

Wed, Oct 8, 2025 – Shutdown Day 8: Senate rejects CR again

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR (HR 5371) failed again 54-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Democratic alternative CR (S 2882) failed again 47-52 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

• Mike Johnson faces growing internal revolt over shutdown – Axios

• On Tuesday, the Trump admin said furloughed feds were not guaranteed back pay. On Wednesday, it sent notices saying they were. – Gov Exec

• Johnson rules out stand-alone vote on paying troops during shutdown – Axios

• House Dems prep letter to Johnson urging vote on troop pay bill – Politico

• White House draws out mass federal firings timeline as GOP grows squeamish – CNN

• How Businesses Are Already Feeling Shutdown Pain. From medical-device maker to marketers, companies feeling the pinch of stalled contracts – WSJ

• This Shutdown Is as Pointless as All the Others – Bloomberg Editorial Bd.

• IRS Furloughs nearly half of its workforce – FiscalTimes

• Who is still working and who has been furloughed? – Reuters

Tues, Oct 7, 2025 – Shutdown Day 7: White House sows fears about backpay for furloughed workers.

• Staffing shortages cause air travel delays as shutdown nears the one-week mark – CNN

• Trump says he will announce in five days which government programs and jobs will be ‘permanently eliminated’

• New York Times: White House Signals It May Try to Deny Back Pay to Furloughed Federal Workers. Union leaders and Democratic lawmakers say the move would run afoul of a law adopted under President Trump’s first term. “Asked if these (furloughed) workers would indeed lose back pay, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that it ‘depends on who you’re talking about,’ adding that there were ‘some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.’”

• Wall Street Journal reported today: “Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) pointed to two coming pressure points on Democrats—this Friday, when some federal paychecks will shrink, and next week, when military workers will lose pay. He sidestepped questions about the White House budget office’s attempts to raise questions about the 2019 law guaranteeing back pay…. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said the 2019 law was clear and that the White House memo was an empty threat. ‘Every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to back pay. Period. Full stop,’ he said Tuesday.” (emphasis added)

• Senate Appropriations Ranking Democrat Patty Murray, responding to the White House memo on backpay, released the following statement: “The letter of the law is as plain as can be—federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their backpay following a shutdown. Another baseless attempt to try and scare & intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards.” – Watch Sen. Murray’s Floor speech

• OMB and OPM in conflict over backpay: While the Axios article below reports the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is taking the position that furloughed workers are not necessarily entitled to back pay, this conflicts with last week’s guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which states:

  • “Will employees who are furloughed get paid?

  • A. Yes. After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough periods. (Click HERE for the statutory requirement at 31 U.S.C. 1341(c)(2), enacted in the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 signed into law by President Trump after the last government shutdown.)”

  • The operative provision states: “(2) Each employee of the United States Government or of a District of Columbia public employer furloughed as a result of a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations, and each excepted employee who is required to perform work during a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for such work, at the employee’s standard rate of pay, at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates, and subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse.”

  • Legal Analysis from Charles S. Konigsberg, J.D., publisher of Appropriations.com, former OMB Assistant Director, General Counsel at Senate Finance Committee, and Staff Attorney at Senate Budget Committee: There is no ambiguity in the statute. Congress clearly stated that furloughed and excepted employees “shall be paid” at the earliest possible date after a shutdown ends. The final clause, “subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse” means only that employees cannot be paid until appropriations are enacted that end the shutdown. Therefore, as soon as a CR is enacted ending the shutdown, the furloughed and excepted employees must be paid.

• White House memo says furloughed federal workers aren’t entitled to back pay (Axios) – As reported by Axios, “Furloughed federal workers aren’t guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, according to a draft White House memo described to Axios by three sources. Why it matters: If the White House acts on that legal analysis, it would dramatically escalate President Trump’s pressure on Senate Democrats to end the week-old shutdown by denying back pay to as many as 750,000 federal workers after the shutdown.”

• OMB deletes reference to law guaranteeing backpay to furloughed feds from shutdown guidance. An OMB FAQ document now states that only excepted employees forced to work without pay are guaranteed backpay at the conclusion of a lapse in appropriations. – GovExecutive

• Republican leaders clash on emergency troop pay vote. Some lawmakers want to move standalone legislation to deliver military paychecks amid the shutdown. – Politico

• House Dem Leader rules out short-term extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies – CNN

• Democrats are winning the shutdown fight. Turns out Republicans still haven’t figured out the politics of health care. – Bulwark/Cohn

• Mass Layoffs Trump Is Threatening in Shutdown Fight May Be Illegal – NYT

Mon, Oct 6, 2025 – Shutdown Day 6: White House sows fears about mass layoffs, although new analysis explains why RIFs during a shutdown are illegal.

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR failed again 52-42 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Democratic alternative CR failed again 45-50 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

• White House: Mass layoffs will start if shutdown talks ‘going nowhere’ (Reuters), but see Why RIFs During a Shutdown Are Illegal

• The Senate returns with no shutdown deal in sight. The House has no votes planned this week, as Republicans try to pressure Senate Democrats to give in and open the government. – WP

• For ACA subsidies, deadline is now, experts say – The Hill

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday there are no pending bipartisan talks over expiring health insurance subsidies despite a claim from President Donald Trump. – Politico

• Some are eyeing Oct. 15 — when active-duty military members could miss a paycheck — as the next deadline for action. – Politico

Sun, Oct 5, 2025 – Shutdown Day 5:

• The shutdown conversation no one wants. Partisan bickering overshadows real questions about taxes and the size of America’s government. – WP Editorial Bd.

• Transcript: House Speaker Mike Johnson on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” – CBS

Sat, Oct 4, 2025 – Shutdown Day 4:

• Lawmakers have left Washington with no end to government shutdown in sight – CNN

• The Oval Office meeting didn’t stop a shutdown, but the Trump 2028 hats and a sombrero set a tone – AP

• What to know about the threats to fire federal workers amid the government shutdown – NPR

Fri, Oct 3, 2025 – Shutdown Day 3:

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR failed again 54-44 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Democratic alternative CR failed again 46-52 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

• Shutdown drags on amid talk of side deals to get stopgap unstuck. Senators search for ways to break impasse on health insurance subsidies. – Roll Call

• House will stay out of session next week as Senate works to solve shutdown. – Politico

• Shutdown Drags On as Senators Leave Washington Amid Impasse – Bloomberg

• Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to ‘illegal immigrants’ – AP

• A majority of Trump supporters back extending Obamacare subsidies, poll finds – NBC

• Plans to End Government Shutdown Fail in Senate for 4th Time – NYT

• White House Senses Political Risk on Healthcare Despite Shutdown Bravado. Trump aides discussing proposals to extend Obamacare subsidies on which millions of Americans rely. – WSJ

• Health insurance subsidies at the center of US government shutdown fight disproportionately benefit areas of the country represented by Republican lawmakers – Bloomberg

• Trump freezes Chicago transit funding, targeting Democratic areas in shutdown. The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, escalating Trump’s campaign to use the extraordinary power of the U.S. government to punish political rivals. – Reuters

• The president’s detractors say he’s following his scorched-earth playbook by cutting projects in liberal states. – Politico

• Program that helps 6 million women, infants, and children (WIC) could run out of funding – WP

• Senate GOP Leader says he won’t make commitments on health care subsidies until Dems vote to reopen government. – AP

• White House repeats false claim about free health care for “illegal aliens” – AP

Thurs, Oct 2, 2025 – Shutdown Day 2:

• HHS that employees of the federal agency were instructed to blame Democrats for the government shutdown in their out-of-office messages. – CNN

• Govt shutdown expected to last into next week as White House warns of mass firings – CNN

• US government shutdown heads for third day amid partisan standoff. The shutdown will persist at least until Friday, when the Senate next convenes to address the issue. – Reuters

• Trump Eyes Firing Thousands of Federal Workers Over Shutdown – Bloomberg

• Trump’s Budget Chief, Slayer of Big Government, Moves Quickly in Shutdown. Russell Vought is taking aim at Democratic priorities and projects. – WSJ

• Trump Promises Cuts to ‘Democrat Agencies.’ President Trump redoubled his threat to use the shutdown to slash the federal bureaucracy as Democrats and Republicans dig in for an extended battle. – NYT

• Federal shutdowns usually don’t do much economic damage. There are reasons to worry about this one. – AP

• Senior government officials privately warn against firings during shutdown. The Trump administration has said mass firings are coming, but officials have quietly warned several agencies that the move could violate appropriations law. – WP

• Thune warns Democrats about Russ Vought: ‘We don’t control what he’s going to do’. The Senate majority leader spoke out as some Republicans express qualms about the White House slash-and-burn campaign. – Politico

• Rank-and-file senators began discussing potential solutions Wednesday, though a compromise remains out of reach. – WP

• This shutdown won’t be like the others. The political theatre might look similar. The dynamics underneath are different. – Politico

Wed, Oct 1, 2025 – Shutdown Day 1:

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR failed again 55-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Democratic alternative CR failed again 47-53 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

• Government shutdown 2025: A guide to what’s still open, what’s closed and what’s fuzzy. While Social Security checks, mail and student loan bills will still be delivered, millions of workers are still set to suffer financial hardship. – Politico

• Trump shields immigration and trade from shutdown fallout. The president is attempting to exact maximum pain on Democrats by pinning the fallout on them while ensuring his own priorities continue unimpeded. – Politico

• Government shutdown takes hold with mass layoffs looming and no end in sight. – AP

• Looming health insurance spikes for millions are at the heart of the government shutdown – AP

• These 6 charts explain why the government shut down – NYT

• Republican senator outlines working group’s ideas for extending Obamacare subsidies. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is the latest Republican to confirm his participation in negotiations. – Politico

• White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown – Reuters

• White House Uses Shutdown to Maximize Pain and Punish Political Foes – NYT

• What to Expect From the Federal Government Shutdown. – WSJ

• Parts of government halt services in first shutdown since 2019. The Senate voted Wednesday on whether to reopen the government, but Democrats held firm against a Republican plan to extend funding until Nov. 21. – WP

• Trump Plans to Use Shutdown to Fire Federal Workers This Week – Bloomberg

Tues, Sept 30, 2025:

• Today in the Senate:

  • The House-passed CR failed 55-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • The Democratic alternative CR failed 47-53 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

  • Therefore the Federal Government Will Shutdown at Midnight.

• Mass email tells federal employees not to blame Trump for government shutdown – FNN

• US government on brink of shutdown after last ditch Senate vote fails – BBC

• Trump Tells Generals the Military Will Be Used to Fight ‘Enemy Within’. President says some U.S. cities he considers dangerous should become training grounds for American troops – WSJ

• Trump Says Government Shutdown Likely as No Last-Minute Deal Emerges. Funding will lapse at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless Congress passes a stopgap spending bill. – WSJ

• Trump Threatens ‘A Lot’ Of Firings as Shutdown Deadline Nears – Bloomberg

• Trump warns Democrats of ‘irreversible’ actions in government shutdown – Reuters

  • Democrats push for health benefits extension amid shutdown threat

  • Trump threatens federal workforce layoffs amid shutdown uncertainty

• Here are some effects of a government shutdown if Congress, Trump don’t reach a deal – AP

• Potential Effects of a Federal Government Shutdown – CBO

• What Trump told POLITICO about the impending government shutdown – Politico

• Republicans decry WH moves to defund oversight activities – Politico

• Trump Administration defunds federal watchdog office – NYT

• Trump and Vought Illegally Defund Nonpartisan Government Watchdogs – Approps/DeLauro

• Senator Murray Takes to Floor to Lay Out How Republicans Are Forcing a Shutdown, Refusing to Prevent Americans’ Health Care Costs from Exploding – Approps/Murray

• There’s only one way to win a shutdown. – NYT/Gingrich

Mon, Sept 29, 2025:

• Trump posts vulgar deepfake slam of Democratic leaders after White House meeting – Politico

• Firing allowed, training is not: Trump administration shares shutdown plans – Reuters
  The impending shutdown will be different from past government closures because the administration has threatened mass firings of federal staff, adding that it could use the lapse in funding to downsize the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management in a Monday memo said while training and onboarding of new federal employees is not allowed under the law dictating the parameters of a shutdown, the employees who oversee any firings are to continue their work. Unlike in past shutdowns, furloughed federal employees will also be allowed to use their government-issued computers to check for layoff notices in their email, according to OPM. (Publisher’s note: this position of the OPM is contrary to legal precedent, since RIFs have nothing to do with “safety of human life or the protection of property.”)

• Trump’s Meeting With Democrats Yields No Progress, With Shutdown a Day Away – NYT

• No Deal Reached in Talks to Avoid Shutdown – WSJ

• Vance Says US Headed for Shutdown After Talks With Democrats – Bloomberg

• White House shutdown summit fails to produce a deal – Politico
  Congressional leaders left a high-stakes Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump without a breakthrough Monday, greatly raising the likelihood of a government shutdown starting early Wednesday morning. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters at the White House that “there are still large differences between us….Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed before leaving for the White House that the Senate will vote (again) on Tuesday on the House-passed continuing resolution.”

• Shutdown nears as Trump meeting yields no breakthrough with Congress. The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless lawmakers act. Democrats and Republicans are at a standstill on health care spending and a funding extension. – WP

• Congressional leaders leave White House meeting without deal to avoid government shutdown – AP

• A government shutdown could start Wednesday. Here’s what to know. – WP

• Federal workers unions call on Schumer, Jeffries to hold the line even if it means a shutdown. “Federal workers will willingly forego paychecks in the hopes of preserving the programs we have devoted our lives to administering,” the unions said. – Politico

• Senator Murray Remarks on Senate Republican Bill for Automatic CR – Approps/Murray

• Today, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an analysis showing that the Trump Administration is violating the law by freezing funding for disasters and emergencies – Approps/DeLauro

• Top Watchdog Again Finds Trump Has Illegally Blocked FEMA Funds—Including for Disaster Preparedness Systems – Approps/Murray

Sun, Sept 28, 2025:

• MONDAY 2pm WHITE HOUSE MEETING: Monday afternoon, the bipartisan congressional leadership will meet with President Trump at the White House to discuss the looming shutdown. (Last week Trump canceled a scheduled meeting.) Read more from: WP | WSJ | NYT | Bloomberg

• Which Federal Employees Will Be Classified as “Excepted?” The answer is: we do not yet know, for most departments. President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, unlike previous administrations and the first Trump Administration, has failed to post on its website shutdown plans for each of the federal agencies—instead saying only, “In accordance with Circular A-11, agency contingency plans for a lapse in appropriations are hosted solely on each agency’s website.” See our shutdown webpage for the latest information we have on agency shutdown plans.

• With three days to go before a U.S. government shutdown, an advocacy group that tracks federal spending warns that about $8 billion approved by Congress for healthcare and education is at risk of going unused, held back by President Donald Trump’s administration. – Reuters

Fri, Sept 26, 2025:

• A federal government shutdown is nearing. Here’s a guide for what to expect. – News from States

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Democrats must “dial back” their demands, including extending expiring health care subsidies, to reach a deal. – Bloomberg

• Schumer Sees an Exit Ramp in Standoff Over Shutdown. Senate Democratic leader says extending health-insurance subsidies would be central to any deal. – WSJ

• Congress is barreling toward a shutdown, despite the perils. Democrats say they won’t back a GOP bill to extend government funding unless Republicans negotiate with them over health care. – WP

• Democratic Appropriators response to Supreme Court ruling: DeLauro Murray

• Republicans in Congress must take this spending threat seriously – NYT/GOP opinion

• Supreme Court clears way for Trump to withhold $4B in foreign aid. The ruling could further muddle negotiations over the impending government shutdown. – Politico

• Supreme Court allows Trump officials to freeze billions in foreign aid. The ruling is a victory for the president’s aggressive push to exert greater control over federal spending. – WP

• Supreme Court Allows Trump to Withhold $4 Billion in Foreign Aid. The administration had been trying to run out the clock on paying the funds, with authorization set to expire next week. – WSJ

• Supreme Court Allows Trump to Slash Foreign Aid. The court’s conservative majority allowed the president to cut the funding in part because it said his flexibility to engage in foreign affairs outweighed “the potential harm” faced by aid recipients. – NYT

• Supreme Court allows pocket rescission of $4 billion to stand – SCOTUS

Thurs, Sept 25, 2025:

• Feasibility of RIFs around a government shutdown called into question – FNN

• Senator Murray Statement on OMB Memo Issued Last Night – Approps/Murray

• House GOP Statement on Impending Shutdown – Approps/Cole

• Democrats dig in on shutdown after White House layoff threat – Politico

• White House begins plan for mass firings if there’s a government shutdown – WP

• OMB tells agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of potential shutdown – AP

• What we know about how a government shutdown would unfold – AP

• White House threatens sharp cuts in US workforce if government shuts down – Reuters

• How a U.S. Government Shutdown Would Affect You. Social Security and other payments would continue, though a lapse in funding would furlough hundreds of thousands – WSJ

• Threat of mass firings could lead to large numbers of federal workers losing their jobs and worsen the potential disruption to the economy with an already weakening labor market. – Bloomberg

Wed, Sept 24, 2025:

• OMB MEMO: FULL TEXT OF OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET MEMO

• White House tells agencies to prep mass layoffs for shutdown. Memo says only Trump priority programs are safe if Democrats won’t agree to GOP stopgap funding plan. – Roll Call

• White House budget office tells agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of potential shutdown – AP

• Schumer hopeful Congress can avoid a shutdown but places onus on Republicans and Trump – Politico

• Jeffries demands ‘ironclad’ health care deal in latest shutdown escalation – Politico

• Trump-Democrats meeting drama fuels risk of shutdown. Fight over health insurance subsidies is the latest battle in standoff as funding deadline nears. – Roll Call

• The government will run out of funding because both sides believe the other will be blamed, and Democrats fear their base. – WP Editorial Bd.

Tues, Sept 23, 2025:

• Trump cancels meeting with Schumer and Jeffries. The president was due to meet with Democratic leaders on Thursday. Speaker Johnson urged Trump to call off the meeting with Democratic leaders.. – Politico

• House centrists are discussing the outlines of a possible compromise to extend Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies in hopes of jump-starting stalled talks over the soon-to-expire tax credits that have also emerged as a key fault line in the brewing government shutdown battle. – Politico

• As US government shutdown nears, Trump administration mum on contingency plans – Reuters

• Jeffries: Dems will return to DC during recess to highlight lack of budget talks – The Hill

• The Trump administration would have broad authority to make decisions about spending if the government shuts down next week — and it would also have broad authority to make those decisions if the government stays open under a long-term funding extension. – WP
  “It’s still not clear what parts of the government would close in a shutdown. The White House budget office traditionally publicly posts agency staffing plans as the deadline nears. The Trump administration has not yet shared them on its website this time, and OMB spokespeople did not reply to requests for comment about how much of the government would remain operational if funding lapses.”

Mon, Sept 22, 2025:

• Trump to meet with Democratic leaders Thursday with shutdown looming – Politico (but see cancellation above)

• Democrats Can’t Win Another Shutdown Fight – Bloomberg Editorial Bd.

• Democrats Are Picking the Wrong Shutdown Fight – NYT/Nate Silver

Sat, Sept 20, 2025:

• Schumer-Jeffries Letter to Trump: On Saturday, 9/20, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to Trump accusing him of wanting a shutdown and urging Republicans to negotiate.

Fri, Sept 19, 2025 (UPDATED):

• The House on Friday passed the GOP continuing resolution (CR) 217-212 on a nearly party line vote (1 Dem voting yes, and 2 Rs voting no). However, later on Friday the Senate failed to pass the House GOP CR 44-48, and then failed to pass the Democratic alternative (including health provisions) 47-45 (60 votes being required).

• Both the House and Senate are in recess next week. Senators are due back on September 29 and reportedly plan a repeat vote on the House-passed CR, but absent an effort by the White House to convene the joint leadership to negotiate a bipartisan compromise, the federal government is on track to run out of funding and shut down at midnight September 30.

  • (Senate rejected) House-Passed CR (HR 5371): CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt

  • (Senate rejected) Dem Alternative: Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm

• Senate derails funding bills in shutdown stalemate. “It’s this or a shutdown,” the Senate’s top Republican told Democrats Friday. – Politico

Thurs, Sept 18, 2025:

• Democrats are barreling toward a shutdown with no clear plan to get out – Politico
  Party leaders hope a new offer will spark negotiations. That’s about as far as the plan goes.

• Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to reopen negotiations over the stopgap spending bill to insert more security dollars. – Politico

• CBO releases analysis of CR

Wed, Sept 17, 2025:

• The House Wednesday passed a procedural measure 216-210 setting up a vote by Friday on a continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding through November 21. The CR is likely to pass the House, but Senate passage next week is unlikely due to Democratic insistence that the CR include extension of expanded Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies which expire in December. Passage of a CR requires 60 votes in the Senate (to end debate and reach a vote).

• Democrats released alternative CR through October 31 including repeal of OBBBA Medicaid cuts, permanent extension of expanded ACA premium subsidies, provides additional security funding, and extends funds illegally frozen by “pocket rescissions.”. Text | Section-by-Section Summary | Fact Sheet on Funding | Health provisions Fact Sheet | D-Stmt | CBO Analysis

• House eyes Friday vote on stopgap as partisan tensions flare – Politico

• In just the past four fiscal years, Congress appropriated in excess of $100 billion more than any president sought for more than 2,000 weapons programs – Roll Call

Tues, Sept. 16, 2025:

• CR Text: Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026

• CR Summary | House GOP Release | Jeffries-Schumer Stmt | DeLauro-Murray Stmt

• Senator Murray Remarks on Republicans’ Refusal to Negotiate Bipartisan Legislation to Keep Government Open

• House Republicans roll out 7-week funding patch as shutdown looms. Democrats aren’t guaranteed to back the measure as President Donald Trump roots for GOP leaders to ignore their counterparts across the aisle. – Politico

• Democrats will offer a short-term spending bill that includes an extension of expanded ACA healthcare subsidies, as well as restrictions on Trump’s ability to rescind funding previously approved by Congress. – Politico

• Top appropriators in both chambers are negotiating spending levels for three of the 12 annual funding bills. – Politico

• DeLauro on Latest Nonpartisan Government Watchdog Findings: “The Trump administration has broken the law again.” – Approps/DeLauro

• Russ Vought’s Scheme Has Been Unmasked. Hundreds of billions in appropriated spending has been withheld, with dire consequences. Government funding shouldn’t be derailed like this. – Approps/DeLauro

Mon, Sept. 15, 2025:

• Trump Illegally Blocking FEMA Funds, Top Government Watchdog Concludes. GAO finds—for the 6th time in recent months—that Trump has illegally impounded funding. – Approps/Murray

• Speaker Johnson says member security funding talks delaying CR rollout – Hill

• WH requests $58 million in security funding following Kirk assassination – CNN

Fri, Sept 12, 2025:

• ‘Don’t even bother dealing with them,’ Trump says of Democrats’ shutdown demands. The president weighed in after top Democratic leaders sketched out ultimatums on health care. – Politico

• White House rescission strategy worries some GOP appropriators. Tactic could be a double-edged sword if a Democrat is president. – Roll Call

Thurs, Sept 11, 2025:

• Today, the House voted to conference with the Senate on 3 bills: Ag-Rural-FDA; Leg. Br.; and MilCon-VA. HOUSE GOP CONFEREES HOUSE DEM CONFEREES

• Republicans Eye Government Funding Punt to Nov. 21. – Politico

• Schumer, Jeffries Demand Major Health Care Concessions to Keep Government Funded.

• Murray, Gillibrand call on HUD IG to look into Trump Administration’s failure to award homeless assistance funding.

Wed, Sept 10, 2025:

• House full committee approved Commerce-Justice-Science 34-28: Text before amendments | Rpt before amendments | Earmarks | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Adopted Amendments | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• What the CR timing dispute is really about – Politico

• House GOP Appropriations Chair Cole seeks a conference with the Senate on 3 bills–MilCon-VA, Ag-Rural-FDA, and Legislative Branch bills.

• Senate Democratic Leader Schumer said Wednesday regarding CR developments: “What the Republicans have proposed is not good enough to meet the needs of the American people and not good enough to get our votes.”

• American Public Health Assoc. statement on House L-HHS-Ed bill

Tues, Sept 9, 2025:

• House full committee approved Labor-HHS-Ed 35-28: Text before amendments | Rpt before amendments | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Adopted Amendments | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily lifted a lower court’s order finding that President Trump’s “pocket rescission” of $4 billion in foreign aid funds was illegal—allowing Trump to continue withholding the funds, even though insufficient time remains for Congress to consider whether to allow the proposed rescission. Roberts’ action contravenes a longstanding legal precedent established by the Comptroller General that rescissions may not be proposed by the President if less than 45 days remains in the fiscal year for Congress to vote on whether to approve the rescission (under procedures laid out by the Impoundment Control Act).

  • This is part of a larger, and highly consequential, effort by the Trump Administration to vastly expand the President’s authority to impound congressionally appropriated funds. Under current law, Presidents must obligate appropriated funds unless Congress approves a rescission of specific funds. The drafters of the Constitution were very clear in their conviction that Congress’s power of the purse was the best defense against an authoritarian leader.

• If Congress decides to advance a continuing resolution (“CR”) to keep the government operating when FY 2026 begins on October 1st, it would presumably fund all programs, projects, and activities at FY 2025 levels. However, CR’s typically include a list of so-called “anomalies,” or exceptions, where certain programs are funded at different levels. Today, President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget sent congressional appropriators a list of anomalies for a FY 2026 CR in case Congress decides to enact a stopgap measure. Click here for the White House list of anomalies obtained by Politico.

• Ranking Member DeLauro’s statement on Trump request for 4-month CR

Mon, Sept 8, 2025:

• Congress splinters into unlikely factions over looming government shutdown. Lawmakers and the Trump administration are debating different scenarios to avoid a lapse in federal funding but consensus remains elusive. – Politico

• Democratic appropriators updated their list of FY 2025 funding currently being blocked by the White House budget office (OMB), which they say amounts to $410 billion. “We are now nine months into the year-and weeks away from the end of the fiscal year-and President Trump and Russ Vought continue to withhold hundreds of billions of dollars from families, farmers, children, small businesses, and communities in every part of the country,” Murray and De Lauro said in a joint statement.

• The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court order against OMB’s attempted “pocket” rescission of $4 billion in foreign aid funds. (A pocket rescission is the withholding of funding close to the end of a fiscal year, without leaving Congress sufficient time to reject the proposed rescission and restore the funding before the fiscal year ends.)

Thurs, Sept 4, 2025:

• House passed Energy-Water 214-213: Text | Rpt | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Amendment Action | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet | EERE

• GOP lurches toward shutdown as Democrats vow they won’t be rolled – Hill

Wed, Sept 3, 2025:

• House Approps full committee approves Financial Services bill 35-28: Text | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | Adopted Amendments | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• Senate Approps Ranking Democrat Murray remarks on an FY 2026 short-term CR

• Vought defends ‘aggressively’ using rescissions, blasts GAO as ‘something that shouldn’t exist’ – Politico

Tues, Sept 2, 2025:

• House Labor-HHS-Ed subcommittee approved its bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House bill cuts HHS budget but excludes RFK Jr.’s reorganization, maintains NIH funding – Stat

• Johnson and Jeffries discussed the possibility of a shutdown-avoiding stopgap into November or December. – Politico

• Cole calls for short-term CR into November – Hill

Fri, Aug 29, 2025:

• Senate Approps Chair Susan Collins statement on receipt of “unlawful” $4.9 billion rescission proposal from OMB

• Senate Approps Ranking Member Patty Murray statement on receipt of “illegal” $4.9 billion rescission request from OMB
  

• House Fact Sheet on Pocket Rescissions

Thurs, Aug 21, 2025:
The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court decided Thursday. – AP
The court split 5-4 on the decision. Chief Justice John Roberts was among those who wouldn’t have allowed the cuts, along with the court’s three liberals. The high court did keep the Trump administration’s anti-DEI directive blocked for future funding with a key vote from Justice Amy Coney Barrett, however.

Wed, Aug 20, 2025:
Senate Adds Guardrails in an Effort to Force Trump to Obey Spending Bills. Leaders of the Appropriations Committee are trying to tighten up funding legislation to give the Trump administration less leeway to refuse to spend federal money. – NYT

Tues, Aug 19, 2025:
Trump budget officials claim sweeping spending power from Congress, records show. Russell Vought, the White House budget director and architect of Project 2025, would have vast authority to approve or block billions in federal spending, the records show. – WP

Mon, Aug 18, 2025:
Earmarks (now called “community project funding,” long shunned by deficit conservatives, is back on the menu of options to avoid a government shutdown in September. – Politico
Republican civil war erupts over earmarks in funding bills – The Hill
Senator Murray on Partial Restoration of Spending Transparency Website After Court Orders Trump, Vought to Stop Breaking the Law to Hide Their Tracks – Approps/Murray

Wed, Aug 13, 2025:
Trump Administration Can Withhold Billions in Aid, Appeals Court Rules. In a 2-to-1 vote, a federal appeals court panel ruled that foreign aid groups that sued to recover funds that President Trump froze lacked standing under the Impoundment Control Act. – NYT
Chris Murphy goes all in on funding bill boycott as Dems seek bipartisanship. The politically ambitious Connecticut Democrat is walking away from bipartisan government funding negotiations as his party clamors for a seat at the table. – Politico

Fri, Aug 8, 2025:
Trump executive order gives politicians control over all federal grants, alarming researchers – AP

• The order requires all federal agencies, including FEMA, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, to appoint officials responsible for reviewing federal funding opportunities and grants, so that they “are consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.”

• It also requires agencies to make it so that current and future federal grants can be terminated at any time — including during the grant period itself.

• Agencies cannot announce new funding opportunities until the new protocols are in place, according to the order.

• The Trump administration said these changes are part of an effort to “strengthen oversight” and “streamline agency grantmaking.” Scientists say the order will cripple America’s scientific engine by placing control over federal research funds in the hands of people who are influenced by politics and lack relevant expertise.

Tues, Aug 5, 2025:
Trump and Schumer couldn’t clinch a deal. Now a shutdown hangs in the balance. Ahead of a critical spending showdown, the two leaders’ relationship is almost nonexistent. – Politico

Mon, Aug 4, 2025:
Congress is on summer break. Funding ‘chaos’ awaits. With eight weeks until the government shutdown deadline, competing factions of lawmakers are starting to define their ultimatums. – Politico
August recess can’t hide tensions ahead for Congress on spending – AP

Fri, Aug 1, 2025:

• Senate passed MilCon-VA and Ag-Rural-FDA bills in a bipartisan package 87-9:

  • MilCon-VA: Text (before amendments) | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

  • Ag-Rural-FDA: Text (before amendments) | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate passed Legislative Branch bill 81-15: Text (before amendments) | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

Thurs, July 31, 2025:

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Defense Bill 26-3: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Labor-HHS-Education Bill 26-3: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate leaders eyeing 3- or 4-bill minibus – Punchbowl

Thurs, July 24, 2025:

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Transportation-HUD Bill 27-1: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Interior-Environment Bill 26-2: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | D-Summ | D-Stmt

Wed, July 23, 2025:

• Senate voted to begin consideration of the MilCon-VA Bill 90-8: Text | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• House Approps Comm. approved Nat. Sec.-State bill 35-27: Text before amendments | Rpt before amendments | Amendments | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Tues, July 22, 2025:

• Senate voted to invoke cloture (preventing a filibuster) on the motion to begin consideration of the MilCon-VA Bill 91-7: Text | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• House Approps Comm. approved Interior-Environment bill bill 33-28: Text before amendments | Rpt before amendments | Amendments | Earmarks | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Mon, July 21, 2025:

• House Financial Services-General Government subcommittee approved its bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• Thune seeks to kick off appropriations on Senate floor. Democrats concerned about further rescissions. – Roll Call

Sun, July 20, 2025:

• House Approps releases Financial Services bill: Text | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet | Monday subcomm. markup webcast

Fri, July 18, 2025:

• House passed Defense bill 221-209: Text | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• Senate GOP pushes spending bills as Democratic anger builds. Schumer “furious” at Vought for seeking “less bipartisan” appropriations process – Roll Call

• Senator Murray Demands All Remaining Education Funds Blocked By Trump Get Released Immediately. Trump relents, finally releasing a fraction of withheld education funds while continuing to block $5.5 billion more.

• House sends $9 billion rescissions package to president’s desk – Roll Call

Thurs, July 17, 2025:

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Commerce-Justice-Science Bill 19-10: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved MilCon-VA Bill 26-3: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved Transportation-HUD 35-28: Text before amendments | Rpt before amendments | R-Summ | R-Stmt |Amendment Action | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved Energy-Water 35-27: Text before amendments | Rpt before amendments | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Amendment Action | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet | EERE

• Senate GOP prepares to move first funding package – Politico

• On the Fast Track Toward a Government Shutdown – Bulwark

• Senate passes $9B in cuts to global aid, public broadcasting in win for Trump – The Hill

• White House Says ‘More Partisan’ Spending Bills Are Better – Bloomberg

• Senate Republicans salvage FBI funding bill after bypassing Trump rebuke – Politico

• Russ Vought: Appropriations process ‘has to be less bipartisan’ – Politico

• Senate sends $9 billion rescissions package to the House. Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski were only Republicans to vote no. – Roll Call

• Senate approves cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs – NPR

• Trump’s victory over PBS and NPR ‘bias’ will be ‘devastating’ for rural areas, station leaders say – CNN

Wed, July 16, 2025:
Senate & House Education Leaders Statement on Trump Admin Illegally Moving Department of Education Programs to DOL as Part of Its Efforts to Dismantle the Department – Approps Ds

Tues, July 15 2025:

• House Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee approved its bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House Nat. Sec.-State subcommittee approved its bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House Interior-Environment subcommittee approved its bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• Chairman Cole releases updated 302b subcommittee allocations

• GOP spending bills run into intraparty friction in House. Appropriations Committee won’t meet its target of marking up all dozen bills before recess, chairman says – Roll Call

• Trump’s proposed NOAA cuts meet Senate appropriators’ opposition. Concerns about the National Weather Service expressed on both sides of the aisle – Roll Call

Mon, July 14, 2025:

• House Energy-Water Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet | EERE

• House Transportation-HUD Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet.

• House Republicans Aim to Eliminate Thousands of Federal Law Enforcement Agents and Analysts

Fri, July 11, 2025:
With Predictions of Above-Average Hurricane Season, DeLauro, Meng, Underwood Demand End to Unlawful Funding Freezes and Award Cancellations – Approps Ds

Thurs, July 10, 2025:

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Agriculture-Rural-FDA Bill 27-0: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate Appropriations Full Committee approved Legislative Branch Bill 26-1: Text | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt

• Senate Appropriators advance Legislative Branch bill without GAO cuts. Measure would maintain Library of Congress funding and boost Capitol Police. – Roll Call

• FBI headquarters fight stymies spending bill in Senate. After amendment splits parties on bill, no clear path forward for overall spending measure. – Roll Call

• GOP cuts trigger Democratic warnings on government shutdowns – Axios

Tues, July 8, 2025:
Kaptur, Murray Statement on DOE Failure to Comply with Basic Spending Transparency Requirements As Highlighted in New GAO Report – Approps Ds

Mon, July 7, 2025:
DeLauro, Wasserman Schultz Slam Trump Plan to Cut 30,000 Veterans Affairs Employees – Approps Ds

Wed, July 2, 2025:
Kaptur, Murray Blast Energy Department’s Decision to Steer Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Away from Wind, Solar to Favored Industries — In Defiance of Bipartisan Spending Bill – Approps Ds
President Trump Illegally Steals from Public Schools Across the Country – Approps Ds

Tues, July 1, 2025:
Senator Murray Calls on Trump Admin to Immediately Release Billions in Funds K-12 Schools Across America are Counting On – Approps Ds

Thurs, June 26, 2025:

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved Legislative Branch 34-28: Text before amendments | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House appropriators approve Leg Branch bill with GAO cuts – Roll Call

Wed, June 25, 2025:

• House passes MilCon-VA bill 218-206: Text | Rpt | Summary | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Tues, June 24, 2025:

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved Homeland Security 36-27: Text before amendments | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Mon, June 23, 2025:
GAO is targeted by House Republicans in new spending bill. The Legislative Branch appropriations subcommittee aims to cut Congress’ own budget by $51 million. – Politico
Lawmakers to Bondi: DOJ funding cuts threaten national security – Politico

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved Ag-Rural-FDA 35-27: Text before amendments | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | Earmarks | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House Legislative Branch Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Sun, June 22, 2025:
What Remains of U.S.A.I.D.? The few hundred programs that survived DOGE’s purge reveal the future of foreign aid. – NYT

Fri, June 20, 2025:
OMB Director Russell Vought’s latest plan to attack Congress’ appropriations authority is the “pocket rescission.” Under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act (ICA), when the President sends a rescission proposal to Congress, the funds are withheld for 45 days while Congress considers the proposal, but funds must be released if Congress does not enact the rescission. Vought is intending to send rescissions to Congress within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year, so that the funds are wittheld until September 30th, the last day of the fiscal year. Vought calls this a “pocket rescission,” but it is clearly an end run around the requirements of the Impoundment Control Act. In 2018, the Government Accountability Office, ruled that “the ICA does not permit budget authority proposed for rescission to be withheld until its expiration simply because the 45-day period has not yet elapsed. A withholding of this nature would be an aversion both to the constitutional process for enacting federal law and to Congress’s constitutional power of the purse, for the President would preclude the obligation of budget authority Congress has already enacted and did not rescind. ”

Thurs, June 12, 2025:

• House narrowly passed (214-212) on Thursday H.R. 4, the Trump Administration’s $9.4 Billion Rescission Bill to cancel $9.4 billion in spending authority–$8.3 billion in foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public broadcasting. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill. The measure now moves to the Senate where passage of the special budget measure requires only 50 votes.

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved Defense 36-27: Text before amendments | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House Appropriations Full Committee Delayed Completion of its Agriculture-Rural-FDA markup.

• The appropriations process is already a mess – Punchbowl

Wed, June 11, 2025:

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved MilCon-VA 36-27: Text before amendments | Amendment Action | Rpt | Summary | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House Appropriations Full Committee approved preliminary subcommittee allocations 35-28: Rpt | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Tues, June 10, 2025:

• House Defense Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | R-Summ | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet.

Mon, June 9, 2025:

• House Homeland Security Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | R-Summ | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Thurs, June 5, 2025:

• House Ag-Rural-FDA Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | Summary | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

• House MilCon-VA Subcomm. approved its FY26 bill: Text | Summary | Earmarks | R-Stmt | D-Summ | D-Stmt | D-FactSheet

Wed, June 4, 2025:
‘Where’s the budget?’: GOP lawmakers implore Vought to send a full request. The OMB director appeared days after the latest White House submission left appropriators wanting. – Politico

Tues, June 3, 2025:
Trump’s Unprecedented Funding Freeze Hits Communities Across America – Approps Dems

Tues, May 27, 2025:
Letter from Ranking Members DeLauro and Murray to OMB Director Vought highlighting ongoing failures to comply with statutory budget requirements.

Sun, May 11, 2025:
The hidden ways Trump, DOGE are shutting down parts of the U.S. government; Limits on spending have incapacitated parts of agencies as varied as the National Park Service and the Pentagon. – WP
At the Environmental Protection Agency, according to three employees, research at 11 laboratories has ground to a halt because of a requirement that Trump officials must approve all new lab purchases.

Fri, May 9, 2025:
Senate Dems sound alarm for Meals on Wheels funding – Axios

Thurs, May 8, 2025:
A bipartisan group of House members is drafting a sweeping bill to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and in some cases expand its services — in an effort to head off President Donald Trump’s threats to shrink or abolish the agency. – Politico
Republicans miffed with Trump’s threats to ignore funding – Politico
A senior White House official said impounding funds is always on “the table” if Trump disagrees with Congress’ funding bills…. “I’ve got a real problem with impoundment,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), who chairs the House Appropriations panel that funds the EPA and the Interior Department, told reporters this week. “That’s like a line-item veto, and I think it’s illegal,” Simpson said.

Wed, May 7, 2025:
Republicans are debating whether to move the $9 billion rescissions package now or wait. – Politico

Tues, May 6, 2025:
Bipartisan House and Senate Leaders Urge White House to Restore Spending Website. In the latest chapter in a battle over spending powers, lawmakers charged that the administration removed crucial information in violation of the law. The White House argues the data shouldn’t be public. – NYT

Fri, May 2, 2025:
GOP balks at rescission bill to ratify DOGE cuts – WP

Tues, April 29, 2025:
100 Days In, Trump Blocks At Least $430 Billion Dollars in Funding Owed to American People –
“No American president has ever so flagrantly ignored our nation’s spending laws or so brazenly denied the American people investments they are owed.” – Murray, DeLauro

Wed, April 23, 2025:
House aiming to consider Administration’s rescission package the week of May 5. – Punchbowl

Mon, April 21, 2025:
House Republican leaders eye rescissions vote in early May – Punchbowl News
“The package includes $9.3 billion in cuts to the State Department, NPR and PBS….The vast majority of these cuts will be on the foreign aid side, making up roughly $8 billion, sources said. Trump has already shuttered USAID, folding it into the State Department.”

Wed, April 16, 2025:
DOGE is focusing this week on National Endowment for the Arts, Millennium Challenge Corp., and AmeriCorps. – Politico
Trump Admin Withholding Nearly $1 Billion in Funding for Head Start—Crunching Centers Nationwide and Forcing Devastating Closures – Murray
Murray, Kaptur Call on Energy Department to Reverse New Indirect Cost Cap That Will Gut Funding for Cutting-Edge Research – AppropsDems
Fed Chair Powell: Cutting discretionary federal spending will not fix US debt problem – Reuters
HHS would be asked to absorb a $40 billion cut, about one-third of its discretionary budget. – WP
Trump Draft Budget Decimates Health Services, Surrenders Americans to Preventable Disease and Premature Death – HseAppropsDems

Mon, April 14, 2025:
White House will send a rescission package to Congress on April 28 that would end funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (that funds PBS and NPR), and cancel funding for foreign aid and the U.S. Institute for Peace. – Bloomberg
White House to Ask Congress to Claw Back Funding From NPR and PBS; Trump administration officials want legislators to rescind $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some support for public media. – NYT
White House to ask Congress to cut $9B in funds, including for NPR, PBS, USAID – The Hill
White House to send Congress a formal request to nix $9.3B for PBS, NPR, State Department; Republican lawmakers have been clamoring for a rescissions request, to give Congress a say in the Trump administration’s spending cuts. – Politico
Senator Murray statement on Trump budget proposal to fully eliminate Head Start

Sat, April 12, 2025:
Congress leaves town without passing DC budget fix – The Hill

Fri, April 11, 2025:
DOGE takes over federal grants website, wresting control of billions. – WP
“U.S. DOGE Service employees have inserted themselves into the government’s long-established process to alert the public about potential federal grants and allow organizations to apply for funds….
The changes to the process — which will allow DOGE to review and approve proposed grant opportunities across the federal government — threaten to further delay or even halt billions of dollars that agencies usually make in federal awards, the people said. The moves come amid the Trump administration’s broader push to cut federal spending and crack down on grants that DOGE and other officials say conflict with White House priorities.”

Thurs, April 10, 2025:
Senators Collins and Murray Announce the Start of the FY26 Appropriations Process, Releasing Guidance on Programmatic, Language, and Congressionally Directed Spending Requests – Approps

Tues, April 8, 2025:
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member DeLauro applauds Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) for suing Russell Vought and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for unlawfully hiding the administration’s use of trillions of dollars in taxpayer money, by destroying a website that had publicly displayed all of these decisions, known as apportionments.
Trump is openly defying a law created to rein in his first-term abuses. Withholding congressional funding led to Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Now the White House won’t post their spending moves. – WP

Mon, April 7, 2025:
States caught unprepared for Trump’s threats to FEMA. FEMA is canceling plans to award states grants to help prepare against future disasters. Federal funds given to states after disasters strike could also be in jeopardy. – WP
Top appropriators and authorizers press Trump’s Department of Education for details about its abrupt halt of funding for state governments and school districts that adds a bureaucratic hurdle to reimbursement and will harm student recovery following the pandemic. Letter to DoEd

Friday, April 4, 2025:
Approps Dems demand answers on Trump, RFK Jr. pulling $12 billion from public health – Approps
Trump Officials Have Not Funded Radio Free Europe, Despite Court Order – NYT
The delay in disbursement has forced the news organization, which relies almost exclusively on congressional funding, to furlough some of its staff and cut parts of its programming…. In March, a federal judge in Washington temporarily halted President Trump’s efforts to shut down the news organization, ruling that his administration cannot unilaterally close a news group that Congress established by law.

Thursday, April 3, 2025:
Democrats object to cancellation of Secretary-level appropriations hearings – HouseAppropsDems
Secret Conditions Move from DOGE to OMB – Yale Journal on Regulation
House Dems call for investigation into Energy Dept’s cancellation of awards and contracts – Aprops

Wed, April 2, 2025:
Cole Releases FY26 Programmatic, Language, and Community Project Funding Guidance
Hill seeks backdoor earmarks for $15b in weapons Pentagon didn’t seek – Roll Call

Tuesday, April 1, 2025:
Trump, Musk, RFK Jr. hollow out HHS, Threatening American’s Health and Wellbeing – Murray

Fri, March 28, 2025:
House Ranking Dems Issue Joint Statement on Reported Plans to Dismantle FEMA – HseDems
FEMA has frozen nearly $10 billion in disaster aid for nonprofits including hospitals as it seeks to identify funding that could be used to help undocumented migrants – Politico
Trump endorses Senate-passed budget fix that would restore Washington DC shortfall – AP
Murray statement on Trump and Musk moving to permanently abolish USAID – Approps/Murray
Tough climate for action on FY 2026 Appropriation – Roll Call
As required by law, CBO reports on whether appropriations enacted for the current fiscal year have exceeded the statutory caps on discretionary funding. In CBO’s estimation, they have not, and a sequestration will not be required for 2025. – CBO

Thurs, March 27, 2025:
Top Senate Republican Protests Trump Bid to Withhold Spending; Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, joined top Democrats in insisting that the president does not have the power to “pick and choose” what to fund. – NYTimes
Senior Republican joins Dems in raising alarm over White House’s flouting of funding bill – Politico
Senate Appropriations Committee bipartisan letter to OMB Director objecting to plans not to spend $3 billion in the recent funding bill: “Just as the President does not have a line-item veto, he does not have the ability to pick and choose which emergency spending to designate.” – Collins/Murray
House Approps Ranking Democrat sends letter to OMB Director citing constitutional and statutory violations – DeLauro
Musk, Trump and RFK Jr. announce illegal dismantling of federal health agencies-HouseAppropsDems

Mon, March 24, 2025:
Vanished earmarks in stopgap law pose challenge to local projects’ return; Conservatives emboldened by decision to ax thousands of line items, reduce spending levels – Roll Call
OMB unlawfully hides apportionment decisions – DeLauro/Murray
White House scraps public spending database; Budget office since 2022 has been required to publish “apportionments” data – Roll Call

Fri, March 21, 2025:
GOP push to ratify DOGE cuts with rescissions runs into political reality – Politico
“The administration has privately reassured GOP lawmakers, particularly House Republicans, that DOGE will continue to unilaterally rescind congressionally approved funding whether lawmakers are given the chance to weigh in or not.”

Sat, March 15, 2025:
Trump signs funding bill to avert a government shutdown – NBC
Obituary, Nita Lowey, former Chair, House Appropriations Committee

Fri, March 14, 2025:
Senate passes government funding bill, averting a shutdown –HR 1968 – 54-46 – Politico
Senate GOP Stmt | Senate Approps Dem Stmt | Sen Schumer Stmt | DeLauro Stmt
(Earlier, the Senate agreed to a key procedural motion 62-38 (60 votes required) to allow the bill to advance to a final vote, after Democratic Leader Schumer decided against filibustering. Also, Senate Republicans defeated on party line votes a Van Hollen amendment to cut off funding from DOGE and a Duckworth amendment to make veterans who were involuntarily dismissed without cause eligible for reinstatement and to require reports from agencies on the number of veterans fired.)
Spending bill to avert shutdown headed to Trump’s desk – RC
Senate passes bill to avert $1 billion hit to DC budget; still needs House approval – WP
Schumer, facing backlash for not forcing a shutdown, says he’ll take “the bullets” – NYT
Schumer clashes with colleagues over House GOP funding bill – The Hill
GAO will rule on whether DOGE cuts violate Impoundment Control Act – WP

Thurs, March 13, 2025:
Trump and Musk would love a shutdown. We must not give them one – NYT/Schumer
Fears grow about plan to cut Pentagon medical research fund; CR would trim $1.2 billion from the Defense Health Program, including aid to universities and research labs – RC
Senate Democrats relent on six-month stopgap funding bill; Schumer says as bad as Trump-endorsed funding bill is, a shutdown would be worse – RC
Schumer to vote for GOP bill to avert shutdown; some Democrats bristle at his decision– WP
Schumer will vote for full-year CR, fearing actions DOGE might take during a shutdown – Politico
Democrats clear way for GOP funding bill, ending threat of govt shutdown; party was torn between pushing back against President Trump and triggering shutdown with unknown consequences – WSJ
Schumer to advance GOP funding bill, unwilling to risk govt shutdown as deadline nears – AP
Schumer to support GOP spending bill, arguing shutdown would further empower Trump – NYT

Wed, March 12, 2025:
Senate Dems form plan to avoid a shutdown; Senate Democrats want a vote on an alternative one month stopgap funding bill as they look for leverage against Republicans with two days to go until a government shutdown. – Politico
Senate pushes closer to shutdown after Democrats spurn funding bill – WP
Senate Dems say they will reject GOP’s funding bill as shutdown draws near – NBC
Senate Dems play hardball, won’t advance House stopgap – Roll Call
Republicans bank on Democrats caving in shutdown standoff – Time
Approps Ranking Dem Murray calls on Senate to pass short-term CR, reject House bill

Tues, March 11, 2025:
House votes for $1 billion in District of Columbia cuts while seeking to avert shutdown – WP
CR would provide $1.5 billion for extra, unrequested warship – Roll Call
Sen Murray remarks on House GOP CR – SenApprops Dems
The House narrowly passed the Trump-Johnson full-year continuing resolution (HR 1968) early Tuesday evening 217-213. Bill Text Section-by-Section One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted “yes,” while Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, voted “no.” The measure now goes to the Senate where it is unclear if Democrats will support passage (60 votes being required to end debate and vote on the measure). – Politico
House passes bill to avert government shutdown, sending it to Senate – WP
Senate Democrats leery of blocking GOP bill fear shutdown politics have changed – The Hill
“Now there’s growing fear among Democrats that Trump could feel politically emboldened to let a shutdown drag on for many weeks, and that, in turn, could give Musk more leverage to push federal workers to retire, as many might feel financial pressure to look for work in the private sector if they have to endure weeks without a paycheck.”
Illegally Firing Department of Education Staff Undercuts American Dream – HseAppropsDems

Mon, March 10, 2025:
House Rules Comm. reported a “rule” laying out procedures for H.R. 1968, the full-year continuing resolution. The rule does not permit any amendments and only 1 hour of debate–on a measure covering nearly $2 trillion of annually appropriated federal spending. – Rules Comm.
Dems introduce alternative: Ranking Dems DeLauro and Murray introduced 1-month CR and called on Congress to pass bipartisan funding bills: Text-H Text-S

Sat, March 8, 2025:
Text of GOP full-year CR: House GOP Stmt | House Dem Stmt | Hse Dem Fact Sheet | Sen GOP Stmt | Sen Dem Stmt | Sen Dem Fact Sheet
GOP funding patch boosts defense and deportations, cuts other programs – Politico
House Republicans unveil bill to avoid shutdown and they’re daring Democrats to oppose it – AP
Long-term stopgap measure sets up partisan clash – Roll Call
House Republicans unveil spending bill to avert shutdown at week’s end; Democrats decried the measure as a White House power grab – NYT
Republicans unveil CR to keep government funded until Sept. 30 – WP
3 groups to watch in the final push to fund the government – The Hill

Fri, March 7, 2025:
House Democratic leadership letter to colleagues opposing GOP continuing resolution – HouseDems
Here’s the GOP plan to make “DOGE” cuts permanent — the rescission process – MarketWatch
Senate Democrats’ impending choice: shutdown or surrender – Politico

Thurs, March 6, 2025:
Federal Judge McConnell (RI) extended his temporary injuction preventing the Trump Administration from freezing grants and loans – AP

Wed, March 6, 2025:
Top appropriators near deal on spending levels for 2025, but Trump prefers full-year CR – Politico
Democrats digging in against full-year CR as shutdown deadline ticks closer – The Hill
Senate Dems face potential squeeze on year-long CR – Punchbowl news

Tues, March 4, 2025:
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole told reporters he doesn’t expect to receive the Trump Administration’s FY 2026 Budget “before later April to early May.” – Bloomberg
Murray on yearlong CR, DOGE’s lack of transparency, and Musk conflicts of interest – SenAppropsDs
Power grab full-year CR allows Musk, Trump to accelerate dismantling of government–HseAppropsDs
Democrats are serious about a shutdown – Politico
Republicans risk hard-liner revolt in latest gambit to avoid a shutdown – Politico
Democrats reject GOP funding strategy, stoking shutdown fears – CNN
House Repub will vote against Speaker Johnson’s “clean CR” – X

Mon, March 3, 2025:
Roll Call podcast: stopgap spending decision time – Roll Call
Negotiations to avert a shutdown sputter as disputes over DOGE cuts persist – NBC
Government shutdown looms as Trump tries to assert new spending powers – WP
“Democrats say they want assurances from congressional Republicans and the White House that the administration will actually spend the money included in any new law preventing a shutdown.”

Sun, March 2, 2025:
Johnson floats stopgap funding bill, says GOP should codify DOGE cuts later – Politico
Jeffries releases statement on impending shutdown; highlights zero outreach

Sat, March 1, 2025:
Powers of Trump and Congress collide as government shutdown nears – WSJ
Musk’s FAA takeover puts profits over the safety of the American people – HouseAppropsDems

Fri, Feb 28, 2025:
DeLauro, Murray statement on collapse of government funding talks – HouseAppropsDems
Where things stand as Congress tries to avoid a partial government shutdown in 2 weeks – AP
Trump’s support for full-year CR raises risk of shutdown, top Democrats say – Politico
DOGE cuts complicate government funding talks and raise shutdown fears – CNN
GOP push for DOGE cuts inflames talks to prevent shutdown – The Hill
$15.9 billion in earmarks at stake if full-year stopgap enacted – Bloomberg
Trump, Musk’s plot to make it harder for Americans to get Social Security – SenAppropsDems

Thurs, Feb 27, 2025:
Mike Johnson eyes solo approach to avoid government shutdown – Axios
Appropriators working on year-long continuing resolution to avoid March 14 shutdown – Politico
Fight over Trump’s spending powers boosts shutdown odds – The Hill
Murray blasts Trump for canceling lifesaving USAID and state programs – SenAppropsDems

Wed, Feb 26, 2025:
GOP leaders say they won’t put reins on Trump and Musk in shutdown negotiations; little time left as members of both parties dig in their heels – Politico
Trump and Musk’s slash-and-burn tactics are a sticking point in talks to prevent a shutdown – NBC

Tues, Feb 25, 2025:
Judge indefinitely blocks Trump’s plan to freeze federal aid – The Hill

Mon, Feb 24, 2025:
Federal shutdown increasingly likely – Forbes
Murray statement on Trump Admin illegally firing USAID staff – SenAppropsDems
Government funding deal very close as negotiations hinge on Trump power struggle – Politico

Sat. Feb 22, 2025:
Trump and Republican congressional leaders could fumble their way into a prolonged and painful shutdown of the federal government as a March 14 deadline looms. – WP

Fri, Feb 21, 2025:
Shutdown: Short of a major breakthrough in the coming days, Congress is staring down the barrel of yet another crisis over government funding. – Politico
Trump and Musk steal from American farmers; GOP looks other way – House Approps Dems
Newsome sends Congress $40b request for LA fire aid – Politico

Thurs, Feb 20, 2025:
House appropriators examine education innovation, workforce preparedness
Approps Ranking Member Murray’s remarks on Senate Budget Resolution – Approps/Murray
Earmarks another victim of Trump spending freeze – Politico

Wed, Feb 19, 2025:
Budget resolution relies on overly optimistic assumptions about discretionary spending – PGPF
Trump team finds loophole to defy court orders blocking spending freezes – NYT
“You Would See Lawsuits”- Senate Approps Chair fires warning shot at Trump on spending – Politico
Senate Approps Ranking Dem on Senate Republican budget plan – Approps/Murray
Senate Approps Ranking Dem blasts Trump, Musk for risking Americans’ health – Approps/Murray
After ceding power of the purse, GOP lawmakers beg Trump team for funds; Republican senators are asking cabinet secretaries and other Trump officials to let money flow back to their states – WP

Tues, Feb 18, 2025:
Congress closing in on shutdown deadline with no clear plan – The Hill

Mon, Feb 17, 2025:
Republicans hope to jam through defense, border funding boost ahead of shutdown fight – The Hill
[Editor’s note: the GOP plan to boost defense and border funding through a Reconciliation bilAl requires circumventing the Appropriations process.]
What would a Federal funding freeze mean to state and local governments – the numbers – TPC

Sun, Feb 16, 2025:
Trump and Musk Sabotage Research on Cures and Treatments for Diseases – Approps/DeLauro
Gutting CDC will leave Americans sicker and more vulnerable to deadly diseases – Approps/DeLauto
Blame game on looming government shutdown – Axios
Approps Ranking Dem Murray: “Republican senators privately tell her they oppose what Trump and Musk are doing but the administration has used threats and offers of federal projects in their states to keep GOP senators in line and secure their near-unanimous support for controversial nominees and policies.” – WA Spokesman-Review

Sat, Feb 15, 2025:
Senate Appropriations Democrats say at least $396 billion in federal funds for farmers, broadband, infrastructure, housing, national parks, disaster prevention, infectious disease response, and medical research remains in jeopardy. – Approps Comm Dems
Kaptur, Murray demand briefing to Congress on reckless layoffs across Dept. of Energy, Including National Nuclear Security Administration, Jeopardizing National Security – Approps Comm Dems
Ranking Member sounds alarm over firing of 3400 Forest Service employees. – Approps Comm Dems

Fri, Feb 14, 2025:
Trump and Musk layoffs jeopardize essential services Americans rely on – Senate Approps Dems
Murphy, Underwood demand answers on reported FEMA grant freeze – Approps Comm Dems
Many Trump Administration personnel actions are unlawful – David Super
Bracing for a shutdown fight, Dems warn their votes are not a given – NYT
Shutdown looms in a month as funding talks falter in Congress – Bloomberg Law

Thurs, Feb 13, 2025:
Trump’s Funding Freeze is raising energy prices and undermining energy dominance – DeLauro

Wed, Feb 12, 2025:
My Fellow Members of Congress: This is a Naked Power Grab – NYT/DeLauro
Musk’s DOGE cuts based more on political ideology than real cost savings so far – Reuters
Democrats vow hardball in shutdown fight – The Hill

Tues, Feb 11, 2025:
DeLauro on dismantling the Dept. of Education – AppropsDems
Sen. Murray on Trump and Musk’s funding freeze – AppropsDems
Democrats are divided on government shutdown threats – Politico
Schumer: Democrats will use spending bills to curb DOGE – The Hill
FEMA official ignores judge’s latest order, demands freeze on grant funding – NBC
Proposed NIH funding cut threatens U.S. leadership in medical innovation – WP

Mon, Feb 10, 2025:
DeLauro statement on Trump violating court order to unfreeze federal spending
Federal judge blocks Trump administration cuts to medical research funding – CBS
Schumer letter to colleagues hints at government shutdown in March, saying, “legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes and Senate Democrats will use our votes to help steady the ship for the American people in these turbulent times.” – Senate Dem Leader Schumer
Senate Approps Chair opposes Administration’s “arbitrary cap on the indirect costs that are part of NIH grants…. (saying they) would be devastating, stopping vital biomedical researh and leading to the loss of jobs.” – Senate Approps Chair Collins

Sun, Feb 9, 2025:
Trump team dismantles efforts to find cure for cancer and other diseases – AppropsDs
Some Democrats vow to use leverage in government funding fight – WP

Fri, Feb 7, 2025:
Week 3: Trump’s funding freeze continues; hundreds of billions of dollars owed to communities still in jeopardy – Appropriations/Murray
Have shutdown talks stalled – Politico Playbook
Murray, Merkley, King, Heinrich Sound the Alarm Over National Parks Staffing Shortages Due to Trump’s Hiring Freeze – SenAppropsDems

Thurs, Feb 6, 2025:
House Appropriations subcommittees will begin marking up 2026 bills in late April – Cole
Firebrand Vought confirmed as White House budget director; party-line vote – Roll Call
Musk sought to use Treasury payment system to shut down USAID spending – CNN
Elon Musk’s DOGE is feeding sensitive federal data into AI to target cuts – WP
Federal judge pauses Thursday deadline for Trump administration’s buyout program – WP
Dem letter to Education Dept. demanding answers on Trump’s plans to dismantle – Murray/DeLauro
Dem letter to EPA demanding answers on illegal cuts – Murray/DeLauro

Wed, Feb 5, 2025:
Imminent Purge of EPA Employees will undermine agency’s obligations to protect human health and the environment – RM Pingree
Head start childcare programs still unable to access fed money – NBC
Trump brazenly defies laws in escalating executive power grab; President Trump has appeared to feel little constraint by any need to show respect for the rule of law – NYT
Ranking Member Murray details harm caused by blanket funding freeze, ongoing chaos, panic, damage – Murray
Democrats holding Senate Floor for 30 hours blasting Trump and Musk for violations of law and putting Americans in danger – Murray
Sen. GOP Approps Chair Susan Collins says she is “concerned” about Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s efforts to control congressional purse strings – Politico
“There’s no doubt that the president appears to have empowered Elon Musk far beyond what I think is appropriate,” she told reporters Wednesday. “I think a lot of it is going to end up in court…. I am concerned if the Trump administration is clawing back money that has been specifically appropriated for a particular purpose,” she said.
In a letter to OPM, Top congressional Democratic appropriators say Trump Administration’s “Deferred Resignation” Scheme is Deceptive, Legally Questionable, & Puts Vital Taxpayer Services At Risk; Accuse Musk of conflict of interest; Link to Dems’ letter to OPM detailing violations of law – Approps Dems
Why Washington is getting nervous about a shutdown – Politico
Trump, Musk roll over Republicans with grab for Congress’ Powers – Bloomberg Law

Tues, Feb 4, 2025:
EPA spending freeze continues despite court orders – Politico
Fed layoffs “likely” if too few employees choose to quit, memo says – WP
Appropriations negotiations stall ahead of shutdown deadline as Dems slam Trump for unilaterally halting funding and overhauling agencies – NBC

Mon, Feb 3, 2025:
Jeffries letter says appropriations must halt defunding – House Dem Leader
President lacks authority to abolish USAID because Congress established it by law (5 USC 104) as an independent agency with the executive branch; reorganization requires notification and consultation with Congress – CRS
Murray, Schumer, Wyden, Schatz, Warren sound alarm over Musk access to payment system–Approps
Senate Appropriators warn Trump and Musk on government shutdown – Axios
US soft power took decades to build. Trump is dismantling it in weeks – WP/Boot
Federal Judge for DC orders OMB to release funds frozen in Memorandum M-25-13 – RollCall
Dems want funding freeze blocked in 2025 funding deal – Politico
Rubio announces he’s acting director of USAID as Musk and Trump work to dismantle agency – CNN
West VA independent living agency disrupted by OMB funding freeze – Roll Call

Sat, Feb 1, 2025: Musk allies now have access to a sensitive Treasury payment system – WashPost

Fri, Jan 31, 2025: House GOP nears plan for Trump tax and spending bill, but may lack votes–WP

Fri, Jan 31, 2025: US District Court John McConnell of Rhode Island granted a temporary restraining order providing that the Administration “shall not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate… awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and… shall not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations” except as authorized by statute, regulation or terms of the award. US District Court for the District of Rhode Island

• The Court also prohibits the Administration from re-issuing the freeze under another guise or via individual agencies and requires the Administration to provide written notice of the restraining order to all agencies by 9am Monday.

• The Court found that the Administration’s action “unilaterally suspends the payment of federal funds to the States and others simply by choosing to do so, no matter the authorizing or appropriating statute, the regulatory regime, or the terms of the grant itself. The Executive cites no legal authority allowing it to do so; indeed, no federal law would authorize the Executive’s unilateral action here.”

• The Court found that the Administration’s action violates the constitutional separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act, and is contrary to Congress’ intent in funding the various programs.

• Moreover, the Court stated that the Administration’s claim “that the Executive Branch has a duty ‘to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities,’ is a constitutionally flawed statement. The Executive Branch has a duty to align federal spending and action with the will of the people as expressed through congressional appropriations, not through ‘Presidential priorities.’”

• The Court further noted that the Administration failed to follow the notification procedures established by the Impoundment Control Act under which Presidents may temporarily pause funding or seek to rescind funding.

• Finally, the Court quoted Justice Kavanaugh’s 2013 opinion when he was on the DC Circuit that with respect to “the suggestion that the President has a constitutional power to decline to spend appropriated funds, we must conclude that existence of such a broad power is supported by neither reason nor precedent.”

Fri, Jan 31, 2025:
USAID in upheaval during foreign assistance freeze and staff departures – AP
Trump is wreaking havoc at USAID. Is the goal to shut it down – Politico

Fri, Jan 31, 2025: Politico reports that House Republicans are struggling to come up with a consensus budget resolution which is a procedural prerequisite to unlock the filibuster-proof “reconciliation process” needed to advance Trump’s tax cuts/spending cuts/immigration agenda. The budget resolution for FY 2026 will also include spending levels for discretionary apppropriations. Politico

Fri, Jan 31, 2025: House, Sen Dems demand answers on Trump’s freezing DOE investments to lower Americans’ energy costs – Murray/Kaptur

Thurs, Jan 30, 2025: Senate Dems call on Trump to rescind EOs still blocking billions – Murray

Thurs, Jan 30, 2025: WH rescinded funding memo after GOP senators ‘hit the ceiling’ – The Hill

Wed, Jan 29, 2025: Senate Approps announces subcomm. rosters – Collins/Murray

Wed, Jan 29, 2025:
Judge open to halting Trump freeze on federal grant funds; lawsuit from nearly two dozen states challenges now-rescinded memo – Roll Call
Trump’s unlawful freeze is not over – DeLauro
WH press secretary says order on funding remain in force – WH Press Office
White House rescinds freeze on federal grants – WashPost
OMB rescindsed the spending pause JD Supra
OMB rescinds memo pausing federal financial assistance, but White House asserts funding freeze in Executive Orders remains effective – National Law Review

Tues, Jan 28, 2025:
Also on Tuesday, a separate lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, 1/28, by Democratic state attorneys general challenging the spending freeze in federal district court in Rhode Island.
Federal judge delays Trump spending freeze until Feb. 3 – WashPost
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Freeze of Federal Grant Funds – NYT
Judge temporarily pauses Trump’s freeze on grants, loans – Reuters
OMB issues clarification fact sheet – OMB
Background: Trump’s spending freeze – WashPost
DeLauro, Murray raise alarm on new OMB memoranda, efforts to defy federal law, Constitution to withhold approved federal funding – Ranking Members DeLauro and Murray

Mon, Jan 27, 2025: OMB issued Memorandum M-25-13 re: Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs stating in part: “…Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities….This memorandum requires Federal agencies to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President’s policies and requirements….Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to
obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities
that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance
for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new
deal….The temporary pause will become effective on January 28, 2025, at 5:00
PM….Each agency must pause: (i) issuance of new awards; (ii) disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards; and (iii) other relevant agency actions that may be implicated by the executive orders, to the extent permissible by law, until OMB has reviewed and provided guidance to your agency with respect to the information submitted.” See JD Supra for additional background.

Fri, Jan 24, 2025: Trump suggests eliminating FEMA during N. Carolina visit – CNN

Fri, Jan 24, 2025: State Dept freezes new funding for nearly all US aid programs worldwide – AP

Fri, Jan 24, 2025: Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional scheme to withhold funding headed to communities across America – Murray

Thurs, Jan 23, 2025: “No Senator who believes Congress holds the power of the purse should vote for Russ Vought” – Murray

Thurs, Jan 23, 2025: House Approps adopts rules and subcommittee jurisdictions – Cole

Wed, Jan 22, 2025: The GOP’s overdue 2025 spending decision – Politico

Wed, Jan 22, 2025: Congressional negotiators say bipartisan funding deal possible this week or next – The Hill

Wed, Jan 22, 2025: Trump’s budget pick is famous for defying Congress; GOP senators want to confirm him anyway – Politico

Wed, Jan 22, 2025: Murray grills OMB nominee Russ Vought–slamming Trump EOs to illegally withhold funding for communities across America – Murray

Tues, Jan 21, 2025: A look at what Trump did on Day One – The Fiscal Times

Tues, Jan 21, 2025: EOs that unilaterally steal investments promised to American Families–DeLauro

Wed, Jan. 15, 2025: “Expired and Expiring Authorizations of Appropriations” – CBO

Wed, Jan 15, 2025: House GOP announces new subcomm rosters – Cole

Wed, Jan 15, 2025: House Dems announce new appropriators – DeLauro

Wed, Jan 15, 2025: Trump’s budget chief previews constitutional clash over spending – FiscalTimes

Thurs, Jan 9, 2025: Musk says DOGE’s goal to cut $2 trillion in spending is “best-case outcome” – says there’s a good shot of cutting at least $1 trillion from federal expenditures. WSJ for explanations of why this is neither realistic nor desirable.]

Thurs, Jan 9, 2025: Ukraine pleads for continued arms assistance – Politico

Wed, Jan 8, 2025: Biden approves sweeping disaster declaration for SoCal fires – Politico

Tues, Jan 7, 2025: Sen. Collins officially becomes chair of Senate Approps Comm