Government shutdown becomes longest in history as SNAP benefits delayed: Shutdown latest

WASHINGTON – It's official: The government shutdown is the longest in U.S. history, marking 36 painful days of missed paychecks , travel disruptions , food shortages and other mounting consequences for millions of Americans.

Now, some Democrats are using their sweeping election wins in New Jersey, New York and Virginia on Tuesday night as a reason Republican lawmakers should come make a deal to end the shutdown.

“Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people, for the good of the whole country,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.

Republicans, on the other hand, are grappling with President Donald Trump ’s increased pressure campaign to end the Senate's 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster in hopes lawmakers can reopen the government.

Even as the Senate shot down a short-term funding measure for the 14th time, rank-and-file lawmakers in Congress have said in recent days that bipartisan back-channeling is picking up, and they're getting closer to a potential agreement to persuade moderate Senate Democrats to break ranks.

Government shutdown tracker: See how your have senators voted so far

In exchange for reopening the government, Republicans have promised Democrats a Senate vote, which would likely fail, on extending Obamacare subsidies , which have been central to the shutdown debate. Progressive lawmakers have said that offer isn't enough, though moderates seem warmer to the notion.

Trump says US won’t ‘hurt’ if shutdown keeps dragging on

Trump called on Senate Democrats to join Republicans to vote to reopen the government – but he downplayed the effect on the U.S. economy if the government remains closed.

“Just reopen it,” Trump said in remarks at a business forum in Miami. “They don’t like it to be reopened because we’re setting records. Actually – I don’t think anything’s going to hurt. We are so strong now that I’m not that anything’s going to hurt.”

Trump added: “But it would be good to open it up, take care of the people with jobs that aren’t going to get paid and aren’t getting paid.”

Trump’s remarks came on Day 36 of the shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history. Trump earlier in the day said the shutdown was partially responsible for Republicans’ poor election showing during Tuesday’s off-year elections. Trump has called on Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government, but he currently lacks the vote to do so.

- Joey Garrison

Will Americans receive SNAP benefits for November?

Partial payments are expected to be sent out to the millions of Americans who receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , or SNAP, the Trump administration said.

The administration said Monday, Nov. 3, in a court filing that it would "fulfill its obligation to expend" funds during an emergency, using a reserve to cover "50% of eligible households’ current allotments."

It's unknown when those funds will actually reach SNAP recipients, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said payments could begin as soon as Wednesday during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

SNAP benefits were to be paused on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted on its website, saying the "well has run dry." The message continues to be displayed on the USDA website , though rulings by judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the department to use contingency funds to cover benefits.

- Natassia Paloma

'When you cave, you lose': Sanders pleads with Dems to hold firm on shutdown

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, pleaded with his Democratic colleagues in the Senate to hold firm on their shutdown demands after Tuesday night's election results.

The wins, he said, were proof that voters want Democrats to play hardball, including by forcing Republicans to commit to extending the expiring health care subsidies at the center of the shutdown debacle.

"The Democrats now are winning because they're standing with working people," Sanders said. "When you cave, you lose."

His comments underlined how Democrats' sweeping victories are already influencing the party's position on the shutdown, even as more moderate lawmakers engage in bipartisan discussions to potentially bring the crisis to an end.

"We've come this far," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. "The American people seem to be on our side. We really owe it to them to stand firm at this point and say we need a commitment to extend the health care premium subsidies."

GOP split on impact of Democrats' election wins

On the heels of big election wins for Democrats Tuesday night, Republicans even at the highest leadership levels appeared split the next day as to whether they should downplay the results – or take them as troubling indicators for their party.

Several GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson , stressed that Democrats were expected to come out on top.

"We knew in advance that they were going to take a victory lap," said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota. The races were ones "we did not expect to win anyways," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana.

Other Republicans, including President Trump, seemed to think the results underscored bigger problems.

"Last night, if that wasn't a message to all Republicans, then we've got our heads jammed in the ground," said Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia.

"The lesson is that we've got to deliver on the campaign promises we made," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri.

Trump's push to end the filibuster divides Republicans

Despite the president's pleas Wednesday to end the filibuster, many Senate Republicans remained unwavering in their support for the 60-vote threshold, which they say incentivizes bipartisanship and will protect the country when Democrats regain power in the future.

"We killed a lot of President Biden's goofy ideas through the filibuster," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana. "And someday the shoe will be on the other foot."

Still, notable defections began to emerge after GOP lawmakers met with Trump at the White House for breakfast. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who's up for reelection next year and is still waiting on an endorsement from the president, indicated he could be open to nixing the rule, specifically for budget bills.

"Having a willful minority being able to shutdown the government any time they want to, obviously we can't tolerate that," he said. "I think that calls for some changes."

Schumer calls on Trump, GOP to negotiate shutdown following election results

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, urged President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers to meet with Democrats to end the government shutdown following his party’s sweeping wins on Tuesday .

“The election shows that Democrats' control of the Senate is much closer than the people and the prognosticators realize,” Schumer said. “The more Republicans double down on raising costs and bowing down to Trump, the more their Senate majority is at risk.”

Schumer said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned Trump at the White House a couple of months ago that if a deal is not made to end the shutdown and address their health care concerns that it was going to be bad for them come the elections.

“Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people, for the good of the whole country,” Schumer said.

Amid longest shutdown, Johnson tries to shrug off Democratic election victories 

As the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Democrats’ victories in key elections in Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York .

Johnson argued that Americans shouldn’t “read too much into” Tuesday night’s election results.

“What happened last night was blue states and blue cities voted blue,” Johnson said at his daily press conference at the U.S. Capitol. “We all saw that coming, and no one should read too much into last night's election results. Off year, elections are not indicative of what's to come.”

Johnson specifically criticized Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist who won the New York City mayoral race. He said that Mamdani is a bellwether in how House Democrats, some of whom represent more moderate districts than New York City, “have embraced him with open arms.”

Going into the 2026 midterm election, Johnson said Republicans are going to be “bullish” on their record.

Johnson calls shutdown milestone ‘a sad landmark’

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday marked “a sad landmark in our history” after the government shutdown became the longest in history.

“Unlike our Democrat friends, Republicans know there's no prize for the milestone we've hit today,” Johnson said. “No one wins in a government shutdown.”

Johnson urged Democrats to pass the short-term funding bill that would reopen the government until Nov. 21.

Jeffries says he hopes GOP sees 'need to change course' in shutdown

Following sweeping victories in elections across the countries for Democrats, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, on Wednesday morning said he hopes Republican lawmakers change course to try and end the now 36-day government shutdown.

Jeffries said in an interview with MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" that Democrats want to find a bipartisan path forward to the government shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history , that addresses high costs in America, including health care.

"We repeatedly maintain as Democrats that we will sit down with anyone, anytime, any place," Jeffries said in the interview that comes as Trump is meeting with GOP lawmakers at the White House. "Either on Capitol Hill or back at the White House in order to do what is necessary to end this Trump-Republican shutdown."

Jeffries said that Republicans are taking a "'my way or the highway' approach," a move they did when they passed Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill, a massive tax and spending legislation that was enacted into law earlier this year.

"The American people are rejecting that level of extremism, and it’s certainly our hope that Republicans will see the need to change course," the House Minority Leader said. "Sit down with us as Democrats and we can find our way out of this, unfortunately, very painful shutdown that the American people have been experiencing."

– Rebecca Morin

More: The government shutdown is now the longest in US history on Day 36

Trump urges Senate GOP to eliminate filibuster

Trump urged Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster, which allows a minority of lawmakers to block legislation including a bill to reopen the government, during a White House breakfast.

"The first thing we should do this afternoon is terminate the filibuster," Trump said. "It’s horrible."

The filibuster is a Senate rule that requires 60 of the 100 members to agree to advance legislation. With 53 Republicans and 47 lawmakers who caucus with Democrats, the rule requires a bipartisan vote on contentious legislation.

Trump said Republicans should approve their own legislation without Democrats, such as prohibiting mail-in voting and requiring voter identification at the polls.

But he acknowledged that half of Senate Republicans oppose getting rid of the filibuster. He argued that Democrats will end the filibuster if they regain control of the chamber.

"We’re going to talk about that a little bit," Trump said. "We’re going to see if we can sway."

Trump also blasted a "blue slip" tradition , which is basically an extension of the filibuster that allows senators to block presidential nominees in their own states, such as U.S. attorneys.

"The blue slips are a total disaster," Trump said. "I think we’re going to court on it."

-Bart Jansen

Visual story: Trump has the two longest shutdowns in US history. Here is how they compare

Trump invites Republican senators to White House breakfast amid push to eliminate filibuster

Trump invited all GOP senators to the White House on Wednesday morning for breakfast.

It comes as he has urged them as recently as Tuesday night to vote to eliminate the filibuster to reopen the government, which would allow for a simple majority, rather than 60 votes, to pass significant legislation in the Senate.

Trump’s efforts, however, have been met by resistance from some Republican senators, including Thune, who said Tuesday "the votes aren’t there" to get rid of it.

Both Republicans and Democrats have emphasized the importance of the filibuster in recent days as a necessary threshold to maintain bipartisanship in Congress. Doing away with it would significantly damage already-frayed interparty relations.

- Joey Garrison and Zachary Schermele

Trump oversaw the two longest shutdowns in US history. Here's how they compare.

The Senate failed on its 14th and latest vote to  end the government shutdown  on Tuesday, positioning it to exceed the stand-alone 35 day record set during Trump’s first term in 2019.

Trump’s combined shutdowns have already eclipsed the collective record of 56 days, which took place over five shutdowns in three years, during President Jimmy Carter’s administration.

Here’s how Trump’s shutdowns compare .

- George Petras

Thune says lawmakers are discussing new short-term funding deadline

Thune said Tuesday the Senate will soon change the Nov. 21 deadline for a short-term spending bill to reopen the government.

Thune said lawmakers are still discussing the best date to give lawmakers time to approve full-year spending bills. Options include a spending extension into early 2026. But Thune said "nobody" wants to keep the same spending levels for an entire fiscal year.

If lawmakers in both chambers agree to a date, the Senate could vote on it and then send it back to the House, which has been recessed for more than a month, for ratification.

"There is a conversation about what the next deadline should be," Thune said. "The date is something that is still being discussed."

Man who threatened to kill member of Congress arrested at Senate office building 

U.S. Capitol Police arrested a Pennsylvania man Tuesday who'd threatened to kill a member of Congress.

Law enforcement officers stopped the man, whom they identified as 43-year-old Richard Griffin, before going through a security screening at a Senate office building in Washington.

The arrest came as Capitol Police haven't been fully paid in recent weeks due to the government shutdown, even though lawmakers have been increasingly concerned about their own security since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September.

-Zachary Schermele

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Government shutdown makes history as longest ever: Recap