Government Shutdown Enters 22nd Day

As of Wednesday, the ongoing government shutdown has reached its 22nd day, now ranking as the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history, exceeding the duration of the 1995-1996 shutdown.

Since October 1, Senate Democrats have thwarted Republican efforts to reopen the government on eleven occasions. Most caucus members opposed a bill that would extend federal funding at current levels until November 21.

The Senate plans to make another attempt to resolve the shutdown at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Democratic leaders are requesting a meeting with President Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York mentioned on Tuesday that he urged the president to meet, stating, “We told him before he left that we could meet anytime, anywhere.”

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has made it clear that any high-level discussions will not occur until Democrats agree to reopen the government.

Johnson noted, “Senate Majority Leader Thune and I spoke with President Trump, and he confirmed that the three of us are ready to meet with Chairman Jeffries and Senator Schumer as soon as Mr. Schumer returns to office.”

At a rally in the White House Rose Garden, President Trump expressed that he is not interested in negotiating until the government is open. “I don’t know what to negotiate,” Thune said, emphasizing that the priority should be reopening the government.

The Senate Majority Leader has laid out a plan to keep voting on a seven-week interim funding bill, despite opposition from Democrats. Thune stated, “We’ll keep voting to open the government, and hopefully, the Democrats will change course soon.”

Meanwhile, President Trump characterized the Democrats’ refusal to move forward with a clean continuing resolution as an attempt at extortion. He demanded, “Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats need to vote for clean bipartisanship and reopen the government—this must happen now.”

Senator Schumer mentioned that Republican proposals for reopening the government would include extending health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act for about 22 million individuals. The White House asserts that those benefits do not expire until December 31, allowing time for negotiations once the government reopens.

The current shutdown marks the third longest in history, beginning on December 16, 1995, and concluding on January 6, 1996. There was also a brief six-day shutdown in November 1995 due to a budget veto by then-President Bill Clinton.

Currently, around 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, with plans from the Trump administration to lay off thousands more. If the shutdown persists, federal employees may not receive their full paychecks this Friday, and military personnel could also face delays in their pay the following week.

The longest shutdown in U.S. history was the 35-day standoff during the Trump administration from 2018 to 2019.