Senate Democrats are blocking the government’s eighth reopening on the 14th day of the shutdown

A long weekend away from Washington, D.C., did little to ease Senate Democrats’ resolve as they once again blocked an attempt to reopen the government for an eighth time on Tuesday.

The start of mass dismissals promised by the Trump administration and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Ross Vought over the weekend also failed to sway Senate Democrats, led by the Senate Minority Leader. Chuck SchumerD.N.Y.

However, one pressure point for both sides was mitigated with the president Donald Trump Directing the transfer of funds at the Pentagon to pay the salaries of military service members. Their salaries are due on October 15.

However, another payday, this time for Senate staff, is fast approaching on October 20.

The Senate is preparing for a new vote to end the shutdown, but there is still deadlock over Obamacare subsidies

Both sides remain wedded to the same positions that led to the shutdown earlier this month as well. Talks between the opposing factions are still ongoing, but have not yet produced a result that makes either side ready to move forward.

Senate Democrats want an extension to its expiration Obamacare subsidies ahead of the Nov. 1 open enrollment date, and they argue that unless Congress takes action, Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits will see their premiums skyrocket.

However, Trump appeared unwilling to bow to Senate Democrats’ demands, repeating Republicans’ argument that Democrats want to roll back a total of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts from the “big, beautiful bill” and claw back funding for NPR and PBS to give in part to illegal immigrants.

“I don’t want to bother you with the fact that Schumer said 100 times: You should never shut down our government,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “But Schumer is a weak politician. I mean, he’s going to end his career as a failed politician, as a failed politician. He allowed the radical left to take over the Democratic Party.”

Schumer’s shutdown blueprint explained: Democrats double Obamacare appropriations as standoff continues

Senate Republicans have said they are open to negotiating a deal on the benefits, with reforms to the program only after the government reopens. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, for now, has no intention of deviating from his plan to keep bringing up the short-lived continuing resolution by House Republicans over and over again.

“Democrats like to complain that Republicans don’t negotiate, but negotiating, Mr. President, is what you do when each side has a list of demands and you need to meet in the middle,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “Republicans, as I and many others have pointed out, have made no demands. Only Democrats have made demands. And, by the way, expensive demands.”

Schumer noted on the Senate floor that every time Thune has brought a GOP bill to the floor, it has failed.

“This means, like it or not, the Republican leader needs to work with Democrats in a bipartisan way to reopen the government, just as we did when we passed 13 resolutions when I was majority leader,” he said.

The administration’s move on reductions in force (RIFs) over the weekend and the ongoing threat that thousands of nonessential federal employees may not get their paychecks once the shutdown ends did not sway Senate Democrats.

The same trio of Senate Democratic caucus members, Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and Angus King, D-Maine, all dissented from Schumer’s support for reopening the government.

The government is delving deeper into the lockdown crisis without reaching an agreement in sight

“Donald Trump, come to the table,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at a rally outside the Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday. “Reduce costs and prices and stop harming and terrorizing federal employees and the American people.”

While most proceedings on Capitol Hill have stalled as the shutdown continues — the House, for example, has been out of session for more than three weeks — the Senate has moved on other legislation, including the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 and a massive slate of Trump nominees. Thune also teased last week that Defense spending bill He could come to Earth soon.

The latest failed attempt comes on the 14th day of the lockdown and ensures the lockdown will continue for at least a third week.

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It also places this closure, in particular, in a historic area. While the longest shutdown on record, from late 2018 to early 2019, was during Trump’s first term, it was only partial. A number of bills had already been passed at that time, including funding the legislature and defense.

But the longest complete shutdown occurred more than two decades ago under the former president Bill Clinton Between late 1995 and early 1996. This shutdown lasted 21 days and was due to a budget dispute between Clinton and then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

This particular dispute also led to two shutdowns that fiscal year, the first in November and the second a record-breaking 21 days.