The ongoing federal government shutdown shows no signs of an immediate end, as House Speaker Mike Johnson warned the country is “barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history.” The Senate is not scheduled to vote again on a clean funding bill until Tuesday night, and it is widely expected to fail for an eighth time, highlighting the severe partisan deadlock.
The shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, has already surpassed the 16-day closure of 2013 and is approaching the 21-day mark of the 1995-1996 shutdown. The longest on record, at 35 days, occurred from late 2018 into early 2019.
Emergency Action to Pay Military
Amid the legislative failure, President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that he ordered the Department of War to use “all available funds” to ensure approximately 2 million service members receive their mid-month paychecks on October 15.
The Department of War confirmed the plan in a statement on Sunday, announcing that it had identified approximately $8 billion of unobligated research development testing and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year to issue the paychecks.
Vice President JD Vance, appearing on Fox News, explained that the administration is employing “non-conventional things” to prevent military personnel from missing a paycheck. He stated that the funding would come from a combination of sources, saying, “a lot of this will come from incoming revenues to the Internal Revenue Service,” including “Tariff revenue, but also income tax revenue.”
The move, however, faces legal uncertainty. The Supreme Court is set to review the legality of President Trump’s sweeping global reciprocal tariffs, which have been challenged as an illegal use of presidential emergency authority.
A court decision against the administration could potentially require the refund of tens of billions of dollars already collected. Despite this, Vance expressed confidence in the administration’s actions, stating, “We are confident we’ve identified the legal pathways in order to do this.”
READ: Johnson Echoes Obama To Dems: Drop ‘Partisan Demands’ Or Face Longest Shutdown In History
Mass Firings Decimate Special Education Staff
The crisis on Capitol Hill has been compounded by mass firings across the federal workforce, which the White House previously threatened. Vice President Vance warned that the longer the shutdown continues, the “deeper” and more “painful” the job cuts would become.
Mass layoffs have heavily impacted the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Sources within the Education Department confirmed that the nation’s special education services have been “significantly impacted” by the layoffs, raising immediate concerns for children with disabilities. The firings reportedly decimated key offices like the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which oversees the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
President Trump, speaking at a Cabinet meeting last Thursday, indicated the cuts would be strategically focused. “We’re only going to cut Democrat programs. I hate to tell you, I guess that makes sense, but we’re only cutting Democrat programs, but we’re going to start that,” he said. Following this statement, the Office of Management and Budget Director, Russ Vought, announced the cancellation of $8 billion in green energy projects across 16 states that voted for Democrats in the last election.
Vance maintained that the job cuts are legal, telling Fox News, “Of course, we always follow the law… I’m sure that some people will sue, and that will get figured out in court.”
Shutdown Impact Widens
The fallout from the government closure is becoming more visible to the public. Popular attractions in Washington, D.C., including the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, have been temporarily closed since Sunday due to mandatory shutdowns.
This mirrors the effects of past prolonged closures, such as the 2018-2019 shutdown, during which the Smithsonian institutions alone reportedly lost an estimated 1 million visitors.
READ: Fox News’ Brit Hume Says Hamas’ Defeat Opens Door To Saudi-Israel Deal
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