Firings on Pause
The Trump administration begins the workweek at least temporarily thwarted from all the reductions in force it wants to execute.
The restraining order preventing the mass layoff of some unionized employees has been expanded to cover additional federal worker unions, Isaiah Poritz reports.
At an emergency hearing, Judge Susan Illston also responded to a court filing in which the administration said it could fire employees who aren’t part of a collective bargaining agreement.
“My recommendation to defense counsel is to tell the defendants they should err on the side of caution,” Illston said. “I don’t think any RIFs should be happening.” Read More
Shutdown Day 20
Only the Senate is due back in town today. It’s scheduled to vote again on temporary spending, though in the absence of negotiations there are no signs that repeating the roll call will produce a different result.
We’ll be watching for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to decide the timing for a vote on a bill (S. 3012) that would provide funding for federal employees whose work is continuing during a shutdown.
That measure wouldn’t cover paychecks for employees who’ve been furloughed and are owed back pay under a 2019 law.
Today’s Congress Tracker looks at how a cycle of distrust is making a resolution so difficult to find.
See also:
- Protesters Oppose Trump in ‘No Kings’ Events Across the US
- Democrats Query Noem’s $200 Million Jet Purchase in Shutdown
- Trump Needs to Find New Funding for Troop Pay, GOP Lawmaker Says
- US Courts Face First Furloughs Under Shutdown in 30 Years
Santos Speaks
Newly freed after Trump commuted his sentence, ex-Rep. George Santos has a lot to say.
The New York Times reports that the New York Republican, who served 84 days of an 87-month sentence, appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” criticizing the prison warden overseeing his incarceration.
Santos, who was expelled from Congress in 2023, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. He admitted to lying to Congress, stealing money from campaign donors and fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits. A congressional ethics investigation found that Santos had improperly spent campaign funds on Botox, designer fashion, cosmetics and OnlyFans purchases.
How Well Do You Know Washington -- Shutdown Edition
Congress plowed new ground when federal spending authority lapsed for a record number of days with no appropriations bills enacted. Though many government services continue (thanks in no small part to civil servants working without pay), zero appropriated funding technically equals a full shutdown. If even one of the fiscal 2026 spending bills had been completed and signed, we’d call this a partial shutdown.
What’s the record for any kind of shutdown, full or partial?
A) 25 days
B) 29 days
C) 34 days
D) 39 days
Scroll down for the answer.
Ad Dollars
The Trump administration’s “Stay Out and Leave Now” campaign helped drive a 7% increase in the federal government’s total advertising spending and a 279% rise for the Department of Homeland Security.
BGOV analyst Maika Ito used the government’s classification codes to examine how nondefense dollars were spent during fiscal 2025.
The federal contracting data shows that DHS spent $380 million for advertising services contracts, making it the top spender among all nondefense agencies in that category for the first time. Read More
Eye on Tariffs
Columbia is latest target for US tariffs. Trump told reporters on Air Force One last night that new tariffs would be punishment for that country’s drug trade. He said he’ll announce the size of the tariffs today.
The US also is halting all assistance to Colombia, which since 2017 has been given for military modernization, demining, and counternarcotics operations. President Gustavo Petro has sought “total peace” through negotiations with guerrillas and crime groups rather than force — a strategy that has yet to curb violence or cocaine output. Read More
And add one more to the list of tariffs scheduled to kick in Nov. 1. In addition to the previously announced plan to add a 25% levy on imported medium and heavy-duty trucks and parts, the administration is adding a 10% duty on buses. Read More
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is preparing to take a delegation to Malaysia to meet with Chinese officials. The goal: “To prepare for the two presidents to meet,” Bessent said. Read More
Trump has backed off saying he might cancel his in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, set to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit. He told reporters that rare earths, fentanyl, and soybeans as the top issues on the table. Read More
Did You Ace the Quiz?
The federal government has been shut down (technically) for 20 days. Fiscal 2019 was 34 days old before its spending bills were completed, as Maeve Sheehey reported. Give yourself a star if you chose Option B. Read More
Before You Go
Stormclouds: Amazon Web Services, the world’s largest cloud provider, said its service was recovering after a widespread disruption today degraded services for a range of customers including government agencies, AI companies, and financial platforms. Read More
Turnaround: From a low point after wildfires tore across his state earlier this year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has seen his political fortunes rebound after the Democrat pushed a plan to neutralize Republican efforts to redraw Texas congressional districts to help their party keep House control. Read More
National Guard: Trump has asked the Supreme Court to let him immediately deploy troops in Chicago after a federal appeals court refused the administration’s request. Read More
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