ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ

Republicans have passed a government funding extension out of the House and argue that they are being blocked from doing so in the Senate because of Democratic opposition. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to stake their opposition to that bill on the need to extend health care subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. The Trump administration temporarily removed one pressure point this week when it diverted unused funds to pay active-duty military service members, though it may be difficult to use this maneuver twice. They also are looking for additional funds for a key nutrition supplement program for low-income families. The administration tried to put pressure on Democrats by trying to fire federal workers last week, but that effort has at least temporarily been blocked in court. Some pressure is building with the federal civilian employees missing paychecks. This includes employees performing critical services (including air traffic control and law enforcement) that must continue during the shutdown. The current dynamic could impact those services. A major catalyst for the end of the last government shutdown in 2019 was walkouts by air traffic controllers who were required to work without pay. Some pressure will build as we get closer to the next paycheck period at the end of the month.

Health care Battle. Democrats want to keep the shutdown fight focused on health care. With 1 November being the start of open enrollment, it may be on the minds of Americans who are registering for new health care plans. Many are seeing higher projected premiums for 2026 due to the aforementioned expiration of tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and because of cuts to Medicaid spending enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill. The tax credits help 22 million Americans lower their health insurance costs when they buy policies via the ACA marketplace. Democrats hope concerns about rising premiums will put pressure on Republicans. Some Republicans want an extension of the tax credits but also want to increase eligibility restrictions. Republicans also argue that any such negotiations should be separate and apart from government funding. However, given its growing importance, there will need to be some commitment to address the extension of ACA as part of any resolution on the government shutdown.

Read much more about topics under the dome in this week's Washington Weekly .