Government shutdown day 27: Senate returns with rival plans, no clear end date as Schumer and Trump trade pressure

The federal government remains shut down today, Monday, October 27, 2025, with large portions of agencies closed or curtailed for a fourth week. The Senate is slated to reconvene this afternoon (ET) after a stalled stretch of votes last week, but negotiators say there is still no single path with enough support to reopen the government. Federal workers face another missed paycheck if the impasse lasts through midweek.

Why is the government shutdown in 2025?

This shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. ET on October 1 after Congress failed to pass full-year appropriations or a short-term funding bridge. The standoff pairs a basic dispute over spending levels with a fight about policy riders—chiefly whether to extend health-insurance subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act through the end of 2026 as part of any stopgap. The White House says funding should be approved first, with policy settled later; Democratic leaders argue the subsidy cliff must be addressed in the same bill because it affects premiums and enrollment decisions now.

Additional friction points include limits on agency hiring and a debate over how much flexibility the administration should have to pay select workers during a shutdown. Those questions derailed multiple trial balloons last week, including dueling efforts to compensate some or all federal employees while the broader funding lapse continues.

Is the government still shut down today?

Yes. As of October 27, the federal government is still in a partial shutdown. Essential operations—such as air traffic control, active-duty military, and certain law enforcement functions—continue, but roughly three-quarters of a million to 900,000 civilian workers are furloughed and many others are working without pay. Agencies have warned of growing knock-on effects: slowed research, backlogs in permits and small-business loans, deferred inspections, and curtailed services at parks and cultural sites. States have begun issuing contingency advisories where federal pass-through dollars are at risk.

Senate dynamics: Schumer’s options and the vote map

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s immediate choices are narrow:

• Clean stopgap vs. “hybrid” CR: A short funding extension into late November paired with a limited set of policy fixes has the best shot at 60 votes, but the precise mix—health subsidies, disaster aid, and timing—remains unsettled.

• Targeted backpay bills: Standalone measures to pay federal workers or guarantee backpay continue to bounce between the chambers without agreement on scope or guardrails.

• Amend-and-send strategy: The Senate could amend a House bill and force a new round of votes, but prior attempts have failed along party lines with only a handful of crossovers.

Whips in both parties say that any plan that couples funding with a multi-year subsidy extension will likely need bipartisan buy-in from the outset, not last-minute floor amendments.

Trump’s role and the House-Senate gap

Former President Donald Trump, back in the Oval Office, has pressed for a funding-first approach and signaled openness to a short, “clean” continuing resolution—without the subsidy extension—if it can pass quickly. That stance has given House Republicans leverage to keep the bill narrow; it has also hardened Democratic demands in the Senate, where leaders argue that leaving subsidies unresolved would destabilize 2026 coverage. The result is a loop: the House lacks votes for a broader package, and the Senate lacks 60 for a narrow one.

When will the government shutdown end?

There is no confirmed end date. The next plausible off-ramps:

1. Narrow CR into late November: If leaders agree to punt the subsidy fight, a clean extension could move fast—if both chambers accept it.

2. Trade: short CR + time-limited subsidy patch: A compromise that extends subsidies through 2026 open enrollment could unlock the 60 votes needed in the Senate and give the House cover.

3. Escalation pressure: Mounting service disruptions, market volatility, or missed paychecks can change member calculus. A small group of cross-party senators is exploring a bipartisan framework that couples a shorter CR with a guarantee of a stand-alone subsidy vote on a fixed date.

Any of these pathways would still require procedural cooperation to beat the calendar. If talks drift past Friday, the shutdown would be on track to break additional duration milestones.

How long is the longest government shutdown?

The modern record is 35 days (December 2018–January 2019). Today marks day 27 of the current lapse, making it the second-longest in the modern era. Without movement this week, the record would come into view early next week.

What’s at stake for workers and services

• Pay and benefits: Another missed payday for many civilian employees is approaching; backpay is customary but not guaranteed until a bill passes.

• Programs: Social Security and Medicare continue to send benefits, but some customer-service functions are degraded. Research grants, small-business lending, and certain food and housing programs face delays or pauses depending on cash on hand and state backstops.

• Economy: Each week of shutdown trims growth and saps consumer confidence, with outsized effects in regions reliant on federal facilities and contracting.

The Senate schedule and what to watch

• Today (Mon., Oct. 27, ET): Senate gavels in; leadership meets to map amendment possibilities. Watch for any notice of a test vote on a narrow CR.

• Midweek: If bipartisan talks coalesce, a draft could surface that pairs funding through Nov. 21 with a defined process for the subsidy question.

• Weekend risk: If the Senate stalls again, attention turns to informal House–Senate “pre-conference” talks to shape the next vehicle.

The government remains shut down today. The central dispute—whether to pair a short-term funding bill with an extension of health-insurance subsidies—has frozen votes and pushed the fight into a 27th day. The Senate returns with multiple paper paths but no consensus, Chuck Schumer is weighing which plan can draw 60 votes, and the White House is urging a funding-first approach. Until one side concedes on sequence—or both accept a narrow trade—there is no firm end date. The window for a quick resolution this week is open, but closing fast.