The U.S. federal government shutdown, now in its 13th day as of October 13, 2025, stems from a partisan clash over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies and passing a clean funding bill. Democrats have blocked multiple Senate votes on a Republican-proposed continuing resolution, insisting on protections against rising health care premiums. Polls show voters blame Republicans more for the impasse, yet trust them more on economic issues.
The shutdown began on October 1, 2025, after Senate Democrats rejected a House-passed continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through November 21 at fiscal year 2025 levels. The House approved the clean CR, which includes $88 million for lawmaker and White House security plus a fix for Washington, D.C.'s budget, on September 19, 2025, largely along partisan lines. Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune, are pushing for an eighth vote on the measure as early as October 14, but Democrats, under Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, refuse to support it without an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at year's end, which could raise premiums for millions.
President Donald Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use all available funds to pay military personnel by October 15, averting one immediate crisis. However, another deadline looms for Senate staff paychecks. House Speaker Mike Johnson warned on October 13 that prolonged Democratic obstruction could make this the third-longest shutdown in U.S. history, surpassing the 16-day 2013 impasse under Barack Obama—quoting Obama himself from that era: "There is one way out of this reckless and damaging Republican shutdown: Congress has to pass a budget that funds our government with no partisan strings attached."
Polls underscore the political stakes. An Economist/YouGov survey of 1,648 Americans found 41% blame Republicans for the shutdown, 30% Democrats, and 23% both parties. A CBS News/YouGov poll of 2,441 respondents showed 39% faulting Republicans versus 30% for Democrats. Yet, the same surveys reveal a Republican 4-point edge in trust on the economy, with Navigator Research indicating a 2-point GOP lead on inflation despite an 11-point Democratic advantage in shutdown blame.
Democrats view their stance as a step toward addressing cost-of-living concerns. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) called it "an important step... to make sure that people don’t see their premiums go up exponentially." The party's campaign arm launched a five-figure ad effort on October 10 to highlight premium risks. Republicans counter that Democrats supported similar CRs under President Joe Biden. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) described the standoff as "a political game... right versus wrong."
Complicating matters, House Speaker Johnson suggested Democrats may delay resolution until after the October 18 "No Kings" protests, organized nationwide against the Trump administration. Internal documents urge speakers like laid-off federal workers and Medicaid users, framing the shutdown as a "temper tantrum" by Trump. Organizers expect thousands of events and millions of participants, with safety plans including jail support. Only three Senate Democrats—Sens. John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, and independent Angus King—have supported reopening without concessions. Some polls, like Harvard/Harris, show nearly two-thirds of voters urging Democrats to compromise.
