The ongoing U.S. federal government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, and reached its 35th day on November 4—tying the record for the longest in history—is fundamentally a partisan standoff over fiscal year 2026 appropriations. The key factor prolonging it is Senate Democrats' repeated use of the 60-vote filibuster threshold to block a House-passed "clean" continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government at current levels through November 21 without policy changes.
Why the filibuster is decisive
- The Senate has voted 14 times since early October on the same CR. Each time it has fallen short of 60 votes (most recently 54–44 on November 4), with nearly all Democrats opposing it.
- Only three senators who caucus with Democrats (Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman, and independent Angus King) have ever supported advancing the bill.
- Republicans hold 53 seats and refuse to eliminate the filibuster, calling it a last-resort “nuclear option.”
Democrats’ core demand
Democrats will not provide the votes to reopen the government unless Republicans guarantee an immediate vote to extend expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) premium tax credits set to lapse December 31, 2025. These subsidies, enhanced under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, keep health insurance affordable for ~20 million Americans. Democrats view the CR as leverage to lock in that extension before any broader budget deal.
Republicans’ position
The GOP insists on a “clean” CR first, arguing Democrats are holding essential services hostage for unrelated policy wins. President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson have refused separate ACA votes until the government reopens.
Real-world impacts amplifying pressure
- SNAP (food stamps): 42 million low-income Americans faced partial or delayed November benefits until federal judges forced the USDA to tap ~$5 billion in contingency funds (covering ~50–60 % of normal payments).
- Air travel: Staffing shortages among unpaid TSA screeners and air-traffic controllers have caused 3.2 million passenger delays/cancellations; the FAA warns of possible airspace closures next week.
- Head Start: 58,600 preschool slots in 41 states have closed.
- Federal workers: ~700,000 furloughed, ~730,000 essential workers unpaid; many agencies have extended furloughs through late November.
Bottom line
Absent Democratic votes or a filibuster rule change, the Senate cannot reopen the government. That 60-vote hurdle—combined with Democrats’ refusal to yield without an ACA commitment—is the single mechanism keeping the shutdown alive, now inflicting daily pain on millions of Americans.
