Washington, D.C. – October 22, 2025 – As the U.S. federal government shutdown stretches into its 22nd day, President Donald Trump on Tuesday firmly ruled out any immediate negotiations with Democratic congressional leaders, insisting that the impasse must end before any dialogue can resume. The standoff, triggered by a failure to pass a funding bill before the fiscal year deadline on October 1, has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers, disrupted essential services, and drawn sharp rebukes from both parties. With the shutdown now rivaling historic durations, Trump's comments underscore a deepening partisan divide centered on health care funding and federal spending priorities.
Speaking to reporters in the White House Rose Garden during a luncheon with Senate Republicans, Trump reiterated his precondition for talks. "I would love to meet, I would like to meet with both of them [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries], but I set one little caveat. I will only meet if they let the country open. They have to let the country open," Trump said, referring to Schumer and Jeffries. He added, "The people want to go back to work, they want to be served. They want to. They need the services of some people, and a lot of people need the money, the payroll, so I'll do it as soon as they open up the country, I'd like to meet."
The president's remarks came amid mounting frustration on Capitol Hill, where Senate Republicans have repeatedly pushed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels through November 21. The bill, passed by the Republican-controlled House earlier this month, has failed 11 times in the Senate, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster. Republicans hold 53 seats, leaving them reliant on at least seven Democratic defections—none of which have materialized.
Democrats, leveraging their procedural leverage in the Senate, have conditioned support for the CR on Republican concessions. Their demands include extending enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies set to expire on December 31, 2025, reversing Medicaid cuts embedded in Trump's earlier "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA)—a sweeping tax and spending package signed into law in July—and restoring funding for public broadcasting and other programs targeted by White House rescissions. Without the ACA extensions, Democrats warn, up to 20 million Americans could face premium hikes of 75% or more, exacerbating what they call a "health care crisis."
"This is day 21 of the Trump Republican shutdown, and the government remains closed because Republicans have zero interest in actually providing affordable health care to everyday Americans," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a CNN interview on Monday. Jeffries and Schumer had requested a White House meeting last week, but Trump rebuffed it, echoing his earlier cancellation of pre-shutdown talks in late September. Schumer, speaking on the Senate floor, accused the president of prioritizing foreign trips over domestic crises: "The country is in a health care crisis unlike we've ever seen, and Donald Trump, instead of leaving the country, should sit down and negotiate with us."
The shutdown's origins trace back to late September, when a White House summit between Trump and top lawmakers yielded no progress. Republicans proposed a "clean" CR, but Democrats viewed it as a vehicle for entrenching OBBBA's $1.6 trillion in cuts, including rescissions of $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding approved earlier in the year. Trump's budget director, Russell Vought—a key architect of Project 2025—has championed these moves as essential to curbing "waste, fraud, and abuse." On October 2, Trump posted on Truth Social about a meeting with Vought to identify "Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM," for potential permanent cuts, framing the shutdown as an "unprecedented opportunity."
This rhetoric has fueled Democratic accusations of politicization. Furloughed nonpartisan staff at the Department of Education reported on October 2 that their automatic out-of-office replies were altered to blame "Democrat Senators" for the closure—a potential violation of the Hatch Act prohibiting partisan activity by federal employees. More aggressively, the administration has initiated "reductions in force" (RIFs)—permanent layoffs unprecedented in prior shutdowns, where workers were typically furloughed or required to work without pay. By October 20, all but four members of the National Council on the Humanities had been terminated, and plans for broader cuts targeting "DEI initiatives" and Biden-era programs were announced.
Legal experts, including former Office of Management and Budget officials, have questioned the legality of RIFs during a shutdown, noting they could violate congressional appropriations authority. "Preparing or conducting a reduction in force during a shutdown would be legal [only if] unprecedented," said James Walkinshaw, a former congressman and OMB aide, in a statement to NPR. Democrats have seized on this, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) warning that Trump's rescission powers—used to claw back bipartisan funding—undermine any negotiated deal, as Republicans could simply undo it later via party-line votes.
The human and economic toll is mounting. Approximately 750,000 federal employees remain furloughed, with many missing their October 15 paychecks despite temporary reallocations for military and Coast Guard personnel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth redirected funds from congressional appropriations to cover active-duty troops, a "temporary fix" per House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who warned of future shortfalls if the impasse persists. National parks are closed to visitors, IRS tax refunds delayed, and federal courts—now unfunded as of October 20—face backlogs in trials and furloughs of non-essential staff.
Travel disruptions are widespread: Smithsonian museums exhausted reserve funds by October 6, and the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center shut its doors on day one. Airports have balked at playing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's partisan video blaming Democrats, shown in security lines. Economists estimate daily costs at $1.2 billion, with ripple effects on contractors and small businesses.
Public opinion polls reflect the blame game. A Washington Post survey on October 1 found 47% attributing the shutdown primarily to Trump and Republicans, versus 30% for Democrats in Congress. An NPR poll indicated independents fault both sides equally, while a KFF survey showed 78% support for ACA subsidy extensions—bolstering Democrats' platform. On X (formerly Twitter), sentiment is polarized: Trump supporters decry Democratic "hostage-taking," while critics mock the president as a "master negotiator" who can't close a deal.
Republicans, undeterred, see the shutdown as leverage. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters after Tuesday's White House lunch, "Plan B is open up the government... Democrats get wise and vote to reopen so we can get back to work." Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) dubbed it a "Seinfeld shutdown"—about nothing—urging Democrats to pass the CR without add-ons. Trump, eyeing an Asia trip this week, remains defiant: "We will not be extorted," he posted on Truth Social, hinting at "some Democrats" willing to break ranks soon.
Yet cracks appear. On October 19, Schumer and Jeffries reached out again for talks, but the White House demurred. Progressive groups like Indivisible rally behind Democrats, organizing a "No Kings" protest this weekend to pressure holdouts, while GOP leaders bet prolonged pain will erode Democratic resolve.
This marks Trump's second record-setting shutdown; the 2018-2019 border wall dispute lasted 35 days. As furloughs turn to firings and services falter, the question looms: Will economic hardship force compromise, or harden lines ahead of 2026 midterms? For now, the Capitol's dome stands silent, a symbol of gridlock in America's divided house.
