October 22, 2025
Today is day 22 of the government shutdown. Officially – it’s the second longest shutdown in history.
And a brand new problem has popped up that may force lawmakers in the House and the Senate to start from scratch on a new bill to reopen the government. And this problem will probably force Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the House back into session – even though he said he wouldn’t until the government is re-opened. And it will cause a brand new headache for the Senate.
So what is this new problem?
The calendar.
Here’s what’s going on. Back on September 19th more than a month ago the House passed what’s called a continuing resolution or CR to keep the government open. Then – the Speaker sent the entire House home for recess. And that’s where they’ve been ever since. As I’ve been reporting – when that CR got to the Senate it failed because it requires 60 votes which means Republicans – since they don’t have 60 Senators — need to have Democratic votes to pass it. Well Democrats won’t give over those votes until the Republicans also agree to deal with the expiring affordable care act subsidies for low and middle income Americans. So that’s the problem. To the calendar.
Today is October 22nd. But the House passed continuing resolution – you know the one that keeps failing in the Senate – expires on November 21. That’s just a few weeks from now. So even *if* the house passed CR passed the senate today – which it won’t – and the government reopens… we would be right back in this same pickle and facing a brand new government shutdown deadline on November 21.
So what’s going to happen? Well – there is no end in sight for this current government shutdown and certainly no indication that the current House passed continuing resolution will ever get 60 votes in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that keeping the House out of session is a strategic move to put pressure on Senate Democrats to pass the CR that also passed in the House on September 19th. Well – it does not appear like that pressure is working because senate democrats have – so far – not caved and refuse to pass the c-r without those ACA subsidies. So – because all this has dragged on for so long – the Speaker may be forced to abandon his strategy and bring the House back into session to pass a new continuing resolution with a later date beyond November 21. But if he does that – then he will also be forced to swear in the new congresswoman-elect from Arizona who is a democrat – and she will be the 218th signature to force the Epstein files discharge petition….which would then force a vote on the floor. The Speaker is in a pickle. And even if he does do all that, and if he can get a new continuing resolution passed the house – it will likely *not* include any of those ACA subsidies so we will be right in this same place again in the senate with democrats likely withholding those votes.
