What to know on Day 13 of the government shutdown:
- The stalemate over how to reopen the government will extend into a third week with no resolution in sight, as Democrats and Republicans continue to trade blame for the shutdown that began on Oct. 1. Vice President JD Vance said Democrats' posture in the shutdown amounts to "hostage-taking."
- The Senate returns Tuesday and is expected to vote again on a House-passed measure to fund the government. It's fallen short of the necessary 60-vote threshold seven times, as Senate Republicans have unsuccessfully sought to win more support from Democrats. But Democrats say they won't vote to reopen the government unless health insurance tax credits are extended.
- The Trump administration announced Friday that layoffs it had warned would take place because of the shutdown were underway. It said in a court filing that seven agencies had begun issuing reduction-in-force notices to more than 4,000 workers, but RIF notices that went to a number of CDC employees were sent in error and have been rescinded.
- President Trump said Saturday that he was directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "use all available funds to get our Troops PAID." Members of the military are due to be paid on Oct. 15. Other federal workers will not receive paychecks until the shutdown ends.
- Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo closed Sunday because of the shutdown.
"Closed" signage outside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which is closed due to the federal government shutdown, in Washington, DC, US, on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025.
Stefani Reynolds / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Smithsonian museums close due to government shutdown
Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo closed Sunday due to the government shutdown. The Smithsonian Institution had previously announced it was using prior-year funding to keep the locations open to the public through Oct. 11.
Updated 4m agoVance accuses Democrats of "hostage-taking"
Vice President JD Vance on Sunday accused Democrats of "hostage-taking" with their posture in the government shutdown, as Democratic leaders in Congress have pushed for serious negotiations with Republican leaders and the White House to end the stalemate.
"We don't negotiate with a person who has taken the entire federal government hostage over a health care policy dispute," Vance said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
Read more here.
Senate to vote again Tuesday on House-passed measure to reopen government
The Senate is still out of town for the federal holiday Monday and is scheduled to return Tuesday afternoon, before an evening vote on the House-passed measure to fund the government.
Senate Republicans have been hoping to gain more support from Democrats for the measure after seven failed votes. But Democrats haven't budged since before the shutdown began. Three senators have consistently crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans as leaders seek five more Democrats willing to break with their party to reopen the government. But most Democrats have stuck to their demand that expiring health insurance tax credits must be extended as part of an agreement to reopen the government. One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, has consistently voted to oppose the bill.
Meanwhile, the House will remain on recess this week after GOP leadership canceled votes. The House has not been in session since Sept. 19, after passing a measure to fund the government until Nov. 21. Since then, Republican leadership has stressed that the House has done its job, putting pressure on the Senate to pass the bill.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called House Democrats back to Washington this week, writing in a letter to colleagues Saturday that they would return to Washington and have a caucus meeting Tuesday evening to "discuss the path forward."
Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both New York Democrats, say the way to resolve the shutdown is through negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House. Republicans contend there's nothing to negotiate, since the House has already passed a measure to keep the government funded, urging Democrats to back it in the Senate.
