Today in one sentence: The federal government shut down after Trump and Republicans refused to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and Democrats blocked a temporary funding bill; the White House told House Republicans that mass firings of federal workers would start in “one to two” days; the Trump administration directed federal employees to blame Democrats for the shutdown using taxpayer-funded websites, agency emails, and out-of-office replies; U.S. companies cut 32,000 jobs in September and August’s previously reported 54,000 job gain was revised down to a 3,000 job loss; the Supreme Court ruled that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can keep her seat while it considers Trump’s attempt to fire her; and Trump signed an executive order pledging a U.S. security guarantee to Qatar after Israel’s strike in Doha last month targeting Hamas leaders.

1/ The federal government shut down after Trump and Republicans refused to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and Democrats blocked a temporary funding bill. Each side blamed the other, with Democrats insisting the subsidies are a “moral” issue and Republicans demanding the government reopen first. About 750,000 federal workers, meanwhile, face furloughs or firings. Senate votes Wednesday on both Republican and Democratic plans failed to reach the 60-vote threshold, despite three Democrats breaking ranks. No new negotiations were scheduled, leaving federal services disrupted and health care subsidies for millions at risk of expiring in Trump’s third shutdown. (New York Times / Politico / Associated Press / Washington Post / The Hill / Politico / Wall Street Journal)

2/ The White House told House Republicans that mass firings of federal workers would start in “one to two” days. Budget Director Russ Vought said the cuts would be “consequential,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt called them “imminent,” and JD Vance said, “we are going to have to lay people off.” Democrats, meanwhile, called the threats illegal, citing a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities memo that said “a shutdown provides no new legal authority to engage in mass layoffs.” Shutdowns have historically led to furloughs with back pay, not permanent dismissals. (Politico / Bloomberg / NBC News / Washington Post / The Hill)

  • The White House dismissed most of the National Council on the Humanities, keeping only four Trump appointees on the board. Emails told members their positions were “terminated, effective immediately,” despite federal law requiring equitable representation. (Washington Post)
  • The Trump administration canceled nearly $8 billion in climate funding across 15 Democratic-led states that Trump lost in 2024. Budget Director Russell Vought called the programs “Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda.” (CNBC)
  • The Trump administration froze $18 billion for New York’s Gateway tunnel and Second Avenue Subway projects on the first day of the shutdown, targeting infrastructure in the state of Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. Budget director Russ Vought claimed the money was tied to “unconstitutional DEI principles,” though the projects were already underway and long funded by Congress. Schumer called the freeze “stupid and counterproductive,” while New York officials warned it was political retaliation that threatens jobs and commuters. (New York Times / Associated Press / CNBC / NPR / Politico)
  • Trump’s $200 million White House ballroom project will continue during the shutdown, because the work is privately funded and unaffected. Donors including YouTube, which contributed $22 million through a settlement, have pledged nearly the full cost, and Trump has said he will cover the rest if needed. (Daily Beast)

3/ The Trump administration directed federal employees to blame Democrats for the shutdown using taxpayer-funded websites, agency emails, and out-of-office replies. The White House and Justice Department websites ran a banner declaring “Democrats have shut down the government,” the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s site told visitors “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government,” and agency emails claimed “Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate.” Experts called the order an abuse of government power, warning it was unprecedented and likely illegal under the Hatch Act. (The Guardian / New York Times / WIRED / Axios / HuffPost / The Handbasket / NBC News / New Republic)

4/ U.S. companies cut 32,000 jobs in September and August’s previously reported 54,000 job gain was revised down to a 3,000 job loss. That marks the second straight month of private-sector job cuts and the steepest drop since March 2023. The government shutdown, meanwhile, stopped the release of key economic reports, including Friday’s jobs numbers and weekly unemployment claims. Without that data, the Federal Reserve may have to make decisions on interest rates later this month with little reliable information. (Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNBC / Associated Press / Reuters / NBC News)

5/ The Supreme Court ruled that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can keep her seat while it considers Trump’s attempt to fire her. The justices scheduled arguments for January, declining Trump’s request to immediately remove her from the board. Trump previously accused Cook of mortgage fraud and said her “misrepresentations on financial documents create a grave appearance of impropriety.” Cook, however, denied that and argued she never had the chance to respond. Her lawyers told the justices she “committed neither ‘fraud’ nor ‘gross negligence,’” while the White House insisted Trump “lawfully removed Lisa Cook for cause.” (Bloomberg / Associated Press / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Washington Post / Axios / Politico / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)

6/ Trump signed an executive order pledging a U.S. security guarantee to Qatar after Israel’s strike in Doha last month targeting Hamas leaders. The order said the U.S. would treat “any armed attack” on Qatar as “a threat to the peace and security of the United States” and take “all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military.” It directed U.S. defense and intelligence leaders to maintain joint contingency planning with Qatar. The order followed a White House-arranged call in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “expressed his deep regret” for the strike that killed six people. No Arab country has ever received a NATO-style security guarantee from Washington, making the move unprecedented given that U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia have long asked for similar security pledges without success. (Associated Press / Reuters / Politico / CNN / New York Times / Axios)

⏭️ Notably Next: The government has been shutdown for 1 day; the 2026 midterms are in 398 days.

Four years ago today: Day 255: "Ain’t going to happen."
Six years ago today: Day 985: Entitled.
Seven years ago today: Day 620: A new dawn.