The federal government shutdown has now entered its fourth week with no resolution in sight. The House has been out of session since late September, and Speaker Mike Johnson reaffirmed last Friday that lawmakers will not return this week, reiterating his stance that he will "not come back and engage in anything until the government's reopened." Meanwhile, the Senate will hold its 11th vote today at 5:30 p.m. ET on the House-passed Continuing Resolution (CR), which would fund the government through November 21. So far, every attempt to clear the 60-vote threshold has failed. Three members of the Democratic caucus - Senators Angus King (I-ME), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) - continue to support the measure, but Republicans remain five votes short of breaking the filibuster.

At the heart of the stalemate is a dispute over expiring enhanced health insurance tax credits, a top priority for Democrats. They are also pushing to restore funding for public broadcasting and reverse $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill.

The shutdown's impact is widening. The federal court system has begun curtailing operations and preparing to furlough employees as the judiciary expects to run out of funding. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced that courts will focus on "constitutional functions." Judges will continue to serve, but other court employees may only perform tasks necessary to protect property or ensure safety, and that work would be without pay. Courts had remained open through last Friday by relying on fees and other funding not tied to new appropriations.

Furloughs are also hitting the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees nuclear weapons production and maintenance. The agency warned last week that it expected to run out of funding on Oct. 18 and planned to furlough 79 percent of its federal workforce, along with most of its much larger contractor workforce.

NEFI has published – and updated – a detailed breakdown of how the shutdown impacts on our members. The updated content can be accessed on LinkedIn (here) or in the Members Area (here).

NEFI will continue to keep members informed as developments unfold.