The government shutdown entered its twentieth day on Monday, marking the longest full closure in U.S. history and the third-longest overall, behind only the 35-day partial shutdown of 2018–19 and the 21-day standoff of 1995–96. Yet despite the historic milestone and mounting economic strain, Congress remains locked in a stalemate with no clear path forward.

The Senate is set to take up another vote Monday night on the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government, a procedural motion that would mark the eleventh failed attempt to end the impasse. Few lawmakers expect a different outcome this time. A separate Republican measure that would guarantee pay for federal employees during the shutdown is expected to come to the floor later this week, but Democrats have already dismissed it as a “show vote,” arguing that it serves as political theater designed to benefit President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought. The White House has remained steadfast that spending levels must stay below those approved under former President Joe Biden before Trump will consider signing any funding measure.

The partisan divide has hardened in the upper chamber, though cracks are beginning to appear within Democratic ranks. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has publicly criticized his party’s strategy, warning that Democrats risk losing credibility by keeping the government closed in a push to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at year’s end. “We wrote the law—we should own the consequences,” Fetterman said, urging colleagues to confront the looming lapse in health-care support.

Meanwhile, the shutdown’s fallout is deepening across the country. Federal employees will miss their first full paycheck this week, prompting several major banks and credit unions to offer short-term emergency loans. Air traffic controllers, working without pay, have begun signaling that they may stop reporting for shifts if the situation continues, raising fears of widespread flight delays and disruptions. At the Department of Agriculture, loan programs for farmers and small businesses remain suspended, leaving rural communities facing growing uncertainty.

Senate Republicans plan to meet with Trump on Tuesday in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden, a symbolic show of unity that underscores the party’s continued alignment with the former president as he drives the shutdown strategy from the West Wing. For now, neither side shows signs of budging. With critical programs nearing collapse and the November 1 funding deadline fast approaching, the next several days could determine whether Washington can break the gridlock—or whether this shutdown will cement its place among the most disruptive in modern American history.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)