Live Updates
Trump heads back to
US to face government
shutdown after meeting
with Xi
What we're covering
• Day 30 of the shutdown: GOP Senate leader John Thune said he’s not open to passing full-year government spending bills until Democrats relent and agree to open the government — a sign of souring in efforts to end the shutdown. Democrats have been pushing to pass those individual spending bills before resolving the stalemate.
• Widening impacts: Food stamp benefits for millions of Americans could be paused beginning this weekend. Federal workers who are going unpaid are also expressing frustration and fear about making ends meet.
• Meeting with Xi: Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, with the US president saying they came to an agreement on “almost everything,” including tariffs and rare earth minerals.
• Nuclear tests: Trump also announced that he has instructed the Department of Defense to “immediately” begin testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis,” in apparent reference to rival countries, including China and Russia. It would be a potentially major shift in decades of US policy.
"They're trying to play games": Speaker Johnson rebuffs partially reopening the government
House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected the idea of passing a bill that would reopen a significant part of the government through next year, saying that Congress needs to pass full funding.
Johnson continued to place blame on Senate Democrats for the shutdown. He said proposals to reopen parts of the government would allow Democrats to “alleviate a little bit of the pain that they themselves are causing.”
The speaker reiterated that Senate Republicans “voted 14 times” to provide money to critical services like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by voting on a GOP-led plan to reopen the government fully. Senate Democrats have blocked the package every time, he said, holding out over an impasse on health care subsidies.
“If you do just part of this, it will reduce the pressure for them to do all of it,” Johnson said of partially funding the government. “This is very real and very serious, and they can end it today.”
Asked if this means that he would refuse to bring anything up on the House floor, even if the Senate finds a compromise, Johnson said:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also said he’s not open to passing individual appropriations bills.
Judge indicates she'll intervene in fight over SNAP food assistance money
A federal judge in Boston indicated Thursday that she will intervene in a high-stakes fight over the Trump administration’s decision to not tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to help cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November.
“Right now, Congress has put money in an emergency fund for an emergency and it’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency when there’s no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits,” US District Judge Indira Talwani said near the end of a hearing.
The judge said she would work quickly to issue an emergency decision that could compel the administration to tap into the emergency funds, though she acknowledged that benefits will not be fully paid to millions of Americans by November 1.
If the judge orders the government to use the emergency funds, many beneficiaries could face a delay in payments as the US Department of Agriculture and states work to get the system up and running again.
It’s also unclear whether recipients will receive their full November benefits since the USDA’s contingency fund does not have enough money to cover the entire payments without drawing from other resources.
“It does seem to me really clear what Congress was trying to do,” the judge said. “What Congress was trying to do is protect the American people.”
“We’re not going to make everyone drop dead because it’s a political game.”
Additional air traffic control staffing shortage reported, which could impact flights into Newark airport
The Federal Aviation Administration has again reported an air traffic control staffing problem for today in its noon operations plan.
Controllers who handle flights approaching and departing New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport will be short-staffed from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
According to the FAA, 288 staffing problems have been reported since the start of the shutdown 30 days ago.
Controllers are considered essential staff and must work during the shutdown, despite not being paid.
TSA employee says getting assistance for her family is even harder right now than in past shutdowns
The current government shutdown is particularly difficult compared to the last one, LaShanda Palmer, a senior officer with the TSA who is working without pay, told CNN’s Pamela Brown today.
“Working without a paycheck is always hard. It’s not my first furlough. … However, this particular shutdown has weighed the hardest on us,” said Palmer, who has been with the agency for 23 years and is president of the Philadelphia area’s American Federation of Government Employees Local 333.
Palmer, a single mother, said she doesn’t really talk about her situation with her children directly because she wants to stay strong for them.
During the last shutdown, federal workers had more assistance coming in from public and private organizations, Palmer said. This time, “Everything is totally different.”
Palmer said creditors and welfare offices are not accepting furlough letters and many federal employees have been unable to apply for unemployment benefits.
“We’re in a situation that we didn’t ask to be placed in. However, we don’t have anyone who seems to understand that,” she said.
Palmer urged lawmakers to get in a room and work out a solution.
Thune says "we have got to reopen" full government, pouring cold water on Democratic push
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday he’s not open to passing full-year government spending bills until Democrats relent and agree to open the government. It’s a sign of souring in efforts to end the shutdown because Democrats want to start passing those individual appropriations bills before resolving the stalemate.
Thune said Democrats are working on a proposal for Republicans on a package of spending bills that they may present later in the day.
Collins said “hot-lining” such a measure and identifying senators’ concerns and objections about the bills is still a helpful process even if they don’t pass them now.
Air traffic control staffing shortage reported at Mid-Atlantic control center
The Federal Aviation Administration has reported an air traffic control staffing problem today for the Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center, which handles the Mid-Atlantic region.
I can reroute flights, but sometimes there is no choice but to slow planes down to maintain safety. s controllers can reroute flights, but sometimes there is no choice but to slow planes down to maintain safety.
t will be short-staffed until noon ET, according to the FAA.
In total, 287 staffing problems have been reported since the start of the shutdown, according to the FAA.
Remember: Controllers are considered essential staff and must work during the shutdown, despite not being paid. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says some have called in sick in protest while others are taking time to work other jobs.
Not every staffing shortage results in a delay, a s controllers can reroute flights, but sometimes there is no choice but to slow planes down to maintain safety. s controllers can reroute flights, but sometimes there is no choice but to slow planes down to maintain safety.
Nevada senator says resuming nuclear testing would be "devastating and catastrophic"
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Thursday that resuming nuclear testing would be “devastating and catastrophic” and said there is “no evidence” that it is necessary.
“President Trump last night took the reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous step to declare that we will resume explosive nuclear testing despite no evidence — no evidence — supporting the need to do so,” Rosen said during the confirmation hearing for Vice Adm. Richard Correll, who was nominated to be the head of US Strategic Command.
“If this resumption happens, the amount of radiation exposure and destruction will be felt across the country and around the world. Make no mistake, this would be devastating and catastrophic. So, I’m going to be crystal clear: I will not let this happen, not on my watch,” she added.
The Nevada National Security Site is where the US tested its nuclear weapons and is the “permanent home for testing America’s nuclear weapons,” according to its website.
Trump administration taps into 3 accounts to make sure service members get paid Friday
President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget drew from three separate financial accounts to make sure that US troops get their paychecks tomorrow despite the ongoing government shutdown, an administration official tells CNN.
In total, $5.3 billion was reallocated to cover the payroll expenses, the official said, detailing to CNN the sources of the funds:
- $2.5 billion was taken from a military housing fund that had been established by Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- $1.4 billion was taken from a Defense Department procurement account dedicated to building US Navy ships. It will now help pay Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
- $1.4 billion was taken from a research and development account. It will be used to support the Army and Air Force.
The president’s decision to prioritize troop paychecks amid the shutdown comes as many military families face growing financial uncertainty.
Axios was first to report the military payment and breakdown of funds.
Military official nominated to oversee nuclear arsenal says he's "not reading anything" into Trump's comments
The senior military officer nominated to oversee the US’ nuclear arsenal said Thursday he was not “reading anything” into President Donald Trump’s social media post ordering the US military to begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” to Russia and China.
“I wouldn’t presume that the president’s words meant nuclear testing,” Vice Adm. Richard Correll said before the Senate Armed Services Committee, in response to questioning by Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono.
“I believe the quote was, ‘start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis,’” Correll added. “Neither China or Russia has conducted a nuclear explosive test, so I’m not reading anything into it or reading anything out to it.”
Trump said Thursday ahead of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that because of “other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”
Correll was asked about the president’s comments repeatedly at the beginning of his confirmation hearing, telling committee Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed that he would provide his best advice “on any adjustments to our testing,” and acknowledging to Sen. Tom Cotton that successful weapons tests – whether nuclear or conventional weapons – are an important aspect of deterring adversaries.
“I agree fully with you, it is a really, really important aspect of demonstrating the reliability and credibility of our nuclear deterrent, and that’s an essential attribute for deterrence versus particularly in this era.”
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