#us-government-shutdown

#us-government-shutdown

THE CHOICE IS CLEAR INITIATE THE NUCLEAR OPTION,' GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER, Trump said in a late-night social media post Thursday. Trump's sudden decision to assert himself in the now 31-day-long shutdown with his highly charged demand to end the filibuster is certain to set the Senate on edge. It could spur senators towards their own compromise or send the chamber spiralling towards a new sense of crisis. Or, it might be ignored.

"The federal government will initiate an unscheduled expenditure to ensure that October salaries are paid on time," the ministry spokeswoman said. "Repayment will then be made after payment by the US side."

In the UK, the ONS reported a public sector net borrowing figure (excluding banks) of £20.2bn, the highest September reading for five years and £1.6bn more than a year earlier. ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner flagged higher debt interest, public services spending, and benefits as the key drivers, offsetting gains in tax and NI receipts. The figures add pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of next month's autumn budget, where she is expected to announce tax hikes and spending cuts totalling at least £20-30bn.

The dollar index was firm on Tuesday as investors monitored developments around the US government shutdown. Hopes of a breakthrough emerged after National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett suggested the shutdown could end this week. At the same time, easing concerns over trade tensions with China could lift the currency. Receding concerns over the US banking sector could also limit the pressure on the dollar.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a representative of Georgia, on Monday morning criticized Johnson's strategy, calling on the House to return to session immediately. The House should be in session working, Greene wrote on X. We should be finishing appropriations. Our committees should be working. We should be passing bills that make President Trump's executive orders permanent. I have no respect for the decision to refuse to work.

The shutdown of the US government, about to enter its third week, is starting to take a toll on US science. Since the shutdown began, the administration of US President Donald Trump has cancelled funding for clean-energy research projects and laid off public-health workers. The activities of some federally funded museums and laboratories have been suspended, along with the processing of grant applications by agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Chuck Schumer sounded as if he was relishing his standoff with the Republicans. Every day gets better for us, he told Punchbowl News. As the shutdown got under way, Schumer explained, the Republican part believed that Democrats would quickly fold and vote to reopen the government, but instead they had stuck to their guns for a week and a half, demanding an array of concessions on healthcare and other issues.

Signs of strain have mounted in recent days in the parts of the federal government that remained operational, with staffing shortages reported at airports across the US as well as air traffic control centers. Further disruptions may come next week, when US military personnel and other federal workers who remain on the job will not receive paychecks, unless the government reopens.

The US government is hurtling towards its first shutdown in six years, with no signs congressional leaders are near agreement on legislation to continue funding beyond the Tuesday night deadline to prevent workers from being furloughed and agencies from shutting their doors. Congress's Republican majority is pushing legislation to fund the government through 21 November, but Democrats have refused to vote for it unless it includes a series of concessions centered on healthcare.

The United States government appears to be heading for a shutdown on Tuesday, as Democrats and Republicans each blame the other for the lack of a breakthrough on health care and spending. A House measure that would extend funding for federal operations for seven weeks to allow lawmakers to finish their work on annual spending is at stake. If it is not passed by the Senate before midnight (0400 Wednesday GMT), it would cause the first such shutdown in the US in almost seven years.

Chinese markets continued to show resilience today, with improved PMI surveys offering a glimmer of hope for the broader economy. The latest manufacturing PMI climbed to a six-month high of 49.8, edging closer to the key 50 threshold after a six-month period of contraction. The data, coupled with renewed optimism around Chinese tech stocks, helped the Hang Seng rise 0.9%, with traders increasingly viewing Chinese AI names as a means to diversify from the Mag7 names.

These are not budgetary measures, they are ideological attacks [that] would erase protections, endanger lives and weaponise federal funding to coerce institutions into abandoning care. For many, access to HRT and affirming care is not optional, it's life-saving.