Senate Majority Leader John Thune is considering bringing full-year appropriations bills — including one to fund the Pentagon and pay the military — to the floor for a vote, he told us today.
Why it matters: Bipartisan talks to reopen the government via a short-term spending stopgap bill are frozen, so Thune is contemplating other options.
Bringing standalone appropriations bills to the floor would be a long and tortuous way to reopen the government, department by department.
To pass a bundle of multiple appropriations bills — like the one that passed the Senate earlier this year — would require unanimous consent.
Retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is leading her party's covert conversations with Republicans on how to find a way out of a shutdown, sources tell us.
That includes last night, when she joined a bipartisan group of senators at a Thai restaurant in the capital.
Why it matters: Leadership-level negotiations are currently non-existent.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) — another Democrat engaged in bipartisan conversations — today characterized the talks as "casual or loose."
Shaheen has been working the phones, making calls to Democrats and Republicans while in New Hampshire over the weekend.
The big picture: Shaheen is considered a bellwether for Senate Democrats. If she backs a bipartisan compromise, it likely unlocks a critical chunk of Democratic votes.
Some House Republicans are running out of patience with Speaker Mike Johnson for keeping their chamber in recess.
"The Speaker shouldn't even think about cancelling session for a third straight week," endangered California Republican Kevin Kiley posted today.
Why it matters: The delayed Epstein files confrontation has been simmering. But today's eruptions — between Republicans, at least — were over the urgency to get the military paid.
Troops are set to start missing paychecks next week unless Congress passes Rep. Jen Kiggans' (R-Va.) bill to keep salaries flowing.
Johnson has ruled out bringing her bill up for a vote, saying the Senate should pass the short-term funding stopgap that would include military pay.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is considering bringing full-year appropriations bills — such as one to fund the Pentagon and pay the military — to the floor for a vote, he told Axios on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Bipartisan talks to reopen the government via a short-term spending stopgap bill are frozen. Now, Thune is at least contemplating other options.
Retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is leading her party's covert conversations with Republicans on how to find a way out of a government shutdown, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Leadership-level negotiations are nonexistent right now.
Nearly one-fourth of FBI agents across the U.S. are currently assigned to immigration enforcement, according to data obtained by Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia).
Colombia President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. of bombing a Colombian boat "with Colombian citizens inside" as part of its recent campaign of striking alleged drug smugglers off of Venezuela.
Why it matters: The Trump administration has conducted a series of deadly strikes in the Caribbean Sea without identifying who it's actually killing, beyond its claim they're all "narco-terrorists."
Democrats have decried the strikes as illegal, and Petro is now claiming the strikes have killed Colombian citizens, alongside others.
The Trump administration is warning Americans of a looming food crisis brought on by its own crackdown on undocumented farmworkers.
Why it matters: To offset the fallout, the administration pushed through an emergency rule last week that could gut the paychecks of domestic farmworkers by replacing them with foreign guest workers subject to lower wages.
Americans remain opposed to the Trump administration's domestic use of the military, while placing higher trust in veterans who run for office than business officials, according to recent polling.
Why it matters: The polls are the latest indicator that President Trump's continued use of the National Guard in U.S. cities isn't sitting well with some voters, nor many of the state and local officials impacted by the decisions.
Congress erupted into testy confrontations and shouting matches on Wednesday as lawmakers grow increasingly frustrated that the federal government remains shut down.
Why it matters: It's not just Republicans and Democrats fighting each other — the tensions are starting to spill over into clashes between lawmakers of the same party.
The longer the government stays shut down, the shorter House Republicans' patience seems to be getting with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Why it matters: Johnson's decision to keep his chamber on an indefinite break in the middle of a government shutdown isn't sitting well with some in his conference — and that could put pressure on the speaker to change course.
Why it matters: Controller and TSA "sick-outs" played an under-appreciated role in ending the 2018-19 shutdown, as lawmakers faced the prospect of a snarled air traffic network, furious airline executives and an irate flying public.
The Internal Revenue Service said in a Wednesday memo that federal workers are required by law to be paid for the period that they're furloughed during a government shutdown — a day after Axios first reported on a draft White House memo that argued the opposite.
The big picture: That acknowledgement is a likely relief for the hundreds of thousands of federal employees who face being furloughed each day of a government shutdown.
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who rose to national prominence in 2023 when he was expelled from his legislative seat as one of the "Tennessee Three," is launching a primary challenge against Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).
Why it matters: Pearson's national profile could make him a formidable opponent to Cohen. He is running with the support of Justice Democrats, a progressive group known for targeting longtime incumbents.
Congress is about to feel the heat from the shutdown fight.
Why it matters: A series of deadlines and milestones — including dates for funding lapses and missed paychecks — could pressure lawmakers to resolve the shutdown sooner than later.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are escalating their investigation into the Trump administration's handling of bribery allegations against White House border czar Tom Homan, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats have seized on the allegations, which Homan and the White House have denied, as part of their anti-corruption message against President Trump and his team.
Family members of the late actor Robin Williams and comedian George Carlin urged OpenAI to restrict deepfakes of their loved ones on video-generation platform Sora.
Why it matters: While public figures can opt out of AI-generated videos, the likenesses of the dead are fair game, a loophole their families say desecrates their legacies.
Country music star Zach Bryan urged fans not to weaponize his new song, even as federal agencies attacked him online for its pointed criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Why it matters: A clip of the song sparked conservative backlash, the latest flare-up in a recurring fight against celebrities who criticize the Trump administration.
Retailers and drone delivery companies say the federal government is overreaching with a proposed law on drone operations that would require TSA-like security screening for their stores, employees and potentially even their customers.
Why it matters: The proposed rule, which assigns 55-pound delivery drones the same risk profile as huge cargo planes, would cripple the drone delivery business just as it's about to take off, industry leaders say.
Federal tax credits for electric vehicle purchases may be dead, but depending on where you live, you might still get a sizable state tax break on your EV.
But be prepared to pay a higher vehicle registration fee than your neighbor who drives a gasoline-powered car.
Why it matters: The rewards and penalties on EVs reflect an industry in flux, as policymakers try to balance environmental goals with the need to pay for roads and other critical infrastructure.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday ruled out taking up legislation to ensure military paychecks keep flowing during the government shutdown, telling reporters the House "already had that vote."
Why it matters: Troops are slated to miss their Oct. 15 paycheck if Congress doesn't act.
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to charges brought by President Trump's Justice Department in a Virginia federal court Wednesday, multipleoutlets reported.
The big picture: Trump exerted public pressure on his attorney general to bring charges against Comey in a breach of precedent that could mark the start of his push for legal retribution against his political foes.
The big picture: Trump, who has a long history of saying political opponents should be put behind bars, is escalating his feud with leaders in Chicago, where his administration's immigration crackdown and troop deployment have been met with fervent opposition.
U.S. oil production growthmay prove more resilient than it appeared a few months ago — but big, dramatic output and price swings have become passé for now.
Why it matters: Oil prices ripple throughout the economy, affecting everything from consumer goods to the strength of competing tech like EVs.
The United States is promising to treat Qatar's security like its own.
That single Trump administration decision sets in motion a geopolitical cluster. There's confusion and jealousy among Gulf states; questions of burden-sharing among NATO allies amid Trump's push for them to spend more money; and a political meltdown in Israel, among other drama.
Why it matters: There now exists a diet version of NATO's cornerstone Article 5 agreement between Washington and Doha — an arrangement several Middle East watchers described to Axios as unprecedented.
"The Trump administration may well have intended it one way, and the region could interpret it in another. It could take on a life of its own, in a sense," Mona Yacoubian at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Axios.
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. formally launched his comeback bid for Congress on Tuesday, saying in a video shared with Axios he needs to "get back on the playing field and fight for my constituents."
Why it matters: A poll that Jackson's exploratory committee released last month suggests he is a strong contender for the seat he resigned in 2012 before being convicted and imprisoned for stealing campaign funds.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been portrayed as supplements' savior, but his FDA plans may not go down easy.
Why it matters: Millions of Americans take supplements, and how the federal government treats them impacts everything from individual health to a booming business' bottom line.
Book publisher HarperCollins UK apologized to First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday and recalled a book that repeated unverified claims that child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was involved in introducing her to Donald Trump.
Why it matters: HarperCollins is the third media enterprise to apologize to Melania Trump and remove content related to the Epstein allegation.
President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday morning to join the negotiations over the deal to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas and end the war in Gaza that has now crossed the two-year mark.
Why it matters: Trump and his team are pushing hard for both Israel and Hamas to conclude their negotiations within days and reach a deal.
Airport staffing shortages saw thousands of flights delayed across the U.S. on Tuesday night as overstretched air traffic controllers continued to work with no pay during the government shutdown.
The big picture: Seven days into the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at airports in Chicago, Las Vegas, Nashville and Philadelphia, and at air traffic control centers in the Atlanta, Boston, Dallas and Houston areas.
Matt Van Epps, the decorated military veteran who earned the endorsement of President Trump, won the competitive U.S. House District 7 Republican primary to replace Rep. Mark Green.
Van Epps will face Democratic winner state Rep. Aftyn Behn, a grassroots activist and progressive darling, in the Dec. 2 special election to complete Green's term. The AP called the races for Van Epps and Behn on Tuesday night.
Texas National Guard troops arrived in the Chicago area on Tuesday as President Trump intensifies his crackdown on the city.
The big picture: Illinois filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday seeking to stop the troop deployment, following moves by California and Oregon to temporarily halt the National Guard presence in Portland.
