WASHINGTON – A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's mass layoffs as the government shutdown drags on, pausing the job cuts for thousands of American workers.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a request by two unions to stop layoffs at more than 30 agencies. She said President Donald Trump and his top aides have made several comments showing explicit political motivations for the layoffs, such as Trump saying that cuts would target "Democrat agencies."

"You can't do that in a nation of laws. And we have laws here, and the things that are being articulated here are not within the law," said Illston, an appointee of Democratic former President Bill Clinton.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a GOP-backed spending bill for the ninth time. The legislation would have extended government funding until Nov. 21.

But Democrats continue to demand additional health care funding to overturn Medicaid cuts and extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The longest previous shutdown lasted 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019, during Trump’s first term. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, warned that “we're barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history unless Democrats drop their partisan demands.”

Follow here for the latest updates on the shutdown:

FBI agents will get paychecks during shutdown, director says

FBI Director Kash Patel said during a Wednesday White House event that FBI special agents will be paid during the shutdown.

The announcement comes after Trump said military service members also will continue to receive paychecks.

“We got the people that we want paid paid, and we want the FBI paid, we want the military paid,” Trump told reporters.

Thousands of federal workers, including other law enforcement professionals such as the Capitol Police, have begun missing paychecks as the shutdown continues.

Are Social Security payments still going out during shutdown?

Yes, Social Security payments, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and benefits for retirement, disability and survivors, continue during a government shutdown.

Because Social Security benefit programs are considered mandatory spending by law, they are not impacted by the lapse in funding appropriations. Payments are still distributed on a regular schedule during the shutdown.

Trump administration issues warning about SNAP benefits

The U.S. Department of Agriculture warned that there will not be enough funding to pay the entirety of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November if the shutdown doesn't end.

"If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation," reads a USSA letter to state agencies dated Oct. 10.

The letter was signed by SNAP development director Sasha Gersten-Paal and provided to USA TODAY by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

State health officials across the country, including in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Minnesota, have begun warning recipients of the possible lack of funds for November.

– Melina Khan and Mary Walrath-Hodridge

Did the military get paid on Oct. 15? What to know amid shutdown.

After two weeks of uncertainty about getting a paycheck during the federal government shutdown, the Department of Defense paid active-duty military members on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The division includes roughly 1.2 million active-duty members and National Guard and Reserve members.

The shutdown entered its 15th day on Oct. 15 with no visible signs of a budget deal between Democrats and Republicans.

Service members remained on duty despite the shutdown as their work is deemed essential for national security.

– Natalie Neysa Alund

White House plans to fire more than 10,000 federal workers during shutdown, Vought says

The Trump administration expects to lay off more than 10,000 federal workers during the government shutdown, according to Russell Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

“I think we’ll probably end up being north of 10,000,” Vought said on Wednesday in an interview on the “The Charlie Kirk Show,” the podcast of the late conservative activist.

Vought also singled out certain government programs that could be cut. “Think of ‘Green New Deal’ programs at the Department of Energy. Think the Minority Business Development Agency at Commerce that divvies up grants on the basis of race. Think environmental justice at EPA,” he said.

The Trump aide made his comments before a federal judge in California signaled she would likely halt the administration’s layoffs and rule on the side of the plaintiffs in a case brought by labor unions.

The Trump administration began laying off federal workers amid the shutdown last Friday after repeated threats from Trump. In all, about 4,000 federal workers were fired during this initial wave of layoffs, but the OMB said Monday it will “continue the RIFs,” or reductions in force during the shutdown.

'Democracy' ice sculpture melts in DC

A 3,000-pound ice sculpture of the word "democracy" is slowly melting away near the Capitol today.

Artists developed the project for the national Up in Arms campaign, led by Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's. They want to draw attention to what they called a "rise of authoritarianism and militarism at the expense of democracy and the American dream," according to a press release from organizers.

– Rachel Barber

Speaker Johnson says Trump’s move to pay military is only a ‘temporary fix’

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump’s action this week to ensure active-duty military member received their paychecks Wednesday is only a “temporary fix.”

The Republican speaker warned Democrats the nation’s 1.3 million active-duty troops could miss their next paychecks on Oct. 31 if the government isn’t reopened.

“The executive department’s help is not permanent – it can’t be,” Johnson said at a news conference alongside other House Republicans.

“And if the Democrats continue to vote to keep the government closed, as they have done so now so many times, then we know that U.S. troops are going to risk missing a full paycheck at the end of this month,” he added.

With military members at risk of losing Wednesday’s paychecks, Trump over the weekend announced he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to ensure troops were paid. The administration had the Pentagon tweak its budget to ensure troops were paid, while other government employees who perform critical services have worked without pay during the shutdown.

7 things to watch for signs of a shutdown end

There are many questions about how to get out of the seemingly intractable government shutdown. But there's no clear answer.

At some point, a number of variables in the shutdown equation could start to change, possibly creating a path for enough lawmaker votes to reopen the government. Federal workforce layoffs may worsen, as the White House has threatened. Bipartisan back-channeling among senators could turn up a compromise on the biggest sticking points.

Here are seven things to keep an eye on:

  1. Possible breakthroughs in Obamacare negotiations
  2. What Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is saying
  3. What moderate and retiring Democrats are saying
  4. What President Trump is saying
  5. Federal layoffs worsening
  6. Potential disruptions in military pay
  7. The overall pain the shutdown is causing Americans

Read more here: 7 things to watch for signs the government shutdown will end

Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries agree to shutdown debate on C-SPAN

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries have agreed to appear together on C-SPAN to debate the federal government shutdown.

The network singled out their commitments in a press statement that pointed to recent public statements from both Johnson and Jeffries.

No date has been set for a joint appearance. According to C-SPAN, the respective leaders have agreed to jointly appear on C-SPAN’s new show “Ceasefire,” hosted by Politico Washington Bureau Chief Dasha Burns.

“I’ll sit down with Hakeem Jeffries, my counterpart. I’d love to,” Johnson told C-SPAN on Oct. 9, when the speaker fielded questions about the shutdown from callers during a solo appearance on C-SPAN.

Jeffries on Tuesday told reporters that he accepts Johnson’s challenge and looks forward to debating him. “We’re going to try to get it scheduled, absolutely,” Jeffries told a group of reporters, according to The Hill.

Cantwell calls for investigation of DHS shutdown videos at airports

Sen. Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the transportation committee, demanded an investigation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for providing what she called “partisan video” about the shutdown to airports across the country.

Cantwell of Washington alleged a violation of the Hatch Act, which limits political activities by federal employees. She urged Jamieson Greer, who serves as acting head of the Office of Special Counsel, to investigate the video playing at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints that blames “Democrats in Congress” for the government shutdown and for TSA employees “working without pay.”

“This message is not just false; it appears to violate the prohibitions contained in the Hatch Act,” Cantwell wrote in a letter to Greer.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said “it is a simple statement of fact that Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”

“It’s unfortunate our workforce has been put in this position due to political gamesmanship,” McLaughlin added.

At least six airports refused to play the video in Charlotte, North Carolina; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Indianapolis, Indiana and Des Moines, Iowa.

Senate moves forward with full-year defense spending bill

With the shutdown dragging on, congressional Republicans are trying something new to attempt to fund parts of the government.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, has slated a procedural vote Thursday for a full-year defense spending bill. It's part of a fresh strategy to force Democrats, who largely want to see the bipartisan appropriations process continue on pace, into an awkward position.

Congress often keeps the government open by passing short-term funding measures, something Thune has said he wants to change, and for which there's bipartisan support. Even as the shutdown has continued, rank-and-file lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been working to draft full-year appropriations bills.

Asked Wednesday about whether any larger off-ramp to the shutdown is in the works, Thune told reporters it's possible, but said he expects Democrats to hold out until at least after this Saturday, Oct. 18, when historic turnout is expected for nationwide protests against the Trump administration.

Government shutdown could cost US economy $15 billion a day, Bessent says

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the federal government shutdown could soon cost the United States economy $15 billion a day as he called for moderate Senate Democrats to “be heroes” by joining Republicans to reopen the government.

“Be heroes,” Bessent said at a Wednesday morning news conference. “Break away from the hive of radicalism and do something for the American people because we are starting to cut into muscle here.”

Republicans control the House, Senate and White House. But Republicans need 60 votes in the Senate to avoid a filibuster to pass a funding bill – something they’ve been unable to achieve in multiple votes on a bill to fund the government through Nov. 21.

Bessent accused “the mainstream media” of not focusing on Democrats “the way they would have if the Republicans were willing to keep the government closed.”

Democrats have demanded the reversal of Republicans’ recent cuts to Medicaid and the extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies be included in any funding measure.

Echoing other Republicans, Bessent suggested Democrats want to keep the government closed through the upcoming nationwide “No Kings” protest, set for Oct. 18

“I believe that the Democrats will come to their senses soon,” Bessent said. “Maybe it’s after this ‘No Kings’ thing. But ‘No Kings’ equal no paychecks.”

Capitol Police miss paycheck amid shutdown

As congressional leaders continue their standoff over legislation to fund the government, the federal workers protecting them are going without pay.

The head of the Capitol Police Union called on lawmakers to end the shutdown in an Oct. 14 statement that notes officers missed their first full paychecks Oct. 10.

“The longer the shutdown drags on, the harder it becomes for my officers,” Capitol Police Union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement. “Banks and landlords do not give my officers a pass because we are in shutdown – they still expect to be paid.”

Military service members also were set to miss a paycheck on Oct. 15, but Trump said on Oct. 11 that he authorized the Department of Defense to tap “identified funds” for military pay.

Senate to vote again at 2:15 p.m. to reopen the government

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, set up the 10th vote to approve House legislation that would reopen the government until Nov. 21 but without any hope of passage.

The last vote Oct. 14 failed 49-45 with six senators absent. Three senators who caucus with Democrats have joined Republicans in voting to end the shutdown but they need another five to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to cut off debate.

GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has opposed the measure.

Trump to release list of programs closed in shutdown

Trump said he would release a list Oct. 17 of programs he has eliminated as part of the continuing shutdown.

“We are closing up Democrat programs that we disagree with and they’re never going to open up again,” Trump said.

Trump argued Democrats are suffering under the shutdown because he is able to lay off workers and eliminate programs that would otherwise continue.

“We’re able to do things that we’ve never been able to do before,” Trump said. “The Democrats are getting killed.”

OMB prepares to 'ride out the Democrats' intransigence'

The White House Office of Management and Budget announced Oct. 14 on social media it was preparing for more layoffs.

“OMB is making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats’ intransigence,” the post said. “Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait.”

Jeffries: Democrats committed to fixing GOP 'health care crisis'

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, told reporters Oct. 14 that congressional Democrats “remain committed to finding a bipartisan path forward.”

“To reopen the government, enact a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and addresses the Republican health care crisis,” Jeffries said.

Johnson on Democrats: 'They're playing a game'

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, told reporters Oct. 14 he has nothing to negotiate because Republicans put no special policy provisions in the legislation to reopen the government until Nov. 21. He said negotiations over health care costs could be held after the government reopens.

“I don’t have anything that I can take off that document and make it more palatable," Johnson said. “We’re not playing games. They’re playing a game."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Government shutdown latest; judge blocks mass layoffs; Senate rejects spending deal

Reporting by Bart Jansen, Joey Garrison, Sudiksha Kochi, Zachary Schermele and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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