The federal government entered its third day of a shutdown on Friday with little hope that an agreement will be reached by the weekend. Here is the latest on the ongoing negotiations as thousands of jobs and paychecks hang in the balance.

Federal Government Shutdown Enters Third Day

Lawmakers have been scrambling on Capitol Hill as the work week comes to a close, working to hammer out a deal that would reopen the federal government.  The Senate was in session on Friday, preparing to vote on a resolution that would temporarily fund the government for seven weeks. Congressional pundits think that it is unlikely that the resolution will garner the support that it needs, resulting in the extension of the shutdown into next week.

Democrats are accusing the White House of threatening mass firings and the cancellation of federal projects to get them to accept the funding proposal offered by the Republicans. The major sticking point continues to be the topic of the extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is standing firm that thousands of federal workers could lose their jobs permanently because of the shutdown. The president signaled that these firings could happen as soon as Friday, leaving many federal employees on edge heading into the weekend. It is being reported that the White House has already compiled a list of possible targets for the firings.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Friday that Trump and his team will determine the "blueprint" for the reductions. Leavitt did not answer questions from the media about whether Trump was using the Project 2025 playbook to guide the decisions. Instead, she said the president is leaning on his Cabinet secretaries to determine where the cuts will come.  

There have been a lot of questions surrounding the fate of government workers during a shutdown. The short answer is that federal employees who are not deemed essential are now on furlough. Some employees are required to remain on the job and work without pay until the funding is passed. Non-essential employees are not expected to work. Employees will receive back pay once an agreement is reached and the shutdown is over.

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the Trump administration on Friday, saying that they have the right to make decisions that support their priorities. The highest-ranking Republican in the House also continued to blame the Democrats for putting Trump in the position to have to make cuts. Johnson also used his time in front of reporters on Friday to defend Trump's social media posts that used manipulated images to attack House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Democrats have fired back against these images, saying that they are racist and inappropriate.

What to Expect This Weekend

The deadlocked Senate is expected to break at the end of the day. This means that the chamber will not hold another vote until at least Monday. Several GOP leaders are planning to meet privately over the weekend in Sea Island, Georgia, at a major fundraiser that had been previously scheduled for this time. The National Republican Senatorial Committee emailed attendees earlier in the week about the event, stating that it was non-refundable and would go on as planned, despite the ongoing shutdown.

Members of Congress are preparing for a shutdown that could persist well into the middle of October. Should the situation not be resolved soon, government workers will likely miss their next paycheck.

Upon leaving the Senate floor on Friday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that he is open to a discussion with his counterpart on the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Thune did not elaborate when asked what Democrats the GOP was trying to win over to vote in favor of the short-term funding proposal.

The House has already pushed through the temporary funding bill, leaving it in the hands of the Senate. All eyes will continue to be on the Senate in the days ahead as lawmakers continue the negotiations.

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