Senate faces odds over reopening government
12:30 Report is The Hill’s midday newsletter. Subscribe here or using the box below:
It’s Friday! Happy “The Life of a Showgirl” release day!! I’m loving “Opalite” and “The Fate of Ophelia.”
What’s everyone else’s favorite song so far?
In today’s issue:
• Trump gives Hamas a Sunday deadline
• Senate attempts two more funding votes
• President dubs Vought layoff ‘grim reaper’
• Supreme Court takes up gun case
• Kai Trump’s business venture
⛔ GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
‘On Oct. 3, he asked me what day it was. It’s Day 3 of the shutdown’:
The Senate is back at it today, trying and likely failing yet again to fund the government. At 1:30 p.m. EDT, senators are expected to vote on both the Republican and the Democratic funding proposals. Both are expected to fail. The Senate will then break for the weekend so everyone has the weekend to think about what they’ve done.
What we know about the layoffs: Trump🎥 posted a video today labeling Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought as the “grim reaper.” Trump and Vought met Thursday to determine which agencies should have cuts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt estimated the layoffs would likely be in the thousands.
^ Not everyone in the GOP is on board with this plan: The Trump administration has gotten pushback from some congressional Republicans who argue it could blow up in the GOP’s face.
For context: The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch notes that Trump’s plan to use the shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees as uncharted legal territory. She also reports that it has already prompted one lawsuit from a union that represents federal workers. Read more: ‘Trump barrels toward uncharted legal territory with plans for layoffs during shutdown’
🗨️ Follow today’s live blog
💻 Watch the 1:30 p.m. votes live
➤ WHO’S CALLING THE SHOTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?:
In a new interview with NBC, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) dismissed speculation she is calling the shots. She said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) are in charge.
Keep in mind: There are rumors she might challenge Schumer for his Senate seat.
➤ THE MEME WARS
This brewing meme war among Washington leaders is taking on a life of its own. President Trump posted an AI-generated video throwing a “Trump 2028” hat at Jeffries.
Tidbit: Remember when House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday that he advised Jeffries to shrug off the vulgar meme Trump made of him in a sombrero? Well, I wonder if Taylor Swift was listening, because her new song “Eldest Daughter” begins with:
🎵 “Everybody’s so punk on the internet. Everyone’s unbothered ’til they’re not. Every joke’s just trolling and memes. Sad as it seems, apathy is hot.” 🎵
➤ MORE READS ON THE SHUTDOWN
- The Atlantic: The Project 2025 Shutdown Is Here
- Politico: The retiring Senate Democrat who could end the shutdown
- The New York Times: Partisan Language Inserted into Education Dept. Workers’ Automated Emails
- The Washington Post: What’s open during the shutdown? A running list for travelers.
- The Hill: JD Vance takes center stage during shutdown crisis
⏲️ NEWS THIS MORNING
Trump gives Hamas a deadline:
President Trump is giving Hamas until Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT to agree to his peace plan and end the war with Israel, warning this is the militant group’s “last chance” before “all HELL” breaks out against it.
“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE WAY OR THE OTHER,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. 🔎 Read Trump’s full post
What’s in Trump’s peace plan?: “Trump earlier this week unveiled a 20-point plan for ending the war between Israel and Hamas and rebuilding the Gaza Strip. The first part is a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with the U.S.-designated terror group prepared to hand over hostages it kidnapped from Israel during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including the 20 still alive and the bodies of 28 others.”
Does Hamas seem open to it?: “Egyptian and Qatari officials transmitted the plan to Hamas for review, and the militant group is planning to respond “positively,” a source familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel. But the BBC reported that a Hamas military commander in Gaza has indicated he does not agree to the new plan.” Read more
Supreme Court got new assignments this morning:
The Supreme Court announced it will take up several new cases.
A Second Amendment case: The court will “hear a challenge to Hawaii’s ban on carrying concealed weapons on private property without the owner’s express consent.” Read more on the case
Two disputes over seized Cuba property: The court will “hear a pair of cases involving Exxon and major cruise lines that could ease the ability of U.S. companies to seek compensation for property confiscated by the Castro regime in Cuba.” Read more on the cases
[Insert monthly jobs numbers here]:
^ Oh, wait! We don’t have those numbers. One casualty of the government shutdown is the September jobs report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says it will be delayed because its staff is furloughed. 😅
This is a big deal: The monthly jobs report is considered the gold standard among analysts as a measure of how the U.S. economy is measured. The Hill’s Sylvan Lane points out there is some high-quality private sector data, but it certainly leaves some question marks about the state of the economy.
Lane wrote a helpful explainer of when we could see the data and its significance.
➤ QUICK HIT:
Former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) launched a comeback bid to take back her congressional seat in Missouri. Remember she lost her primary last year to Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.)?
➤ MORE READS:
- The New York Times: Trump Offered Universities an Invitation for a Deal. Some See a Trap.
- The Wall Street Journal: Inside Pfizer’s Drug-Pricing Deal With the Trump Administration
📅 COMING UP
The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is at the White House. (All times EST)
1 P.M.: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
1:30 P.M.: The Senate votes on two government funding proposals. 📆Today’s agenda
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
🥐 Celebrate: Today is National Caramel Custard Day, but more importantly, tomorrow is National Cinnamon Bun Day. Maybe that’s a good day for me to attempt to make them from my sourdough starter. 🤔
🧥 Another Trump in the business: President Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, is selling $130 sweatshirts with her initials. She modeled the sweatshirts at a photoshoot on the White House lawn. Unsurprisingly, there have been mixed responses on social media. Read more in The Wall Street Journal
👋 AND FINALLY…
To kick off the weekend on a good note, have you ever been as happy as this dog?