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Jerry B. Crabtree, Heidi Fought (Ohio ED), Past President Neil Sheradin (Michigan Ed), and NATaT President Dave Sanko (PA ED)
NATaT Weekly Legislative Report
October 20, 2025
Congressional Outlook
Today marks Day 20 of the government shutdown. The Senate returns to Washington on Monday evening, while the House remains in recess for a fifth consecutive week. Unfortunately, despite conversations and pressure from the American public, there appears to be no end in sight.
The Senate will vote Monday, for an eleventh time, on the House-passed, Republican-led Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 (H.R. 5371). The vote will very likely again fail to meet the 60-vote threshold as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and his leadership have not secured additional Senate Democratic votes for the bill. The Senate will then shift its focus to vote on a bill to pay certain federal workers, including active duty military, during the shutdown. The Shutdown Fairness Act (S. 3012) would appropriate funds for pay and allowances of excepted federal employees for periods of work performed during a lapse in appropriations. It appears that Democrats will not support this measure, as the action could give the Trump administration additional abilities to operate federal appropriations without checks from Congress. Last week, Senate Democrats blocked advancement of the standalone full-year FY 2026 Defense spending bill (H.R. 4016) by a vote of 50-44, failing to reach the 60 votes needed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Democrats would not consider the Defense spending bill “without other bills that have so many things that are important to the American people in terms of health care, in terms of housing, in terms of safety.”
As the shutdown moves into its fourth week, both sides remain solidified in their shutdown strategy. President Donald Trump will host Senate Republicans from the Rose Garden for lunch on Tuesday. November 1 marks a date that many experts consider the earliest time to end this shutdown. Both sides will face immense pressure from constituents who could see notices of their health-care premiums increase for the first time, while others would lose health-care coverage altogether if action is not taken on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits prior to Dec. 31. Majority Leader Thune maintains that a fair exchange is to reopen the government and then have a vote on extending the premiums for the ACA.
Democrats want a scenario that guarantees that health care is addressed in a CR package, further complicating the negotiation.
The Senate will be in session to take another procedural vote on the Republican CR bill on Monday evening and will likely continue voting on both the Republican CR bill throughout the remainder of this week. The chamber will also likely vote on numerous federal judge nominees beginning on Tuesday. In addition, the Senate has nine scheduled committee hearings and meetings scheduled for this week. Notably, on Tuesday the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will be considering a slate of bills, including legislation to establish an National STEM Week to promote and enhance STEM education; on Wednesday, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee is considering the nomination of John Bartrum to be the Under Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs for Health; and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is holding two hearings, one to examine updates to labor laws and another on the 340B Drug Discount Program.
Last week, Arizona’s Attorney General, Kris Mayes, pressed House Speaker Johnson with a potential lawsuit for not swearing in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, following her special election win on September 23 to replace her late father, former Rep. Raul Grijalva, in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. Mayes sent Johnson a letter claiming the Republican House leader was breaching constitutional requirements by creating an unjustified delay for Grijalva's oath of office. Many speculate that the delay from the Speaker is due to the implications of the Epstein files, with Grijalva potentially serving as the 218th and final signature on the discharge petition to force a vote on the House floor requiring the full release of the files.
Week in Review
Thune to force Democrats to vote on paying the troops during the shutdown
Senate Republicans to lunch in Rose Garden as shutdown continues
Democrats block Defense spending bill as shutdown tensions rise
Nearly 3 weeks in, White House and GOP remain aligned on shutdown
Supreme Court gets first chance to weigh Trump’s bid to deploy National Guard
Judge temporarily blocks Trump admin layoffs of thousands of federal workers during government shutdown
Arizona attorney general threatens legal action against Mike Johnson for failing to seat Adelita Grijalva
Trump says he commuted ex-Rep. George Santos’ prison sentence
Trump Extends Federal Hiring Freeze, Pushes Merit-Based Plans