US shutdown: Deadlock to enter third week as Senate rejects stopgap funding bill for 10th time —Who to be blamed?

The Senate voted down the House-passed spending patch for the tenth time on Thursday, as the continued with no end in sight. Because the chamber does not plan to be in legislative session again until Monday, it nearly ensures the will reach the three-week mark at midnight Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune continued to force votes on the GOP-led stopgap, while Democratic senators showed no signs of breaking rank and voting in support, Politico reported.




The same Democrats who had been voting against the legislation in recent days continued to cast “no” votes on Thursday to advance the measure that would fund the govt through November 21.

Independent Senator Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, voted again in support of the Republican-led stopgap, along with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.

However, one new variable emerged this week that could help end the stalemate: Thune is hoping to initiate floor debate on individual spending bills that would fund federal agencies for a full year, starting with the and possibly also the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Education.

How much will it cost government?

As the time of Shutdown extended, the cost on governmten would also increase. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the ongoing government shutdown could be taking a heavy toll on the US economy.

Speaking at a news conference, Bessent said the partial shutdown, now entering its third week, is “starting to cut into muscle here.”

He initially suggested the shutdown could cost the economy as much as $15 billion per day, though the Treasury later clarified he meant $15 billion per week. The shutdown began on October 1 after Congress and the White House failed to pass a funding bill for fiscal year 2026, according to Fox Business.

Bessent urged moderate Senate Democrats to “be heroes” by breaking with party leadership and supporting the Senate Republicans’ continuing resolution to reopen the government for Americans.

Who to be blamed?

Neither Republicans nor Democrats are ready to flinch in their deeply entrenched positions, and talks between both sides, though largely informal exercises, have begun to fade.

A new AP-NORC poll shows Americans view it as a serious problem—and assign blame across the political spectrum.

About 60% of respondents say President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans bear “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility, while 54% say the same about congressional Democrats. Overall, at least three-quarters of Americans hold each party accountable to some extent, signaling widespread frustration, AP news reported.

The standoff has escalated over Democrats’ push to extend pandemic-era tax credits and Republicans’ refusal to negotiate without a funding bill.

While both sides aim to cast blame on the other, the poll suggests the party in power faces slightly more public frustration, with half of Americans pointing to Trump as most responsible. Voters like Sophia Cole, a Republican from St. Louis, see blame on both sides but emphasize the president’s role in brokering a deal.

The poll finds that 54% of adults call the shutdown a “major issue,” with just 11% saying it is “not a problem at all.” Democrats are most likely, at 69%, to see it as a major problem, but 59% of independents and 37% of Republicans feel the same way.