Senate blocks Kaine/Paul resolution to stop Venezuela strikes, 49-51. Murkowski and Paul voted yes. Fetterman also voted yes (he voted against the last one)

Sen. Collins votes against advancing Kaine/Paul resolution aimed at blocking military action in Venezuela

News: Democrats are inclined to keep their shutdown fight going, according to multiple people familiar. Republicans are weighing a funding vote tomorrow but Democrats are leaning toward blocking it at this point without more reassurances on ACA/federal workers www.semafor.com/article/11/0...

Dems emerging from 2 hour caucus meeting saying they are unified on next steps on shutdown “We’re unified on how we’re moving forward,” says Sen. Duckworth. “The key part of it is health care and taking care of our federal workers.” “What we’re going to say, we’re going to be unified behind it”

Bernie Sanders now speaking at Senate Dem Caucus. He’s repeatedly criticized idea of voting to reopen government without more concessions from the GOP

Sen. Cornyn on prospects for ending the shutdown: “we’ve got a ways to go" "Sadly, I don't see this ending soon, unless enough Democrats realize this is hurting them politically, so they basically overrule Schumer”

More: Sen. Kaine says he doesn’t have a guarantee it’ll be included but says Dems and Rs are talking about RIF reversals and it “would be very persuasive to me” if included in CR. Still wants to see final product on ACA too “I think they're driving toward a result that is a positive one”

Here's what's on the table for ACA subsidies if Dems vote to reopen the government, per Majority Leader Thune "I've made this very clear to them, I can't guarantee them an outcome. I can guarantee them a process, and they can litigate the issue, get the vote on the floor"

Thune says action on ending shutdown depends on Dems’ answer to proposed funding deal + ACA vote “We’ve got to get a response to what they have in front of them and see where they go with that”

Big day for shutdown - Senate Rs want an answer on reopening government and Dems will hold a critical meeting. If things are trending poorly, Senate might not stay in this wkend "We will have a lot of conversations,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. “And we need to.” www.semafor.com/newsletter/1...

IF there's an agreement to end the shutdown, might take several days to process "Even if they came to us tomorrow or today and said, OK, we've got an agreement ... There will be at least one objection on our side and I'm sure some of their more aggressive members will object," said Sen. Kennedy

The Senate will NOT be leaving at it its usual Thursday 2 p.m. time tomorrow. Vote at 5 p.m. on Kaine Venezuela res Democrats have caucus tomorrow, and GOP wants a signal on shutdown resolution after. Recess scheduled to start Friday -- but Senate could stay well into weekend/next week if needed

Trump complicates the shutdown endgame, dividing Republicans on the filibuster and emboldening Democrats after he said shutdown hurting GOP On filibuster: “There’s 10 to 15, probably, hard no’s in the Senate. Let’s focus on getting the government back up here with 60 votes," said Sen. Daines

Republicans are revving back up the reconciliation machine as Trump focuses his ire on the filibuster. "Lindsey tells me he supports it," says Sen. Kennedy. "He's going to start budget committee hearings on a resolution ... he told me he's all for doing reconciliation"

Senate Dems’ shutdown negotiators — roughly 12 senators— met again today but not quite clear whether a breakthrough is imminent “The talks have been productive,” Sen. Shaheen said Sen. Welch was there to press for a result — not just a vote— on ACA, he said @eleanormueller.bsky.social

Asked Thune if he thinks it’s helpful for Trump to be reviving filibuster push when it looks like some Dems are ready to end shutdown “His views on that are well formed. I think the focus, my view, ought to be on trying to figure out how to get the government opened up”

Thune says Trump may be able to move some GOP senators on the filibuster but adds: “I know where math is on this issue in the Senate. It’s just not happening”

After Senate Rs meeting with Trump, Sen. Tuberville says he’d consider killing the filibuster if the shutdown continues but it’s clear there aren’t the votes for it “I would consider it. we just got to do it the right way” “there's no reason to be for it unless you got a bunch more people for it”

Trump to GOP senators this AM: “we have to get the country up. And the way we're going to do it this afternoon is to terminate the filibuster. And it's possible you're not going to do that, and I'm going to go by your wishes. You're very smart people …But I think it's a tremendous mistake.”

News: After several meetings -- including marathon lunch today -- Senate Democrats undecided on whether to take what's on the table to end shutdown Minority Whip Durbin to Semafor: "We’re still talking about terms of agreement and if there are enough [Democrats]. … It’s a big decision"

Sen. Rounds says there may be votes on a Democratic and a Republican health care plan as part of a shutdown deal, but there is not currently a bipartisan plan on the table. He said failed votes on the ACA subsidies would not preclude further negotiations “once we get this shutdown behind us"

Senate Republicans are being invited to breakfast with President Trump tomorrow morning, per a source familiar

Schumer on shutdown endgame: “We had a very good caucus and are exploring all the options”

Senate Dems having a heck of a family discussion about the shutdown: Press is still waiting for Schumer to make his post-Tuesday lunch appearance

News: Democratic Sen. Padilla says he will not run for California governor Says he received “outpouring” of encouragement to run but wants to stay in fight in Senate

“There should be no room whatsoever for antisemitism,” Thune says when asked about Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes. “That’s certainly not what our party is about.”

Scheduling is one of the biggest topics in the Senate right now -- Very optimistic folks think the Senate could move on a new CR by Saturday or so, but it could take significantly longer if there's no deal to speed up votes to reopen government. Any one senator could drag it out a couple more days

Sen. Kaine says he’s seeking a moratorium on RIFs and firings from the Trump administration for the duration of the next spending bill. Says he hasn’t heard back yet but that would be enough for him to vote for a funding bill (he’s leaving specifics of ACA talks to other Dems)

Shutdown update - - Thune says vote on ACA subsidies at simple majority "not even in the realm of possibility" - Says minibus appropriations package could ride on the new CR (longer date than Nov. 21) - May keep session in session until they reopen “if it looks like there’s a glide path" to deal

Even though Republicans say it no longer has a ton of utility because it expires Nov. 21, Thune says the Senate will vote again on the House-passed CR later today. Will be the 14th time

Citing his weekend op-ed, Thune says Bernie Sanders wants the shutdown to "continue forever, as far as I can tell"

Starting to get a sense for how Republicans might use Mamdani as an issue

Statement from Cheney family: “Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old. His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed."

More shutdown movement today: - GOP leaders acknowledge House bill no longer has utility, Dems says that’s "meaningful" - Republicans battling over when the new CR should end - Talks did NOT collapse over the weekend - Still a big ??? on what Dems will accept on ACA credits that GOP willing to offer

Senate Approps Chair Collins says she’d want the new CR to expire on Dec. 19 NOT January “My worry is that we go into January, particularly if we go deeply into January, that what will happen is it will slip further and we will end up with a disastrous year long CR”

Durbin on rank and file Dems talking about way to end shutdown "They tried before, and it didn't work, and now they're trying again. They seem more optimistic” “I sense that people are tired of this shut down, but we're still stuck with this premise of what we're going to do about health care”

Schumer: "Democrats have been very clear from the start. We need to lower people's health care costs. We need to reopen the government. We need to extend the ACA premium credits. That is what a majority of Americans want"

Thune says the Senate’s goal is no longer to pass the House CR, which would expire on Nov. 21. “That date’s lost,” he says, explaining there’s not enough time to pass appropriations bills by then. Says he’s open to a CR lasting into January to give a longer runway

Thune says he’s talked to Trump about killing the legislative filibuster “I think we all know his view. And he knows mine” Thune says the “votes aren’t there” for it

Critical shutdown week: - Trump back in town - ACA premiums out - SNAP deadline passed - Shutdown ties record Tuesday - Recess scheduled for next week Sen. Lujan: “Get in a room, figure this thing out. It’s not rocket science" www.semafor.com/article/11/0...

Trump at first seems open to ACA fix with Dems after government reopens: "We should fix it. And we can fix it with the Democrats. All they have to do is let the country open and we'll fix it" But he also escalates push to kill legislative filibuster to end shutdown in 60 Minutes interview

Sen. Welch's move to be the first Dem to support Sen. Hawley's SNAP bill was one of the more significant aisle-crossing dominoes to fall this week "If you have some Republicans that are taking the lead, why not join them? Why not acknowledge my shared concern?” www.semafor.com/article/10/3...

DNC chair to @daveweigel "serious, serious objections to the comments that were made, both by Jay Jones and Graham Platner. Their comments were indefensible, offensive, hurtful. But it’s not up to me to decide whether or not they’re disqualifying" www.semafor.com/article/10/3...

Thune and other Senate Republicans have been pretty adamant they won't kill the filibuster to end the shutdown, and Trump's hatred for the filibuster is well documented, but this will still be a challenge for Senate GOP to navigate. *judges + USAs are confirmed 2 50 votes, but subject to blue slip

New: Democrats split on direction of shutdown talks. Some say things are starting to head in the right direction. others … not so much Warren: “there’s some hand waving, but I haven’t seen a path that moves us toward restoring health care for millions of Americans” www.semafor.com/article/10/3...

Sen. Rosen says she will not give consent for adjourning the Senate for the weekend and says if leaders want to adjourn they need to go on the record. But Budd asks for a voice vote and declares the ayes have it and the Senate adjourns for the weekend!

Sen. Rosen sounds like she's going to object to the Senate adjourning for the weekend "Senate Republicans want to go home for another weekend and do nothing"

Shutdown will go 34 days. Most senators just left town for the weekend. Rs think Dems will be in a mood to make a deal after the painful SNAP cuts. Dems say with Trump in town soon a deal will be more possible. And Murkowski said she's sticking around just in case someone wants to make a deal.

After meeting with Thune, Sen. Collins reports “making progress” on conference with House on first three approps bills and figuring out the next minibus She says these talks could help reopen government “it's vitally important that we be ready with appropriations bills once government reopens”

Busy morning on shutdown Day 30 Sens. Maggie Hassan, Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King just went into Schumer’s office Sens. Collins and Britt were in Thune’s office