Washington DC [US], October 18, 2025: US President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown, referring to it as a “Democrat shutdown” and accusing them of blocking efforts to curb illegal immigration.
“The shutdown continues. The Republican Party will not spend one and a half trillion dollars on illegal immigrants entering our country — people coming from prisons, from jails, from Venezuela and other nations. We’re not going to do that. This is a Democrat shutdown — a Schumer shutdown — because his career has failed,” Trump said.
The federal government shutdown has now entered its 18th day, with no signs of resolution. According to CBS News, senators have failed ten times to reach an agreement during voting sessions this week, leaving the funding stalemate unresolved.
This marks the third-longest government shutdown in modern US history, surpassed only by those of 1995 and 2018–19. Government shutdowns, in their current form, have been occurring since 1980.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune adjourned the Senate for the weekend following Thursday’s failed votes, ensuring that the funding lapse will persist until at least Monday.
The House of Representatives, which has been adjourned since September 19, has no immediate plans to reconvene until the impasse is resolved, CBS News reported.
