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In today's issue:

▪ Parties look for shutdown exit

▪ Dems shore up support in VA, NJ

▪ Takeaways from Trump's '60 minutes' intervew

▪ Heritage president draws conservative backlash

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Members of both parties are looking for a way to end the monthlong government shutdown after weeks of minimal progress.

The funding lapse, already the second longest in U.S. history, is set to potentially break the record later this week.

Unless a deal is quickly reached and signed into law early this week, which seems exceedingly unlikely, the shutdown will almost certainly set a new record, surpassing the 35-day shutdown that took place during President Trump’s first term.

But fatigue is only increasing among members of Congress after going weeks without a deal, as has the pressure, with more Americans feeling the harm from many government services being suspended.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) lapsed on Saturday, forcing more than 40 million low-income Americans who rely on the program to face the prospect of going without it to cover grocery costs. The Agriculture Department had initially refused to distribute contingency funding for the program, arguing that it could only be used in cases of natural disasters, but a federal judge on Friday ordered the administration to use the funds within days.

States have also taken their own efforts to preserve access to SNAP funds for their residents, but these are temporary measures reliant on the shutdown not lasting much longer.

Meanwhile, premiums are spiking as the open-enrollment window for people to choose health care plans through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) exchange opened at the start of the month.

The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Sudiksha Kochi report that Democrats and Republicans are looking for a deal that would allow them to save face and end the increasing pain that Americans are feeling because of the shutdown. Both sides need to be able to tell their bases that they came out victorious.

But lawmakers, strategists and experts said the two key ingredients to any deal are the ACA subsidies set to expire at the end of the year and Trump.

A group of eight moderate Senate Democrats sit at the center of any possible deal, having met quietly in the basement of the Capitol to figure out an end to the shutdown, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.

A source familiar with the conversations told Bolton that the group will need strong assurances from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and possibly even from Trump himself, about what is offered before voting to reopen the government.

But if Trump was hoping for a quick fix to go around negotiations with Democrats, he may be disappointed. The president called last week for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to allow themselves to vote to reopen the government by a simple majority vote rather than the 60-vote supermajority needed for most legislation.

The Hill’s Brett Samuels reports Trump’s call is facing headwinds from members of his own party who have been adamant about keeping the filibuster in place, expressing concern about the precedent that it would set. That has included Thune, an ardent defender of the Senate’s longtime procedural measure.

Utah Sen. John Curtis (R) also defended the filibuster as a way to require collaboration between the parties.

“The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate. Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t,” Curtis said in a post on the social platform X.

Sources close to Trump said the timing of Trump’s call to end the filibuster, which he’s advocated for previously, reflects his mounting frustration with Democrats’ unwillingness to support the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government.

Still, some momentum seems to be building to finally reach a deal before the scheduled recess in honor of the Veterans Day holiday next week. Whether members of both sides can capitalize on it remains to be seen.

▪ The Hill: Military families face food insecurity cliff amid shutdown, SNAP uncertainty.

▪ The Hill: Schools tackle food insecurity as SNAP benefits teeter.

▪ CNN: Democrats are winning the shutdown politics. Can they stop now?

Smart Take with Blake Burman

This is obviously a huge election week for some of the future leaders in politics: Voters head to the polls tomorrow for gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, the mayoral race in New York City and the future of redistricting in California, just to name a few. For the current president, it's a massive week as well. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will begin to hear oral arguments regarding the legality of his tariffs.

Trump had suggested that he would attend the Supreme Court in person. You can imagine what a scene that could have been, perhaps watching the president enter the high court. However, that's not going to happen. "I will not be going to the Court on Wednesday in that I do not want to distract from the importance of this Decision. It will be, in my opinion, one of the most important and consequential Decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court," the president wrote on Truth Social.

Yes, the elections tomorrow will likely impact how we view some of the political landscape heading into 2026. For the president, Wednesday's case is likely even more important.

Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.

3 Things to Know Today

1. Trump said he “could” send troops into Nigeria and conduct airstrikes on the African country over alleged attacks on Christians, directing the Pentagon to prepare for “possible action” against Nigeria if the attacks don’t stop. Religiously motivated attacks have reportedly been taking place against both Christian and Muslim populations.

2. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the weapons testing that Trump ordered last week will not include nuclear explosions, focusing on the systems that deliver a weapon. Trump's announcement had seemed to call for an end to the moratorium on nuclear tests in place since 1992.

3. Aid workers have struggled to reach some communities hit hard by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica after the Category 5 storm ripped through........

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