In today's issue:

▪ Shutdown enters fourth week

▪ Merkley holds Senate floor

▪ Vance meets Netanyahu over ceasefire

▪ White House ballroom backlash

Thank you for signing up!

Subscribe to more newsletters here

Lawmakers in both parties are grappling with growing pressure amid a stalemate that has brought Washington to a near standstill.

The government shutdown entered its fourth week on Wednesday, becoming the second longest in U.S. history after surpassing another from the mid-1990s.

Congress is still a long way from coming up with a solution to end the shutdown, with no major breakthroughs 22 days in. But pressure is growing on both parties to find a possible exit ramp.

Talk among Senate Republicans about changing the filibuster to push a government funding bill over the finish line is picking up, while the GOP is seeking to turn up the heat on Democrats in a bid to force their hand.

The Hill’s Al Weaver reports that Republican leadership has planned specific votes this week to pay military members and essential federal workers, which they hope will drive more of a wedge among Democrats tempted to vote in favor. Efforts so far haven’t been successful, as the Democratic caucus has stayed mostly unified in rejecting the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), except for the three who have voted for the bill from the beginning.

While Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said he’s committed to maintaining the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation, chatter has increased about the party going “nuclear” to overrule the Democrats and reopen the government, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.

Bolton reports that GOP senators said changing the filibuster rule did not come up at Trump’s meeting with Republicans at the White House on Tuesday, but they predicted the president would start pressuring Thune to change the rules if the funding stalemate extends to November.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a key moderate, said members of the GOP conference are discussing filibuster reform. While she said she supports keeping it at 60 votes, she’s open to considering any plan to reopen the government.

Senate rules require 60 votes to advance most legislation, giving Democrats power to block the House-passed CR despite their minority status. But Senate Republican leadership could propose a rule change to reduce the threshold to a simple majority, ensuring that Democratic votes aren’t needed to reopen the government.

That idea even received an endorsement from across the aisle on Tuesday as Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told reporters that he would support Republicans using the nuclear option to overcome the filibuster, citing that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is running out of money.

“There are no winners here. It’s not getting better every day here. People are going to start to get really hungry, and I’ve been fully, fully committed to fund SNAP, open up the government,” he said, adding that U.S. Capitol Police officers also aren’t getting paid.

Still, touching the filibuster would likely be a drastic move and establish a new precedent for any future battles over passing government funding. Thune told reporters earlier this week getting rid of the filibuster to reopen government would be a “bad idea.”

▪ The Hill: “Flight delays, cancellations increase shutdown pressure on lawmakers.”

▪ Fox News: Trump says ‘we will not be extorted’ by Democrats.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are considering a new stopgap measure that could run into January or beyond. As each day passes, Nov. 21, the date through which the House-passed CR would continue funding the government, gets closer and closer.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested that date, just one month away, might not be enough time for appropriators to work out the regular full-year appropriations.

“That's becoming a very dicey prospect right now because we need every single day,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday.

The Hill’s Emily Brooks reports that multiple options are on the table, including a stopgap that would go until the end of January and a full-year CR continuing through Sept. 30, 2026, the end of the fiscal year.

That alternative would still call for maintaining government funding at its current levels, potentially keeping the impasse with Democrats in place.

▪ CNN: Democrats still winning the blame game.

▪ The New York Times: “Shutdown with no clear end poses new economic threat.”

MERKELEY HOLDS THE FLOOR: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is holding the Senate floor to push back against what he views as the Trump administration's moves to undermine democracy.

Merkley began speaking at 6:21 p.m. on Tuesday and he's still going more than 12 hours later. He only briefly paused for a question from Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.).

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D) engaged in a similar action this year when he railed against the administration in a record-breaking speech that lasted more than 25 hours.

CAR HITS WHITE HOUSE FENCE: A man reportedly drove a car into the White House security fence late Tuesday night.

A Secret Service spokesperson told NewsNation, The Hill's sister channel, that the individual drove his car into the Secret Service vehicle gate at 17th and E Street at about 10:37 p.m. The man was immediately arrested and the vehicle was assessed and deemed safe.

A law enforcement official told the outlet that the man was taken to a hospital for mental health services.

Officials haven't immediately provided information about the driver's identity or possible motivation.

Smart Take with Blake Burman

The White House is grappling with a new issue that hits close to home for many Americans: the rising price of beef. The president floated purchasing beef from Argentina to help ease prices here in the U.S., and faced backlash from some ranchers and lawmakers alike.

I spoke with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday night, and she floated a big announcement as soon as today. The announcement focuses on “what we're going to do to restore and revitalize our beef herd in America, which ultimately will bring the prices down,” Rollins told me.

While Trump is in the middle of handling major foreign policy issues, how to reduce farm bankruptcies, support ranchers and potentially address beef prices has gradually become an issue we will soon see the Trump administration address.

3 Things to Know Today

1. Paul........

© The Hill