The Senate has retired for the weekend, after lawmakers again voted to reject spending proposals to reopen the US government - meaning the shutdown will continue into next week.

Both the Republican and Democrat-led proposals failed to secure the 60 votes needed to pass.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recalled his Democratic members back to Washington, while House Speaker Mike Johnson has designated most of next week a district work period, meaning lawmakers can stay at home rather than return to Washington to cast votes.

We're pausing our live coverage now, but you can read more about this story here.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

Image source, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu / BBC

Federal workers here in northern Virginia have lived through shutdowns before but unlike previous ones, there was already heightened anxiety and fear with the workforce.

The shutdown comes amid mass layoffs earlier this year in the federal government, which had traditionally been viewed as a safe place for a long career for many here. Many towns in the capital region have been hard by these cuts.

A recent Brookings Institution report said northern Virginia towns like Alexandria faced "the biggest increases in unemployment" nationwide since the federal job cuts began.

That anxiety around job security shows up in people’s reluctance to be publicly identified or say where they work in interviews for fear of retribution.

"I don't know that the anxiety around layoffs is any different now that it has been the entirety of the year," one federal worker who didn't want to be identified told me. "I think there has been a concern for that writ large since about February," the worker, who is currently on probation, adds.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We've been hearing from Americans across the political spectrum about their thoughts on the government shutdown.

Republican Jim Sullivan of Indiana says Democrats are playing politics with everyday Americans and their livelihood.

"It's not on the Republicans, it's on [Chuck] Schumer," he says, referring to Senate's Minority Leader. "The real people are caught in the middle, and Democrats are willing to sacrifice those people."

Democrat Denise Demontagnac of Maryland says while the shutdown will cause pain to many, she thinks it is a worthy political fight.

"I'm extremely nervous about what's going to happen to low-income families, students who rely on federal scholarships and federal employees," she says. "But this is a good fight for the Democrats to fight... I think it's worth it to hold out, this is sending a powerful message to their constituents."

Read more: 'No good outcome' - voters across US share concerns about shutdown

The US House of Representatives has just announced there are no proceedings scheduled next week.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has designated a "district work period" starting Tuesday, which means lawmakers can stay in their home states rather than come to Washington to cast votes. The period will last through 13 October.

The Republican-led House already passed a funding measure that would open the government, but it has failed to advance in the Senate. Democrats have declined to support it unless healthcare insurance subsidies are attached.

The move to keep House members at home signals Republicans are standing firm on the funding-only bill they already passed, rather than voting on something new.

Senate Republican Leader John Thune said he had a “brief chat on the floor” with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Thune said he believes conversations with Democrats outside of leadership may be more productive. A path forward is “more likely to be achieved with rank and file members who actually want to have an appropriations process, want to get us back on track, on a calendar, legislatively”, he told reporters. Thune, like others, is likely heading home to South Dakota for the weekend.

Kristina Völk
US Reporter

Image source, Matt King

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says in its shutdown plan that nutrition-assistance programmes are continuing, "subject to the availability of funding." That means the agency could use funds it has on hand during the shutdown.

Matt King, CEO of Milwaukee-based food bank Hunger Task Force, says he is concerned about long-term effects if the money runs out.

"It would put a tremendous strain on the food pantry network," he says. Visits to the Milwaukee organisation increased 30% in the past year, with a lot of families seeking help.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Now that today’s votes are finished, senators will head home for the weekend.

They’ll be back on Capitol Hill on Monday, when the government shutdown will be on everyone’s mind as it enters day six.

There is no indication that either Democrats or Republicans are changing their positions. Republicans want to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open until mid-November.

Democrats want to ensure healthcare subsidies for low income Americans are renewed. Nobody has enough votes.

A Republican-led proposal to temporarily fund and reopen the government has failed to meet the 60-senate vote threshold.

The final vote count was 54 in favour and 44 against the bill. Two senators did not vote.

Image source, US Senate

The Democrats' plan to temporarily fund and reopen the government has failed, 45-52.

The Senate is now voting on the Republican's proposal.

The US government shutdown is in its third day because Republicans and Democrats could not agree to pass a bill funding government services into October and beyond.

Under the US system, the different branches of government have to reach an agreement on spending plans before they can become law.

Republicans are pushing to pass a bill to temporarily extend government funding without other initiatives attached - known as a clean continuing resolution, or a CR.

The Republicans only have 53 seats in the Senate and are short of the 60 votes needed to pass the spending bill, meaning they need support from the Democrats.

The Democrats are seeking to capitalise on that leverage to try and advance their policy goals in healthcare, which include:

• Ensuring subsidies for health insurance for low-income individuals do not expire
• Reversing the Trump administration's cuts to the Medicaid health programme

But that is a no-go for Republicans, which led them to a standoff. Now, the Senate is back in session to vote again on two funding proposals to end the impasse - one is written by the Democrats, the second is by the Republicans. Both are expected to fail, as they did previously.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We’ve just heard from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries who spoke briefly with reporters ahead of the weekend.

Republicans are on the defensive right now, he said.

Though the House of Representatives is out of session, Jeffries has urged his members to come back to Capitol Hill.

There’s chatter that Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson may not call the House back into session. If that happens, Jeffries said he’ll still call on his members to return.

“I’ve been here all week” he said, adding that it’s been “radio silence from Republicans”.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Just outside the Senate chambers, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has been speaking with reporters as votes continue.

Hawley says shutting down the government is “the wrong thing to do”.

He said he’s concerned about the impact the shutdown will start to have on his constituents. “This is just absurd, and frankly, it's offensive,” he said.

I asked Hawley if - given his stated concern - Republicans should be working through the weekend to reopen the government instead of heading home until next week.

“We can vote… We are voting right now. This would be the fourth time we voted. We can vote and vote and vote, but it's up to basically five people,” Hawley said.

Senators are set to return on Monday, guaranteeing that the government remains shut until at least then.

The Senate is now voting on the first of two proposals expected this afternoon. One is a Democrat resolution and the other is a Republican one.

Both need 60 votes to advance. Democrats would need 13 Republicans to support their version and Republicans need eight Democrats. Both are expected to fail as they did Wednesday, though some senators did flip sides.

Democrats who sided with Republicans earlier this week:

• Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
• John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
• Angus King of Maine (independent who causes with Dems)

And Republicans who sided with Democrats:

• Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against the Republican funding proposal

Many more will have to flip this afternoon to end the shutdown.

Donovan Slack

Image source, Reuters

We have just received an update from the Smithsonian, which says its museums and attractions will stay open for a few more days.

The institution, which includes more than a dozen museums and attractions in Washington, had said it had enough money to stay open until Monday.

Now they will stay open until next weekend.

“Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will use prior-year funds to remain open to the public during the federal government shutdown through Saturday, October 11, 2025,” the update says.

Smithsonian museums and galleries include the popular National Museums of Natural History and American History and the National Air and Space Museum. They drew nearly 17 million visitors in 2024.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt just ended a relatively short but busy news briefing.

The main takeaway was that the White House shows absolutely no indication, so far, of caving to pressure and is instead digging in to its position - laying the blame squarely on Democrats.

The White House is also shrugging off any and all suggestions that its claims that Democrats are proposing healthcare for undocumented immigrants are wrong or taken out of context.

I found it notable that towards the end, Leavitt said that "it is an undisputed fact" that Democrats want to give taxpayer funded healthcare benefits to those immigrants.

As was clear from the briefing, that assertion is, in fact, very much disputed.

But the White House clearly sees that line as its most effective message as the shutdown continues - meaning that it's one that we are likely to hear repeatedly over the coming days.

Read more about that claim from our BBC Verify team here.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the administration is also looking into cutting federal money to Portland, Oregon, as part of its ongoing battle with Democratic-led states and cities.

President Trump has described the city as "war ravaged" and has asked for US troops to deploy to there.

Trump "has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland," Leavitt said. "We will not fund states that allow anarchy... Law and order will prevail."

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Live reporter

Leavitt mentioned a pause in funding for transportation projects in Chicago.

Earlier today, White House budget chief Russell Vought announced the Trump administration is pausing $2.1bn in funds for rail projects in the city.

It comes after Vought paused similar projects in New York earlier this week, the home state of Democratic leaders Senator Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries.

Leavitt evaded a question on whether the White House will unfreeze the funds as part of a deal to end the shutdown.

"Right now, Russ Vought is doing what he has been tasked to do in the midst of this government shutdown which is to look at funds that need to be temporarily halted or cancelled and Chicago is just one example of that," she said.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We’re heading into another vote on the same House-passed extension of funding for the government, but with no changes in sight.

Republicans and Democrats have been doing lots of talking to reporters, but it’s not clear how much talking they’re doing with each other.

There have been some reports of side conversations between moderates from both parties, but it the vote today is expected fail.

As he was heading to votes, Republican Senator Thom Tillis says that not much is happening outside of “causal conversations” with colleagues.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Despite the lack of clarity on any upcoming lay-offs, Leavitt has again defended any cuts that might be forthcoming.

Asked why those lay-offs would be necessary to keep essential services going - which hasn't been the case in previous shutdowns - Leavitt says that the administration is committed to "fiscal sanity".

She described the cuts as an "uneviable choice", again blaming Democrats.

"This administration is focusing on waste, fraud and abuse," she adds.

She also briefly addressed the viral image - posted by Trump - depicting OMB Director Russ Vought as the grim reaper.

"Look, the president likes to have fun," she says.

Donovan Slack

Asked if Project 2025 is the blueprint for shrinking the federal government, the press secretary says the blueprint is whatever the president and his team ultimately decide.

President Trump during his campaign said he was not familiar with the white paper drawn up by conservatives at the Heritage Foundation.

Project 2025 has been called the right-wing wish list for his second term. It included steep cuts that may not have played well on the campaign trail but the president, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and now the White House budget office are acting on it.

Learn more about Project 2025 here.