Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Leavitt's briefing has, in part, also focused on "law and order" in Portland. But the shutdown continues to be the primary focus for much of the White House press corps.

There has still been no clarity on lay-offs or cuts, with Leavitt noting that the "unfortunate" lay-offs are still being discussed between government agencies and the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB.

Most of those cuts, Leavitt adds, would be from agencies that the administration believes "do not align with this administration's values of putting our country first".

Earlier this week, US Vice-President JD Vance said that "extraordinary measures" would likely need to be taken if the shutdown continues.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Florida Senator Rick Scott, a Republican, among the senators we’ve caught heading to votes, says he sees this ending when Democrats vote in favour of a continuing a resolution. Scott tells reporters he doesn’t like the continuing resolution - short term stop gap to keep the government open another seven weeks - but he’s backing the measure because he doesn’t want the government shutdown.

He says he wants to pass a full budget.

Nevertheless, Republicans don’t have the 60 votes they need to pass that short term stop gap, so the shutdown continues.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

As expected, today's briefing has begun with a scatching attack on Democrats by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"We are now in day three of the Democrat-led government shutdown," she begins. "The Democrats continue to hold the American people hostage over their demands to give illegal aliens free healthcare."

She also focused her initial remarks on the impact that the shutdown is having on the military and the families of service members.

According to Leavitt, seven million mothers and infants are "in jeopardy" over the next few weeks, and crucial government programmes such as weather forecasting and air traffic control.

"The economic consequences of this shut down are piling up every day," she adds, noting that $15bn in GDP could be lost each week as unemployment rises.

So far, no indication of any way out of the shutdown, short of Democrats giving up their demands.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

It's so far been a relatively calm down at the White House, where staff has been cut down to a skeleton crew because of the ongoing government shutdown.

That will all change at 1300e/1700g, when Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a news briefing.

It's her second this week - a rare occurence that is likely a sign of the growing war of words about the shutdown.

So far, there's been so sign of the administration in any way caving, and the effort - across the administration - has been to blame Democrats for shutting the government down over demands that undocumented migrants receive healthcare benefits.

Democrats strongly deny this, and it remains unclear how the two sides come to an agreement to end this.

It's also possible we will hear of the promised lay-offs and "extraordinary steps" outlined by Leavitt and JD Vance earlier this week.

Notably, last night President Trump posted a video depicting OMB Director Russ Vought as the grim reaper - alluding to the cuts that the administration has promised.

Image source, Getty Images

It's the end of the second day of the US federal government shutdown, and Republicans and Democrats remain sharply divided on how to resolve the funding dispute.

Both parties have repeatedly cast all the blame on the other.

Republicans are urging Democrats to agree on a continuing resolution, which would temporarily fund and reopen the government while both sides hammer out a longer term budget.

Across the aisle, Democrats are saying they are tired of punting the funding issue down the road. They want to resolve their main concerns now: ensuring subsidies for health insurance for low-income individuals do not expire, and reversing the Trump administration's cuts to Medicaid.

The crux of the disagreement centres around who will have access to healthcare. Republicans have repeatedly argued that Democrats want to give undocumented immigrants free healthcare, while Democrats say this is not true.

BBC Verify has a summary of the facts behind this row.

The shutdown is already affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers, some who are required to work with no pay, and others who will be out of work with no pay.

No votes happened today as much of the US Capitol was off for the Jewish holy day Yom Kippur. The Senate will be back in session Friday, where more votes could be called on the subject, although it is unclear if there will be any new proposals that would trigger a shift in positions.

We are pausing our live coverage for today, but you can read more of our coverage on the US government funding crisis here: Trump wields axe over 'Democrat Agencies' as blame game rages on Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

The American football game on Saturday between two branches of the US military will go ahead as scheduled, even as some members of the two athletic programmes go on furlough due to the government shutdown.

The football programmes for the Navy, Army and Air Force are run by non-profits - and therefore are not directly impacted by Congress' inability to pass a federal budget.

The Air Force said that it will not livestream home games as the shutdown continues, and told fans to expect fewer and slower updates.

Air Force sporting events were suspended during the last shutdown in 2018, but that won't be the case this time.

However some civilians have been furloughed this year, including the athletic director that handles communications for the team.

Image source, Getty Images

Some US immigration-related services may soon be impacted by the shutdown, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that processes citizenship and other immigration applications.

Director Joseph Edlow says the agency will prioritise its resources on "reviewing cases with national security concerns" but others may have to take a backseat.

"Unfortunately, this reprioritization may impact processing times," he says in a statement on X. "Public facing interactions such as interviews, naturalization ceremonies, and contact center responses may also be delayed."

Investigating the healthcare claims in the shutdown rowpublished at 00:32 BST 3 October

00:32 BST 3 October

Image source, Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

By Rupert Carey

One attack line repeated at Republican news conferences over the last few days is their claim that the Democrats shut the government down over "radical" demands to give healthcare funding to "illegal aliens".

The Democrats have called this "a lie".

BBC Verify has been trying to unpick the row, which is complicated.

The Democrats have been pushing for concessions from the Trump administration on health - namely extending Obamacare health insurance subsidies and reversing changes to Medicaid made in Trump's big tax and spending bill, passed over the summer.

However, illegal immigrants cannot get free healthcare under these schemes (although hospitals can be reimbursed through Medicaid if undocumented immigrants present for emergency care).

So, what’s the basis for the Republicans' claim?

We asked the White House and they pointed us to specific clauses on one page of the Democrats' proposed plan to avoid the shutdown - which failed in the Senate - alongside a Republican proposal - earlier this week.

These clauses seek to repeal health changes in Trump's bill, including one on "alien Medicaid eligibility". This provision will come into effect from October 2026 and will restrict Medicaid coverage for non-citizens.

Legal experts say that portion of the tax and spending law will significantly narrow Medicaid eligibility for immigrants in the US, including those who are considered “lawfully present” in the US – for example, refugees claiming asylum.

In repealing the restrictions, the Democrats seek to restore healthcare access to this group of immigrants, but House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has ruled out extending this access to illegal or undocumented immigrants.

Kristina Völk
US Reporter

Eva Knox, 72 is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and receives monthly food boxes that are provided by the Department of Agriculture.

She told me it would be a "disgrace" for that programme to be halted because of the government shutdown, though that hasn't happened so far.

Knox, who has two grown daughters and four grandchildren, says she doesn't always need the assistance. But "sometimes it (the monthly boxes) helps me where I can't get food, when I can't eat otherwise".

These Senior Food Boxes are distributed by local food banks and charities. Knox gets hers from a distribution site in her neighbourhood, where Knox says she sometimes sees people, including children, begging for food on the street.

So far, she says she is still getting by. But if that should change, "God will take care of me", adds Knox.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican Senate Leader John Thune is distancing himself from the White House budget director, saying he cannot endorse his plan to permanently lay off federal workers during the shutdown.

"This is the risk of shutting down the government and handing the keys to Russ Vought," Thune told Politico.

He added that "there should have been an expectation" among Democrats that Vought would seek to fire workers.

Vought, who runs the Office of Management and Budget, has been one of Trump's most controversial appointees, after he co-authored Project 2025 - a conservative wish list for Trump's second term.

Project 2025 calls for the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies such as the Department of Justice, to be placed under direct presidential control.

It also advocates for eliminating job protections for thousands of government employees, who could then be replaced by political appointees, and calls for a nationwide ban on abortion.

On Wednesday, Vought told Republicans the plan to fire federal workers would begin in a "day or two".

In his interview, Thune blamed Democrats for triggering the shutdown that unleashed Vought.

Asked whether Vought's moves to fire workers risked muddying the waters for voters, according to Politico, Thune responded: "The only thing I would say about that is yes, and we don’t control what he’s going to do."

Caitlin Wilson
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Caitlin Wilson / BBC

Travel slowdowns are one of the first concerns on Americans’ minds when the government shuts down - but this morning at Reagan National airport near Washington, operations seemed to be flowing smoothly.

Passengers moved through the security line at a more or less normal pace, even though it was staffed by TSA agents working without pay as "essential" government employees.

That efficiency could start to drag if the shutdown lasts for a while - by the end of the last shutdown, the TSA and air traffic control were beset by an unusually high number of staff calling in sick, tired of reporting for duty without a paycheque. That threat of travel disruptions ultimately helped end the shutdown in 2019.

But today there was only one sign that something was amiss at the airport - the terminal's Smithsonian museum gift shop was closed.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

Image source, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu / BBC

Restaurants in the DC area are stepping in to help federal workers going without pay as the government shutdown stretches into a second day.

At Pork Barrel BBQ in Alexandria - just across the river from Washington - federal workers who show a government employee ID can get one free pulled pork sandwich a day for as long as the shutdown lasts.

Manager Bill Blackburn says the neighbourhood has a large contingent of federal workers and sees this as a way of giving back to the community, which supported his restaurant through tough times such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

"A pulled pork sandwich is not going to help anybody pay the rent, and it's not going to pay the bills, but it is a symbolic gesture that (says) 'Hey, we're in this together, we appreciate you, we see you'", he tells me. The restaurant did similar freebies during the 2013 and the lengthy 2018-2019 shutdowns.

At nearby La’Baik, a fast causal Mediterranean eatery, furloughed workers can get a free beverage or baklava.

"It's just important to be there for each other during these times," says owner Moe Hay.

Image source, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu / BBC

Image source, Getty Images

We can bring you more comments from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries says Trump's threats to fire more federal workers is not enough to force Democrats to relent on their demands for healthcare funding.

He says layoffs were already happening and suggests that it won't make a difference for Democrats to back down.

"The Trump administration has been firing thousands of federal employees outside of the context of a government shutdown since January 20th," he says referring the date on which Trump took office.

"No reasonable person can come to the conclusion that ... outside of them shutting the government down, they were not going to fire federal employees.

Because guess what, they have been firing federal employees all along. That's a shame," he says. "These are hard working public servants, many of them veterans."

Hakeem Jeffries has finished his short address to the media on the steps of the US Capitol.

"Republicans have shut the government down because they don't want to provide healthcare for working-class Americans," Jeffries said, continuing the finger-pointing that both parties have engaged in over the shutdown.

Healthcare funding has become a crux of the shutdown show-down in Congress. Republicans accuse Democrats of trying to guarantee healthcare spending for illegal immigrants, but Democrats say this is not true and that they are trying to secure that money for Americans.

We'll bring you more of Jeffries's comments shortly.

Democratic congressional leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are set to address reporters on the Capitol steps in Washington shortly.

You can hit watch live at the top of this page to follow along.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

Image source, Sakshi Venkatraman / BBC

Cruises to the Statue of Liberty are in full swing like any other day in the city. Dozens of tourists are boarding boats and making their way to the island, and ticket hawkers downtown are still trying to get more to join.

Two French tourists returning from one cruise told me the statue is fully open for people to visit and ascend.

You can read more about the situation at the Statue of Liberty here.

Image source, Sakshi Venkatraman / BBC

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington DC

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, says the public will put pressure on Congress to wrap up the government shutdown as soon as they see a direct impact on their own lives.

Until then, he thinks the shutdown could last a while if everyday Americans aren't yet clamouring for its resolution.

"Laying off people doesn't seem to be enough (to change public opinion), or something that moves the public as a whole," he says, referencing Trump's threats to cut the federal workforce.

Miringoff's polling suggests Americans are largely split down party lines when it comes to assigning responsibility for the shutdown. Majorities of both Democratic and Republican respondents to his polls blame the other party for the shutdown, he says, while 41% of independents say both parties share the blame equally.

"Both of the parties have mastered the finger-pointing, and all we're left with is a growing number of people think the country is headed in the wrong direction," Miringoff says.

Blanca Estrada and Madeline Gerber
Reporting from Washington DC

We've been chatting with people walking around the National Mall in Washington DC, and just spoke with Dexter Kerkulah about his experience visiting the US capital during the government shutdown.

Kerkulah and his wife are from Nassau in the Bahamas, and were planning to check out the National Archives.

"We saw security out front and he told us 'We're closed', so I'm like - what are you talking about, 'We're closed'?"

"And he said, 'Well, the government is shut down and so you don't have access to the building'.

"So that definitely kind of put a damper on our trip, as we were wanting to see the Bill of Rights, the United States Constitution, and we weren't able to see it."

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Live reporter

Image source, NurPhoto via Getty Images

National monuments around the US are closing doors to visitors because of the government shutdown, but it appears that it won't impact tourists visiting the Statue of Liberty.

"Thanks to the leadership of President Donald J. Trump both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty remain open for the enjoyment of the American people," a spokesperson for the Department of the Interior tells BBC.

The move comes after New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday that she would not use state funds to keep the monument open.

“People need to see that there's consequences right now to what the Republicans have done," Hochul said at that news conference.