Key Events (10)
The U.S. government shut down on October 1, 2025, after Senate Democrats and Republicans failed to advance competing funding bills. Democrats rejected the Republican proposal citing healthcare cuts and Medicaid reductions, while Republicans blamed Democrats for refusing to back their bill.
Trump withdrew his nomination of EJ Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (jobs data agency) after criticism that Antoni was too partisan and unqualified. Economists expressed relief at the withdrawal of the controversial pick.
The Supreme Court deferred action on Trump's request to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, deferring any decision until oral arguments are heard on the case. Cook was able to retain her position for now despite Trump's efforts to remove her.
Trump announced plans to withhold $18 billion in federal transit funding for New York-area infrastructure projects, including the Second Avenue subway and Hudson River tunnels, apparently to pressure Democrats during the government shutdown.
Trump fired members of the National Endowment for the Humanities advisory council, terminating the positions of scholars who advise the federal body responsible for funding humanities programs.
Trump suggested that the U.S. military should use American cities as 'training grounds,' a proposal that drew sharp criticism from Democratic governors and lawmakers who compared it to authoritarian tactics.
Trump announced a deal with Pfizer to lower Medicaid prescription drug prices and launched a website to help consumers buy drugs directly from manufacturers, marking Pfizer's alignment with his 'Most Favored Nation' drug pricing plan.
Trump hit his lowest approval rating yet in a Marquette Law School poll, reflecting declining public support for his administration's policies and actions.
Border wall construction began in Arizona's San Rafael Valley wildlife corridor, with officials warning the 30-foot barrier could negatively impact wildlife migration and water use in one of the last unbroken grasslands in the American West.
A global academic freedom group reported that at least 40 attacks against academic freedom in the United States occurred in the first half of 2025, with warnings that the Trump administration is dismantling U.S. higher education.