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Government Funding Stalemate Deepens as Shutdown Enters

Third Week

Source 1: CNN, Source 2: Fox News

Senate Fails to Pass Pay-guarantee Bill for Essential Federal Workers During Shutdown

Source 1: PBS News, Source 2: New York Post

U.S. Escalates Diplomatic and Trade Tensions with Colombia Over Alleged Drug-trafficking Links

Source 1: Newsmax, Source 2: Reuters

Share your act of courage this week to be included in next week’s update — you can even backdate your act to September 8th.

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Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:

The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue.
The vote should be clear for any person to understand.
The vote has received media attention.
The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin.

Click Here for the Key Votes Visualization

Congress

Congress – Senate Cloture Not Invoked HR 5371 – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026

Congress – Senate Cloture Not Invoked S 3012 – Shutdown Fairness Act

State

North Carolina (NC) – House Passed SB 13 - Increases the Penalty for Acts of Violence that are Politically Motivated

Wisconsin (WI) – Senate Concurrence Vote Passed AB 168 - Authorizes Felony Fraud Claims Related to Unemployment to be Prosecuted up to 8 Years After a Crime was Committed

New York (NY) - Governor Kathy Hochul Signed S 1985 - Requires Police Officers to Take Temporary Custody of Firearms When Responding to Reports of Family Violence

For full details on each bill, visit our Vote Smart Issue Summary page.

Republican Phil Berger is a State Senator from North Carolina and currently serving as President Pro Tempore. This week he, alongside Speaker of the House Destin Hall, passed through the legislature a new congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections. This map was created with the intention of targeting 1st district Representative Don Davis in the northeastern part of the state. The changes to the map are minor–they only shift roughly three counties between the 1st and 3rd districts to add more Republican-leaning voters to Davis’ district.

Democrat Kris Mayes, the Attorney General of Arizona, filed a lawsuit against the United States House of Representatives in federal court on Tuesday, alleging that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is refusing to swear in Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) and denying the constituents of Arizona’s 7th district representation in Congress. Speaker Johnson has argued that Grijalva will be sworn in once the government ends the shutdown.

Next week, there is a special general election in Alabama. Click on the link below to view the results:

Alabama Special State General Election, State House District 12

Thanks to your incredible reviews, we are excited to share that we’ve been recognized as one of the 2025 Best Nonprofits by GreatNonprofits! This honor will be officially promoted by GreatNonprofits after October 31st. This achievement is because of you—our supporters—who took the time to share your stories and experiences with Vote Smart. Your voices made this recognition possible, and we are deeply grateful.