A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's mass layoffs as the government shutdown drags on, pausing the cuts for thousands of workers.

The Senate on Wednesday failed for the ninth time to reopen the federal government as the impasse on Capitol Hill deepens. On Thursday, the upper chamber will switch gears and vote on

The stopgap bill, which would extend government funding until Nov. 21, was defeated after a 49-45 vote. It required 60 votes to pass and has now extended the shutdown to two weeks. The Senate will reconvene and vote again on Oct. 15, marking the ninth voting session on the funding bill.

For the eighth time, the Senate voted to reject the the House-passed stopgap funding bill amid the fifth-longest shutdown in U.S. history.

The Senate prepares for an eighth vote on reopening the government as the shutdown nears its third week, with Democrats demanding Obamacare subsidy extensions.

The government shutdown will last at least until at least next week, as the Senate adjourned until Tuesday after another round of failed votes to reopen the government.

Get the latest Trump administration news as the government shutdown continues. House Speaker Mike Johnson said this could become the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

A handful of U.S. Senate Republicans are wrestling with the impending expiration of health insurance subsidies that are the primary sticking point in the government shutdown standoff that entered its 13th day on Monday.