Capitol Hill lawmakers and aides doubt there will be a resolution to the government shutdown before mass anti-Trump demonstrations descend on Washington DC next week.

The ‘No Kings’ protest set for October 18 is expected to draw thousands. Organizers say it’ll be a show of force to oppose President Donald Trump’s ‘authoritarian power grab’ and to put more pressure on Democrats to stymie the adminstration.

Any capitulation by Senate Democrats before then is only expected to exacerbate liberal outrage, say the Daily Mail’s sources on Capitol Hill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, who may face a competitive primary against progressive Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez in 2028, will almost certainly feel pressure to hold the line against Trump.

‘They are putting their own folks at a disadvantage,’ one senior Senate Republican aide told the Daily Mail, predicting that the longer the shutdown last, the more Democrats will be blamed for it.

‘If I were the ‘No Kings’ guys, I’d be saying we need to move this [protest] up to, like, the 13th or 14th,’ the Republican aide added.

An upcoming protest is on Democrats’ radar as they try to find a way to fund the government 

The ‘No Kings’ protest map includes hundreds of cities nationwide. Washington, D.C., is expected to be the focal point of the event. Democratic lawmakers are taking notice, and may be pressured to hold fast if the government shutdown is still ongoing 

The top Senate Republican John Thune noted how the upcoming protest will put pressure on Democrats 

Nevada’s Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto told the Daily Mail she was confident her colleagues were closely tracking the ‘No Kings’ protest. 

She is one of the three Democratic senators who have bucked Schumer and voted alongside Republicans to fund the government and end the shutdown. Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Angus King, I-Maine, have also voted with the GOP.

‘I think that the Democrats are under a ton of pressure from their far-left base,’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the Daily Mail. ‘They’ve got a big rally out here on October the 18th.’

‘A bunch of liberal groups are organizing it, and I think they’re afraid, honestly, to open up the government and the kind of abuse they’ll take,’ he added. 

A sixth vote to reopen the government failed on Wednesday by a margin of 54 to 45. At least 60 votes are needed for any funding bill to pass. 

President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have blamed Democrats for the government shutdown. A GOP-authored spending bill has failed to pass the Senate due to liberal legislators voting against it. It needs 60 votes to pass

The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has repeatedly demanded that an ACA subsidy extension be attached to any government funding bill. 

Demonstrators take part in a protest against the Trump administration during the ‘No Kings’ national rally in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 14, 2025

Few Democrats have been publicly forthcoming about the pressure they feel.

Fetterman, who has repeatedly voted to reopen the government, told the Daily Mail the shutdown has caused chaos that impacts millions of US citizens.

‘You really shouldn’t hold it hostage,’ he said. ‘It’s getting more and more difficult to be a voice of moderation.’

Schumer and Democrats have said over and over that they would not vote to reopen the government until the ACA, or Obamacare, subsidies are renewed before they expire at the end of December. 

Tens of millions of Americans rely on these subsidies for low-cost insurance. If they are not renewed, some Americans could see their insurance costs double, or worse.

A Secret Service Agent guards the entrance to the White House as thousands march through Washington D.C. in protest of Donald Trump’s use of federal agents and the National Guardsmen to conduct policing actions throughout the city

‘I would be very disappointed if I end up as the lone Democrat who believes both: it’s always wrong to shut the government down but fully supports to extend these ACA tax credits.’ Fetterman continued. 

Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that government funding bills should not be tethered to healthcare reform legislation. 

And they are not eager to engage with Democrats, who they believe started the shutdown with their healthcare demands.

In fact, some would rather let them reap what they sowed. 

‘There’s not much to talk about,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told the Daily Mail. ‘We can’t solve Chuck Schumer’s political problems that he’s got.’

As the shutdown heads into a ninth day, it is increasingly seeming like it will drag on well into October. 

The longest government shutdown in history came during Trump’s first term and stretched for 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019.