Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Congressional Republicans bear the responsibility to resolve the ongoing government shutdown, as President Donald Trump is traveling to Asia. Schumer's remarks, made during the reporting window of 10/25/2025, 1:02:38 AM to 10/25/2025, 2:02:38 AM UTC, place the onus on Republicans in Congress to act while the President is abroad. The U.S. Justice Department announced it will monitor polling sites in California and New Jersey, according to a statement released during this period. This announcement comes as the nation grapples with a government shutdown, a situation previously discussed by Senator John Fetterman, who dismissed it as a political game. Earlier reports indicated that officials were already referring to the White House ballroom as “The President Donald J Trump Ballroom." President Trump's departure for Asia amidst the shutdown follows his earlier statements regarding planned operations against cartels, where he indicated he would not seek congressional authorization for strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. He stated, "I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we are going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We are going to kill them, you know? They are going to be, like, dead," as reported by The New York Times. NPR has noted that the power to declare war rests with Congress, not the White House. In related political commentary, Steve Bannon asserted that Donald Trump would serve a third term as president in 2028, during an interview with The Economist. Previous reports also mentioned Representative Carlos Gimenez's criticism of Colombian President Petro, asserting that Colombia is a "colony of the Cartel of the Suns of #Venezuela."
