USDA says SNAP benefits won't be issued on Nov. 1

Despite speculation that the start of the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period might provide an off ramp to the shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled that even after Nov. 1, Democrats will continue the fight -- confident that public sentiment will support their decision to withhold their votes to reopen the government in the pursuit of health care reforms.

“If we don't address the Republican health care crisis in advance of open enrollment on November 1, it will become even more apparent to everyday Americans why we need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, because by that point, tens of millions of people across the country will realize that their health insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles have skyrocketed beyond what's affordable because of Republican inaction,” Jeffries predicted.

While Democrats have called for a permanent extension of the tax credits to the tune of $400 billion over the next decade, Republicans have rejected calls to negotiate while the government is shut down.

Nevertheless, Jeffries continues to signal a desire to engage in bipartisan negotiations -- with legislation to lower the cost of health care at the forefront of his demands.

“Our position has been that we are open, certainly, to anything bipartisan that emerges from the Senate in good faith, that reopens the government, but at the same time decisively addresses the Republican health care crisis, which includes, but is not limited to, extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, because that needs to be done with urgency, given the fact that open enrollment starts on November 1,” he said.

The House cancelled legislative business again this week and lawmakers have been back in their districts for more than a month waiting for the gridlock to lift.

“It's extraordinary to me that for four consecutive weeks, House Republicans are on vacation. They've canceled votes week after week after week after week. Where are you?” Jeffries said. “I mean, you're in the legislative witness protection program. It's extraordinary that we're here again, fourth consecutive week, and House Republicans are nowhere to be found.”

Jeffries told reporters that he and Speaker Mike Johnson had a conversation over the weekend, but he refused to detail any of the conversation.

“Speaker Johnson and I had a conversation this weekend,” Jeffries deadpanned, stopping short of saying anything else about it. “Thank you everyone.”

-ABC News’ John Parkinson

Furloughs are taking place Monday at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which is responsible for overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile. Roughly 1,400 employees at NNSA will be given furlough notices and less than 400 workers will remain to safeguard the stockpile, according to a Department of Energy official.

"This morning, America’s nuclear security administration has begun furloughing federal employees due to the Schumer shutdown. I’m in Nevada today to meet with some of these critical workers and to ask Nevada’s leaders to help us end this shutdown," Energy Secretary Chris Wright wrote on X.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

With the House on break for more than a month now, Speaker Mike Johnson insists he will administer the oath of office to Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva after the Senate votes to reopen the government -- resisting calls to swear her in amid the prolonged government shutdown.

"Rep. Grijalva won her race in the I think it was the last week of September after we had already gone out of session, so I will administer the oath to her, hopefully on the first day we come back legislative session," Johnson said. "I'm willing and anxious to do that."

While the question has followed the speaker throughout the shutdown, Johnson has shrugged off the delay -- decried by Democrats -- denying that his decision is related to Grijalva's intent to become the 218th signature on a discharge petition forcing a vote to release the Justice Department's full files on Jeffrey Epstein.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

The Senate will return on Monday evening to hold its 11th vote on the Republicans' clean funding bill. It will likely fail again.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is standing by his decision to keep the chamber out of session for its fourth consecutive week, telling ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl on "This Week" that he refuses to "come back and engage in anything until the government's reopened." Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans have "no interest in doing the business of the American people."

Starting on Monday, all federal courts will no longer have funding to sustain full, paid operations. While judges will continue to serve with pay, members of the nation's 33,000 court staff will either perform limited tasks unpaid or be put on furlough.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin and Justin Gomez