CNN: “Inside the party, anxiety is rising among vulnerable Democrats about active-duty military service members missing a paycheck on October 15 — something that hasn’t happened on a large scale in modern times. But Democratic leaders are confident their party will maintain its position through that deadline and longer if necessary.”

“It’s a major gamble for Democrats in Washington, who voted on Wednesday for a sixth time in the Senate to reject a GOP funding proposal to reopen the government. But they believe the longer they can hold out, the more public pressure will build in their favor as they expect millions of Americans receive notices in the mail about spiking health care premiums — which they hope will force President Donald Trump and GOP leaders to concede to a deal to extend billions of dollars in Affordable Care Act subsidies.”

“The IRS will furlough just under half of its staff and pause most of the agency’s taxpayer services as gridlock in Congress pushes the government shutdown into its second week,” Bloomberg reports.

“Americans blame both Republicans and Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown and are worried services could falter as a third of the federal workforce sits on unpaid leave,” according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

“The five-day poll, completed on Tuesday, asked Americans nationwide how much blame Democrats, Republicans and President Donald Trump deserve for the shutdown, now in its ninth day. Some 67% of respondents said Republicans deserved a fair amount or a great deal of blame, while 63% said the same of Democrats. Some 63% also said Trump, a Republican, deserves at least a fair amount of blame.”

Punchbowl News: “When you take stock of where things stand, it’s not difficult to see why House and Senate Democrats feel good about their strategy — for now.”

“It’s important to note that Democrats instigated this shutdown. They rejected a “clean” funding proposal and demanded significant and expensive health care policy changes in exchange for their votes.”

“But as we enter the second week of the standoff, Democrats are nowhere close to buckling. In fact, top Democrats feel like they’re gaining political momentum.”

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other senior GOP lawmakers have quietly advised the White House not to move forward with mass layoffs and sharp cuts to government assistance programs as the shutdown enters its second week,” the Wall Street Journal reports.