Government shutdown updates: Judge blocks mass firings of government workers

A federal district judge on Wednesday issued an emergency order blocking the Trump administration's mass firings of government workers, the union representing thousands of federal employees said.

President Donald Trump and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought have followed through with threats to fire thousands of federal workers during the shutdown.

The government has now been shut down for two weeks, with no end in sight as House Speaker Mike Johnson is warning Americans this could be "the longest shutdowns in U.S. history."

'We got the people we want paid, paid': Trump

President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel were asked about payments to FBI members during the shutdown and the president reiterated that his stance for not paying what he contended were Democratic agencies and programs.

"We got the people that we want paid, paid, OK," he said. "And we want the FBI paid. We want the military paid. We got the people that we want paid."

"The Democrats, they don't talk about this. We're getting rid of programs that we didn't like but that were negotiated in. But we did," he added. "We're terminating those programs and they're going to be terminated on a permanent basis."

The president referenced the cuts to the Gateway Project by OMB Director Russ Vought.

Judge blocks Trump administration from firing workers during shutdown: Union

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued an emergency order Wednesday blocking the Trump administration's mass firings, the union representing the thousands of federal workers said.

Illston said the administration was acting without thinking through its decisions, The Associated Press reported.

"It's very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs, and it has a human cost," she said. It's a human cost that cannot be tolerated."

A group of unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, sued the administration and asked for a temporary restraining order, contending the firings were illegal.

“This decision affirms that these threatened mass firings are likely illegal and blocks layoff notices from going out,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in a statement.

“Federal workers have already faced enough uncertainty from the administration’s relentless attacks on the important jobs they do to keep us safe and healthy. They deserve respect for the work they do -- not to be treated as political pawns by the billionaires running this administration who see workers as expendable," Saunders added.

Senate fails, for 9th time, to advance government funding bill

The Senate once again failed to advance a funding bill that would have reopened the government until Nov. 21 by a vote of 51-44 on Wednesday. It would have needed 60 votes to advance.

This is the ninth time this bill has failed to advance.

As has been the case in past votes, Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against the bill. Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman, and Independent Angus King (who caucuses with Democrats) remained the only three to buck their party and vote in favor of the bill.

There are no measurable signs of progress.

This is the last vote on government funding that is expected to occur on Wednesday. The shutdown will therefore continue until at least Thursday.

ABC News' Allison Pecorin