Most of the Illinois government workers who were furloughed as a result of the Federal government shutdown returned to work on Wednesday at the direction of Gov. Pat Quinn (D), the Chicago Tribune reported.

Chelsea Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years in military prison for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, said Wedneday in her first statement since August that she is not a "pacifist," but rather a "transparency advocate."

"It's not terribly clear to me that my actions were explicitly done for 'peace,'" Manning wrote in a statement to the Guardian. "I feel that the public cannot decide what actions and policies are or are not justified if they don't even know the most rudimentary details about them and their effects."

Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2014.

The Florida Republican is currently recovering from a back injury at Walter Reed Medical Center, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Young did not specify one reason for retiring.

The liberal advocacy group Americans United for Change launched a TV ad campaign Wednesday against House Republicans who may be susceptible in the 2014 election due to their role in the government shutdown.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) on Wednesday defended his stance that a debt default would not have a large negative impact on the economy, and may be necessary in order to force the government to enact more budget cuts.

Eight House Democrats were arrested at an immigration rally on the National Mall Tuesday, as part of an effort to call on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Reps. John Lewis (D-GA), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Al Green (D-TX) were arrested for acts of civil disobedience, Politico reported. At least 100 people were arrested in total, according to the Washington Post.

Five House members were arrested outside the Sudanese embassy during a protest Tuesday.

The lawmakers were protesting the Sudanese government's decision to ban 16 aid groups from Darfur, according to the New York Times. 

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will make a statement at 4:30 p.m. ET in the Speaker's Balcony Hallway, according to Boehner's press office.

The Democratic National Committee launched a campaign Tuesday against prominent Republican lawmakers, blaming the shutdown and a potential default on the GOP.

The DNC is using robocalls and targeted online ads to hit House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in their home states.

The families of four Americans who died in combat in Afghanistan will not be flown by the Pentagon to see the bodies of their loved ones arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Deleware due to the government shutdown, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. 

Typically, the military pays for family members to fly to Dover to greet the bodies of loved ones arrive in the U.S., however the ongoing shutdown prevents the government from paying for those travel costs.