The government shutdown was never painless. Yet, for lawmakers locked in a partisan standoff, it was apparently tolerable.
Now, almost a month into the lapse in funding, many everyday Americans could start feeling the pain in disturbing new ways.
On Oct. 30, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) highlighted a looming deadline: Nov. 1, when the government is poised to stop paying for food stamps.
Like other Republicans, he rejected the argument from many Democrats that the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program could be kept afloat through a contingency fund.
President Donald Trump “has informed USDA [U.S. Department of Agriculture] and everybody, ‘Do as best you can,’ but that the money doesn’t exist to do it,” Johnson told reporters.
More than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP. In Fiscal Year 2023, almost 40 percent of SNAP beneficiaries were children.
The food could stop flowing the same day that open enrollment for health insurance begins.
With premium tax credits for Obamacare set to expire at the end of the year, many Americans may soon be staring at higher premiums.
Senate Democrats have fought to extend those subsidies as part of a short-term funding patch. Senate Republicans want to pass a continuing resolution that would effectively maintain current funding levels, arguing that issues with Obamacare can be hammered out after the government is reopened.
There are other pressures on lawmakers, too.
Air traffic controllers are no longer getting paid. Resultant absences have driven thousands of flight delays and concerns over the safety of air travel.
The Pentagon paid America’s troops on Oct. 15 through available funds. On Oct. 28, just days ahead of a scheduled Oct. 31 payday for servicemembers, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Republicans “do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that if the shutdown continues, the troops could miss their Nov. 15 paychecks.
Meanwhile, some Republicans have floated the idea of changing the filibuster—an impediment to passing their CR. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and most Senate Republicans have held the line, but it’s a sign of frustration at weeks without progress.
Democrats, meanwhile, have had to contend with dissent, not only from some lawmakers in their caucus, but also from a massive, Democrat-aligned union for federal workers.
On Oct. 27, the American Federation of Government Employees threw its weight behind the GOP-backed CR.
It’s all serious stuff—serious enough to get the two sides talking to each other.
On Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, Thune mentioned burgeoning discussions between Democrats and Republicans behind the scenes.
Politico reported that Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate’s appropriations committee, has met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“I’m not surprised that the conversations are turning up in earnest,” Johnson said on Oct. 30.
“We were always planning to have the debate about the COVID-era subsidies,” he added, referring to the Obamacare premium tax credits.
—Nathan Worcester
BOOKMARKS
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) won’t stop its work, even for Halloween. Noem’s decision comes after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter asking the agency to pause its activities so that children can trick-or-treat “without fear.”
Dr. Casey Means is Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, but had to postpone her Senate confirmation hearing on Monday after she went into labor. “I anticipate rescheduling her hearing when she is ready,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on X.
Italy wants to build a bridge connecting to the island of Sicily, but that plan ran into legal problems this week. The nation’s Court of Auditors has rejected a proposal for the bridge, but has not yet revealed its full reasoning for doing so.
Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a sit-down meeting to hammer out trade issues on Oct. 30. Find out the results by reading Dorothy Li and Frank Fang’s report.
Immigration enforcement staff are facing a huge spike in death threats following the Trump administration’s increased deportation efforts. “From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
—Stacy Robinson
