Stakes Rise as Shutdown Drama Nears Funding Cliffs

WASHINGTON—Thousands of flights have been delayed. Tens of millions of Americans are set to lose food stamps. And a possible spike in health care premiums is on the horizon.

Almost 30 days into the government shutdown, serious consequences are looming into view, potentially motivating lawmakers to end the shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Oct. 29 that bipartisan talks have “ticked up significantly,” emphasizing conversations with rank-and-file Democrats.

That would be a change of pace.

For almost a month, lawmakers from both parties in the upper chamber have traded blame for the shutdown.

Republicans, joined by some Democrats, have sought to pass a continuing resolution that would effectively maintain funding at current levels.

Democrats advanced their own measure that would increase spending on health care—including on Obamacare premium tax credits, which are poised to expire at the end of the year if Washington does not work out a deal.

Open enrollment for health insurance starts on Nov. 1, meaning that premiums could tick up for many Americans.

An Oct. 29 analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recommended lawmakers extend the open enrollment period to shield Americans from those possible hikes.

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“We’re on the precipice of a historic crisis, and Republicans don’t even want to talk to us,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said during an Oct. 28 press conference.

That same day, Thune said President Donald Trump, then on a trip to Asia, told him he would be glad to speak with Democrats next week about addressing Obamacare—“but you can’t do that when the government is shut down.”

Schumer has also faced new pressure from the American Federation of Government Employees, a federal workers union that is broadly aligned with the Democrats.

On Oct. 27, it called on Democrats to pass the Republican-backed continuing resolution.

Just one day later, however, the legislation failed again, falling short of the 60 votes it needed to move forward.

Yet on Oct. 29, Thune wasn’t the only lawmaker who mentioned a thaw in relations.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) told reporters that “I feel like there’s more conversations happening across the party aisle.”

“I do think there’s a lot of good discussion,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), saying that a central group “is really talking about the health care issues.”

(Top L) Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) heads to the Senate Chamber for a vote on the 29th day of the government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 29, 2025. (Top R) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) arrives to speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 21, 2025. (Bottom L) Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) talks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 28, 2025. (Bottom R) Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) talks with reporters before voting on a resolution at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 29, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images, Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

SNAP Benefits in Jeopardy

A deadline to fund the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, could be powerful in bringing parties to the table.

On Oct. 29, Trump told reporters that he thinks Republicans will find a way to address the issue.

“The Democrats have caused the problem,” he said.

The program, known colloquially as food stamps, is set to stop issuing benefits on Nov. 1.

Roughly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, also known as food stamps.

In the days leading up to the expected lapse, a message on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) website has warned that “the well has run dry” to fund the program.

“At this time, there will be no benefits issued Nov. 1,” the message reads.

According to the USDA, SNAP cost slightly less than $100 billion in fiscal year 2024. It served roughly 12.3 percent of the U.S. population that year. In fiscal year 2023, 39 percent of SNAP beneficiaries were children.

Democrats have called on the administration to draw on a multibillion-dollar contingency fund to keep funding SNAP, which falls under the Department of Agriculture.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins dated Oct. 24, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and almost the entirety of the House Democratic Caucus wrote that “there are clear steps the administration can and must take immediately to ensure that millions of families across the country can put food on their table in November.”

A woman shops at the Feeding South Florida food pantry in Pembroke Park, Fla., on Oct. 27, 2025. The USDA announced that SNAP benefits will not be issued if the shutdown continues past Nov. 1. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A memorandum from the USDA, reviewed by The Epoch Times, maintains that it cannot support SNAP in that way.

“The contingency fund is not available to support [fiscal year] 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists,” it reads.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has defended the administration’s stance.

“It’s a finite source of funds. It was appropriated by Congress, and if they can transfer funds from these other sources, it pulls it away immediately from school meals and infant formula,” he told reporters on Oct. 27.

On Oct. 21, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bill that would keep SNAP funded.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) went on to introduce parallel legislation in the House, which has been out of session for weeks.

Several days later, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced his own bill to fund both SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC.

Republicans are expected to reject it.

Air Traffic Control, Military

Lapses and potential lapses in pay for air traffic controllers and the military have also raised the stakes.

On Oct. 28, 13,000 air traffic controllers across the country didn’t receive a paycheck.

“Democrats are holding the government hostage. I don’t want our controllers going to a FOOD BANK!” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X on Oct. 26.

The lack of pay has led to air traffic controller absences, driving thousands of flight delays nationwide. Duffy and lawmakers have also raised concerns over the safety of air travel.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks about how the government shutdown is affecting travel at airports throughout the country during a press conference at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Oct. 28, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Military pay is another worry.

On Oct. 15, Trump directed the Pentagon to pay troops with available funds. The next payday is on Oct. 31 and could rely on similar sources.

After an Oct. 28 meeting with Senate Republicans, Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Republicans “do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now.”

An anonymous donor gave the military $130 million to assist with troop salaries.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that servicemembers could miss their Nov. 15 paychecks if the shutdown does not end.

A bill from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) that would have paid troops and federal employees who have worked through the shutdown was defeated in the Senate on Oct. 23.

Ahead of that vote, Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) described competing proposals that would have extended relief to furloughed employees.

A member of the U.S. Navy stands in line to receive free food from volunteers from the Feeding San Diego food bank in San Diego on Oct. 24, 2025. Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

Filibuster

As the shutdown has dragged on, some Republicans have voiced openness to altering the filibuster—a key impediment to passing the continuing resolution, which is already supported by a majority of senators.

In September, the upper chamber deployed “the nuclear option”—a rule change enabled by a simple majority—to speed up the consideration of the president’s nominees, whose confirmation has been hindered by Democrats.

Trump called on the Senate to rethink the filibuster during his first term. President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats pushed for a change to the filibuster in 2022.

They faced opposition from two members of their own party who later became independents, Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.). Both are no longer in the Senate.

Amid chatter over the issue, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters on Oct. 23 that “I am a strong supporter of the filibuster, but obviously I'll look at any plan that anyone puts out ... to reopen government.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) walks with her staff in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 28, 2025. Collins is among the Republicans who have expressed openness to altering the filibuster. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), one of the Democrats who has backed the Republican spending bill, has also called on his colleagues to rethink the institution.

Yet virtually all Senate Republicans who spoke with The Epoch Times in late October sounded skeptical that any such push could gain momentum.

“I’ve heard about it, but at this point, I literally haven’t heard from any of my Senate Republican colleagues that they actually want to push ahead with this,” Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) told The Epoch Times on Oct. 27.

Thune has continued to oppose changes to the filibuster.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) walks through the Senate Subway during a vote at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 1, 2025. Moneymaker/Getty Images