Overview
- Germany’s Finance Ministry said it will make an extraordinary payment to ensure October salaries for about 11,000 locally hired civilian employees of US forces in Germany, with reimbursement expected from the United States.
- Union Ver.di had warned that any pay stoppage would violate German law and highlighted key sites at Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Wiesbaden, Stuttgart and training areas in the Oberpfalz.
- The US National Nuclear Security Administration began an unprecedented furlough of about 1,400 staff, retaining roughly 400 to maintain nuclear warhead safety, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright warning of national security effects.
- Shutdown impacts are widening across the US, with estimates of more than 700,000 federal employees furloughed or unpaid and warnings that SNAP, CalFresh and WIC benefits for November could be delayed for millions.
- Political pressure is building as Republicans face internal dissent over proposed cuts to Obamacare subsidies, and fact-checkers rejected President Trump’s claim that Democrats would spend $1.5 trillion on undocumented immigrants.