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3h ago

Government Partially Shuts Down After Senate Deadlock as White House Signals Federal Layoffs

A Senate impasse over health-care policy has halted funding, leaving SNAP covered for October; WIC faces near-term shortfalls.

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Federal union workers and supporters protest the firings of members of the federal workforce at the Philip Burton Federal Building on Labor Day in San Francisco on Sept. 1, 2025. 
A sign is viewed outside of the Social Security Administration offices, Sunday, April, 13, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP)
A partisan standoff over health care and spending is threatening to trigger the first U.S. government shutdown in almost seven years, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Overview

  • Social Security and SSI payments continue on schedule, but SSA offices cannot issue proof-of-benefits letters, correct earnings records, or replace Medicare cards, and service wait times are rising.
  • SNAP benefits are expected to be issued for October, while WIC funding could last only about one to two weeks, with states warning of possible November disruptions if the lapse persists.
  • Roughly three-quarters of a million federal workers are furloughed or working without pay, and the White House and OMB have directed agencies to prepare reductions in force, prompting union lawsuits in federal court.
  • Local impacts are mounting as food banks in cities like Houston, Chicago, and Kansas City prepare for increased demand, and National Park Service sites such as the Statue of Liberty are expected to close.
  • Back-to-back Senate votes failed to clear the 60-vote threshold, with Democrats pressing for ACA premium subsidies and reversal of recent Medicaid cuts and Republicans seeking a funding bill without those conditions.