Posted on 10/28/25
| News Source: FOX45
Washington, D.C. - Oct. 28, 2025 - The government shutdown has officially entered its 4th week, with Democrats and Republicans still at a stalemate on day 28.
Funding for several federal programs is expected to end on Saturday, Nov. 1, with Congress not getting any closer to reopening the government.
The shutdown is now the second-longest in U.S. history, just days away from becoming the longest in U.S. history. The longest shutdown was 35 days during President Donald Trump’s first term.
On November 1, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to approximately 42 million people, will run out of funding, resulting in the federal food aid program ending until further notice.
SNAP is the largest food aid program in the United States. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will also not go out on Saturday.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” USDA’s notice said.
According to a report from Axios, the USDA said it will not be using contingency funds to pay for SNAP.
The funds could cover around two-thirds of what is needed to keep benefits available for a full month.
In a memo issued on Friday, the USDA said there’s actually less money in the fund than reported and that it is only for true emergencies "like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice."
"For example, Hurricane Melissa is currently swirling in the Caribbean and could reach Florida," the memo says. "Having funds readily available allows for mobilization quickly in the days and weeks following a disaster."
“The administration is making an intentional choice not to fund SNAP this weekend,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “The emergency funding is there. The administration is just choosing not to use it.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Hill that Republican leadership is interested in discussing options regarding the healthcare subsidies that are expiring in December, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise working with three different House committees to create a healthcare plan.
“Republicans have been working on a fix for health care; we’ve been doing this for years,” Johnson said during a press conference on Monday.
The largest federal workers' union called for Congress to end the government shutdown, urging lawmakers to vote on the funding bill.
"Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight," President of the American Federation of Government Employees, Everett Kelley, wrote in a statement.
Over 800,000 federal government workers are represented by the union.
"None of these steps favors one political side over another," Kelley said. "They favor the American people, who expect stability from their government and responsibility from their leaders."
Democrats are pushing for healthcare subsidies for 24 million Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. They are refusing to vote to reopen the government until the funding bill includes tax breaks for Americans using the ACA. Republicans have pushed back, saying they will negotiate once the government reopens.
Vice President JD Vance is planning to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday while Trump is out of the country on a three-country presidential trip in Asia.
The Senate will be meeting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, but is not expected to vote on anything related to the shutdown. The House is still out of session this week.