The United States government shutdown entered its second month on Friday, deepening hardship across the country as federal employees remain unpaid and critical food assistance programs face collapse.
The shutdown, which began on October 1 over funding disagreements between President Donald Trump’s administration and congressional Democrats, has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and millions of Americans struggling to access basic services.
What started as a political standoff in Washington has grown into a nationwide crisis. Offices remain closed, welfare programs are running out of funds, and the economic toll is spreading quickly.
Republican leaders have warned that the full impact of the shutdown will become evident this weekend, particularly as funding for food aid and health subsidies expires.
“Most people hadn’t noticed until now,” Republican House Whip Tom Emmer told Fox News. “Thanks to President Trump ensuring troops were paid last month, the pain was delayed. But starting this week, it’s becoming very real.”
At the center of the impasse is funding for health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which supports over 20 million Americans. Without congressional action, those subsidies will lapse at the end of the year, triggering higher premiums as enrollment reopens on Saturday.
Democrats insist the government must remain closed until a deal is reached to extend the subsidies, while Republicans argue that negotiations can only proceed after federal operations resume.
Meanwhile, millions of low-income families are bracing for hunger. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps 42 million Americans buy food, is expected to run out of money this weekend.
Democrats have urged the White House to release $5 billion in emergency funds to sustain the program, but administration officials say doing so would violate federal law.
House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed Democrats for repeatedly blocking government funding bills. “We are now reaching a breaking point,” he said. “You’re going to have real people, real families — even children — who will go hungry beginning this weekend.”
Other food support programs, including the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) initiative and the Head Start program for low-income families, are also on the brink of suspension. Around 65,000 infants could lose access to nutrition and family support beginning Saturday.
Although active-duty military personnel received pay on Friday, officials warn that salaries may halt by mid-November. So far, about 670,000 federal employees have been sent home without pay, while 730,000 others — including air traffic controllers and park rangers — are working without compensation.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the country’s largest federal workers’ union, has pleaded with Congress to approve a temporary funding bill to resume payments. However, partisan divisions continue to stall progress.
Amid growing frustration, a small bipartisan group of lawmakers has begun exploring compromise proposals, focusing on reopening the government first and tackling health care funding afterward.
President Trump, who still wields significant influence within the Republican Party, called on the Senate to eliminate its 60-vote threshold for passing legislation — a move that would strip Democrats of negotiation leverage.
According to a recent ABC/Washington Post poll, 45 percent of Americans blame Trump and the Republicans for the shutdown, compared to 33 percent who fault Democrats. Among independent voters, twice as many blame Republicans as Democrats.
With no resolution in sight, millions of Americans now face a winter of economic uncertainty and growing hunger.
