On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance expressed his belief that U.S. Military personnel would receive their pay by the week's end. He did not, however, detail how the Trump administration plans to adjust funding amid the growing impact of the second-longest government shutdown across the country.
TL;DR
- VP JD Vance states 1.3 million US troops will be paid this week amid shutdown pressure.
- Millions of Americans face potential loss of food aid and federal employees miss full salaries.
- A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the shutdown.
- Democrats demand healthcare subsidies and Republicans insist on reopening government first.
Washington's funding dispute intensified this week with millions of Americans potentially losing food aid, more federal employees missing their initial full salary, and ongoing slowdowns at airports snarl travel plans.
“We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters after lunch with Senate Republicans at the Capitol. “We’ve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out.”
The vice president reaffirmed Republicans’ strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. But nearly a month into the shutdown, it hasn’t worked. Just before Vance’s visit, a Senate vote on legislation to reopen the government failed for the 13th time.
Union representing federal workers demands an end to the government shutdown.
Democratic legislators are facing increasing pressure to resolve the deadlock. This pressure was amplified by the country's primary federal employee union, which urged Congress on Monday to swiftly approve a funding measure and guarantee employees their complete salaries. Everett Kelley, the head of the American Federation of Government Employees, stated that the two political factions have effectively conveyed their positions.
“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers.
Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act.
“We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.
As closures extend, the pain of government shutdowns intensifies. By Tuesday, with the shutdown entering its fourth full week, countless Americans will likely face these hardships directly.
“This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference.
Trump's fund changes
On Friday, the nation's 1.3 million active duty service members faced a risk of missing a paycheck. The Trump administration had previously secured their paychecks earlier this month by reallocating $8 billion from military research and development budgets to cover payroll. Vance did not specify on Tuesday how the Department of Defense plans to fund troop salaries on this occasion.
Even more significantly, the Trump administration has stated that funding will expire this Friday for the food assistance program program, which is a vital resource for 42 million Americans to help cover their food expenses. The administration has refused to utilize over $5 billion in reserve funds to ensure benefits continue through November. Furthermore, it has indicated that states will not receive reimbursement if they elect to temporarily cover the expense of benefits next month.
Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia filed filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Massachusetts, seeking to ensure the continuation of SNAP benefits by requiring the Agriculture Department to utilize SNAP contingency funds.
Vance stated that reorganizing funding for programs like SNAP was akin to “trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget.”
The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, goes against the department’s previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer from New York stated that the administration deliberately chose not to fund SNAP in November, labeling it a “act of cruelty.”
Another program endangered by the shutdown is Head Start, with more than 130 preschool programs not getting federal grants on Saturday if the shutdown continues, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected.
Judge blocks firings
A federal judge in San Francisco issued a ruling on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration that prevents the government from dismissing federal workers during the shutdown. The judge stated that labor unions had a strong chance of succeeding in their arguments that the dismissals were capricious and politically driven.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday.
Federal agencies are prohibited from issuing layoff notices or taking action on any notices that were sent out after the government shutdown began on October 1st. Judge Illston clarified that her directive does not cover notices dispatched prior to the shutdown.
Will legislators reach an agreement?
Congressional leaders at the Capitol primarily focused on the difficulties many Americans are experiencing due to the shutdown. However, no progress was made toward negotiations, as each side sought to assign fault to the opposing political party.
“Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats’ political games,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
On September 19, the House approved a short-term continuing resolution to ensure federal agencies remain funded. Since then, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House adjourned, asserting that Democrats should just agree to that legislation.
However, the Senate has repeatedly failed to secure the 60 votes required to move that spending bill forward. Democrats are firm that any legislation to fund the government must also tackle healthcare expenses, specifically the rapidly increasing health insurance costs that numerous Americans will encounter next year through plans available on the Affordable Care Act exchange.
Delay in health plan browsing
Regarding his plan to end the government shutdown, Schumer stated that starting Saturday, numerous Americans will witness the extent of their health insurance cost increases for the upcoming year.
“People in more than 30 states are going to be aghast, aghast when they see their bills,” Schumer said. “And they are going to cry out, and I believe there will be increased pressure on Republicans to negotiate.”
Saturday marks the start of the enrollment period for ACA health plans. Historically, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has provided a preview of health coverage choices for Americans roughly a week prior to open enrollment. However, as of Tuesday, Healthcare.gov displayed 2025 health insurance plans and projected costs, rather than the options for the upcoming year.
Republicans are firm in their stance, stating they won't discuss health care until the government is back in operation.
“I’m particularly worried about premiums going up for working families,” said Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa. “So we’re going to have that conversation, but we’re not going to have it until the government opens.”
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This report was compiled with contributions from Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti, based in Washington, and Marc Levy, located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.