Federal Government Shutdown Nears the 30-Day Mark  
 
Background  
 
The current federal government shutdown, which began on October 1, continues without a clear end in sight. A key point of contention are the extension of tax credits and premium subsidies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace which have made health coverage within economic reach of millions of Americans. 

As the September 30th end of the federal fiscal year and deadline for a budget or continuing resolution approached, Republicans and Democrats could not reach agreement on elements of a continuing resolution (C.R.) to fund federal government operations through November 21st.  A continuing resolution (H.R. 5371) had already passed the House on September 16th by a party line vote of 217-212.  Republicans at the time of the vote, held a majority of 219-213, with three vacancies.  As of this writing, that is set to change to a 219-214 majority with two vacancies, following the swearing-in of Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona.i  In the House, unlike the Senate, a simple majority is sufficient to pass most legislation. As of this writing, the Republicans hold a  
 
When the H.R. 5371 was taken up by the Senate, it required a 60-vote majority for cloture and passage. Due to the inability to reach agreement on ACA tax credits and premium subsidies, among other things, Congressional negotiators were at an impasse as of midnight of September 30th.  On Friday, October 3rd (two days into the shutdown), the measure failed to gain passage by a roll call vote of 55-45 (60 votes needed for cloture and passage).  One Democrat, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and one Independent, Senator Angus King (I-ME) voted with the majority (Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate).   
 
Why is federal spending frozen?  
 
During a federal government shutdown, most federal funding comes to a halt.  Under the Antideficiency Act  (31 U.S.C. 1341-1342, 1511-1519), the obligation of federal funds without express Congressional approval (via appropriations) is barred.ii  That means that the federal spending freeze will continue until the Congress passes either a continuing resolution or a federal budget.  
 
Recent developments 
 
Note: According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, roughly 670,000 civilian federal workers are currently furloughed, with another 730,000 continuing to working without payiii.  

• Missed Paychecks: On Friday, October 24th, more than 500,000 of them experienced the first payday of this shutdown without a paycheck.  Among the more agencies with impacted employees are the Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Administration, and the Executive Office of the President. The remainder of the federal civilian workforce will also experience their first lapse in pay during this shutdown on October 28th or October 30th.  Dates vary based on each agency’s payroll processing system.iv  
• Donation to Fund Payment of Active Duty Personnel:  An anonymous $130 million private donation, made for the purposes of offsetting costs for salaries and benefits.  The entire cost of funding the salary and payroll for the military will be roughly $6.8 billion. 
• SNAP Benefits Cessation:  According to a message posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website, Issuance of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (formerly known as “food stamps”) is scheduled to cease on November 1.  The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has posted an alert on the Division of Social Services page as well.  The shutdown, as well as recent changes enacted in July, have concerning implications for individuals throughout the country.  
• In Delaware, based on FY 2024 data, some 117,000 Delawareans received SNAP benefits (11% of Delaware’s population).  Nationally, the number of Americans who rely on SNAP is roughly 41.7 million people (roughly 12% of the U.S. population.).  Changes to SNAP enacted in the provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), will substantially curtail benefits and implement work requirements even after the end of the shutdown.  
• The DHSS alert also includes information on eligibility changes resulting from the July enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) that will apply even after the shutdown ends and benefits resume. 
• Summary points on key eligibility (work requirement exemption) changes, which will take effect on November 1st, shutdown notwithstanding, follow: 
• Age limit for SNAP work exemptions rises from 55 to 65.  
• The age limit for a child residing in a household receiving SNAP benefits changes to 14 from 18.  
• The exemption for homeless/unhoused individuals ends.  
• The exemption for veterans ends.  
• The exemption for those who were in foster care on their 18th birthday ends.   
• U.S. House Cancels Votes for Next Week: In an indication that the the end of the shutdown is not imminent, the U.S. House of Representatives has cancelled votes for the coming week and has designated the week of Monday, October 27th – Sunday, November 2nd, a “district work period.”  While Speaker Johnson continues to maintain the 48-notice of return for votes guidance, it appears unlikely that any such votes will occur in the coming week.   
• On Thursday, October 23rd, in U.S. Senate, Two Competing Measures to Continue to Pay Certain Federal Workers Failed: Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), introduced competing measures to authorize payments of certain federal workers during the shutdown.  Neither bill gained the 60 votes needed for cloture.  

• Economic uncertainty and/or economic insecurity will impact consumer spending.  
• Unpaid Federal workers will increasingly need support, both public and private, to make ends meet. 2024 data indicate that federal civilian workers comprise about 1.9% of the national workforce.  These data do not include the Postal Service or active-duty military personnel. Federal civilian workers make up roughly 1.7%-to-1.9% of the Delaware workforce.  
• Shutdown will curb national economic output. Economists predict that each week that the shutdown continues will cause between a 0.1% to 0.2% reduction in annual economic output (between $7.2 billion and $15.6 billion).  Those numbers do not include the secondary and tertiary impact of lost or delayed wages or the impact of the loss of access to federal services, and the overall cessation of work by federal agencies.  Flows of federal funds to grant recipients, federal contractors, and state governments will also be increasing impacted as the shutdown continues.  

• Congressional Research Service “Government Shutdown and Executive Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)”  
• Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) “Government Shutdown Resources”
• Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) “2025 Government Shutdown”
• Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE) “Government Shutdown: Frequently Asked Questions” 

• White House “Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations” 

• Governor Matt Meyer “Resources Page: Federal Government Shutdown”
• Department of Health and Social Services, SNAP Alert  

• Partnership for Public Service “Resources for federal employees”
• AFL-CIO “State Resources for Shutdown-Impacted Federal Employees and Contractors”  

National Conference of State Legislators: “Federal Government Shutdown: What it Means for States and Programs”