The government shutdown is less than a week from breaking the record as the longest in US history. As economic pain points begin to mount, President Trump has called for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to force an end to the shutdown.

“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump’s call throws a potential wrench into GOP leaders’ carefully laid plans. Both parties have, in recent years, taken steps to erode the filibuster, a Senate rule that requires most legislation to abide by a 60-vote threshold. But both parties have stopped short of eliminating the rule, fearing repercussions upon losing control of the chamber.

Trump’s comments also came amid rumors on Capitol Hill that negotiations could finally be in the offing.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered a marked shift this week when he noted new energy for work on bipartisan government appropriations and even suggested he would be meeting with Democrats “pretty soon” to talk about ending the shutdown completely.

In focus before lawmakers return next week are Trump administration plans to not fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — also known as food stamps — starting this weekend.

Those benefits are received by roughly one in eight Americans, with the economic and human costs of a cutoff likely to mount quickly. More than two dozen states also unveiled a lawsuit to try to block this suspension of benefits.

Also this week, air traffic controllers became the latest group of federal workers to go without pay. They missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday as flight interruptions continue to spread.

Active duty members of the military, who have paychecks due at the end of the month, appear set for a reprieve after Vice President JD Vance said the Trump administration will likely find money to make this payment.

Democrats, meanwhile, are focused on another deadline this coming weekend when they hope the political pressure on Republicans will increase.

Saturday is the beginning of an open enrollment period for healthcare programs run by Affordable Care Act exchanges. Premium increases there — with Democrats looking to extend enhanced government subsidies for those plans — are at the heart of the impasse.

Read more: How the government shutdown impacts your money: student loans, Social Security, investments, and more

Here are the latest updates as the impacts of the government shutdown unfold.

LIVE 34 updates

Keith Reid-Cleveland

US food companies brace for a sales dip with shutdown set to cut off SNAP food aid

Companies are preparing for an outcome where the government shutdown costs millions of people their food benefits.

Reuters reports:

U.S. grocers and food companies ranging from Walmart (WMT) to Smithfield Foods (SFD) are bracing for a dip in November sales if federal food aid benefits lapse for the first time due to the ongoing government shutdown.

The shutdown has imperiled next month’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, which serves nearly 42 million people.

Neither Congress nor the U.S. Department of Agriculture has acted to fund the benefits beyond Saturday.

The gap could mean an $8 billion revenue drop for grocers, declining sales for their suppliers and reduced hours for workers as it drives SNAP recipients to reduce spending, trade groups, companies and a union said this week.

Read more here.

Brett LoGiurato

Trump says time for Republicans to go ‘nuclear’ on filibuster

President Trump has called for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to force an end to the shutdown.

“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE “NUCLEAR OPTION,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Trump’s call throws a potential wrench into GOP leaders’ carefully laid plans. Both parties have in recent years taken steps to erode the filibuster, a Senate rule that requires most legislation to abide by a 60-vote threshold. But both parties have stopped short of eliminating the rule, fearing repercussions upon losing control of the chamber.

Republicans hold control of 53 seats in the Senate. Most of the Democratic members have remained in lockstep with their party to block passage of bills that would end the shutdown, as the party has clamored for negotiations to extend expiring subsidies for Americans on Affordable Care Act healthcare exchanges.

Ben Werschkul
Thu, October 30, 2025 at 6:16 PM UTC

US judge skeptical Trump administration can suspend food benefits

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday heard arguments on whether the Trump’s administration can legally suspend food aid for millions of Americans amid the ongoing government shutdown as it has said it as it plans to do starting Saturday.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani asked questions Thursday and is set to rule before the weekend.

Reuters reports

Read more here.

Keith Reid-Cleveland
Thu, October 30, 2025 at 3:59 PM UTC

United, American CEOs to meet Vance as shutdown strains travel

The government shutdown continues to have a negative impact on the travel industry due to staff shortages. Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with CEOs and leaders from aviation companies to discuss next steps.

Bloomberg reports:

Read more here.

Ben Werschkul
Thu, October 30, 2025 at 11:34 AM UTC

Thaw in shutdown talks raises hopes for a deal—but probably not until next week at the earliest

President Trump is heading back to the US after his Asia trip and meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He’s set to arrive back in Washington just as real talks to end the shutdown finally appear to be possible.

A series of signals in recent days have suggested new openness to bipartisan talks after a month of shutdown. But it may take days to play out as the economic pain continues.

Burgess Everett of Semafor reports on the shifting state of play on Capitol Hill:

Read more here.

Ben Werschkul
Thu, October 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM UTC

Some Obamacare recipients get a first look at the prices hikes in store for 2026

Obamacare exchange consumers in the 30 states got a first look this week at what they’ll pay in 2026 when new rates were posted at healthcare.gov.

It could increase the pressure on an agreement to end the shutdown, with premiums set to soar.

CNN has more:

Read more here.

Ben Werschkul
Wed, October 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM UTC

The shutdown has permanently cost US economy up to $14 billion so far

The ongoing federal shutdown has already cost the US economy between $7 billion and $14 billion, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

That could subtract up to 2% from gross domestic product in the fourth quarter.

Reuters reports:

Read more here

Wed, October 29, 2025 at 7:22 PM UTC

Powell on absence of data amid shutdown: ‘If you’re driving in the fog, you slow down’

At a press conference on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Powell fielded questions from reporters about how the government shutdown is affecting the central bank’s decision making.

The Fed cut interest rates by 25 basis points at its October meeting, as expected, even as the shutdown has deprived central bank policymakers of some of the gold-standard government data that they typically rely on.

“This is a temporary state of affairs,” Powell said (watch the full press conference below). “We’re going to collect every scrap of data we can find, evaluate it, and think carefully about it. And that’s our jobs. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Powell explained that the Fed will continue to look at other sources of information, such as the Fed’s Beige Book and private data. He noted that the Fed may not have a “very granular understanding of the economy while this data is not available” but that it would pick up on “material developments” in the economy.

Still, Powell acknowledged that the lack of data could make the Fed more cautious in its December meeting. “If you ask me, could it affect the December meeting?” Powell said. “I’m not saying it’s going to, but yeah, you could imagine that.”

“If you’re driving in the fog, you slow down,” he added.

Ben Werschkul
Wed, October 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM UTC

SNAP deadline looms over poorest Americans: ‘Am I going to pay my rent, or am I going to eat?’

Food stamp funding is set to lapse within days due to the shutdown with struggling Americans bracing to go without government assistance during a period of higher grocery prices.

Emma Ockerman covers the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance and finds that the economic and human costs of a food cutoff could add up quickly.

Read more here.

Ben Werschkul
Wed, October 29, 2025 at 11:56 AM UTC

Vice President Vance says troops will be paid as pressure builds on Congress

Vice President JD Vance was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and told reporters that it’s his expectation that the Trump administration will find the money to pay U.S. military members at the end of the week but without specifying how.

The Associated Press reports

Read more here.

Ben Werschkul
Tue, October 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM UTC

States sue over Trump administration suspending food benefits during shutdown

A coalition of 25 mostly Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from its plan to suspend food aid benefits next month.

Reuters reports

Read more here

Tue, October 28, 2025 at 12:30 AM UTC

Trump administration’s attempts to cancel more federal funding during shutdown may be stymied by courts

As the US government shutdown drags on, President Trump’s administration is trying to cancel federal funding that was already approved, on top of the billions it has canceled or threatened to cancel, since he took office.

But states, cities, and nonprofits have pushed back against the attempted cuts with more than 150 lawsuits, the Associated Press reports. For the most part, these cases have been successful in court so far.

Read more here.

Mon, October 27, 2025 at 8:05 PM UTC

Flight delays multiply at US airports amid a spike in air traffic controller absences

The US Department of Transportation said nearly half of the 8,600 flight delays at US airports on Sunday were due to a spike in air traffic controller absences, brought on by the government shutdown, Reuters reports. And nearly 3,000 flights were delayed on Monday with the shutdown in its 27th day.

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are required to continue working unpaid during the shutdown. Many will miss their first full paycheck this week. Normally, air traffic controller absences only account for about 5% of flight delays, the DOT said.

Read more here.

Mon, October 27, 2025 at 6:36 PM UTC

US-China trade talks could ease farm pain point for Trump, expert says

The meeting between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, this week could offer farmers some relief — and Trump a lifeline — as a farm aid bill remains stalled in Congress.

According to Henrietta Treyz, managing partner and director of economic policy at Veda Partners, the US delegation is seeking confirmation that China will resume purchases of American soybeans, which would help struggling farmers caught between US trade policies and foreign countermeasures.

“If China buys soybeans, then the president is under a little bit less pressure to reach a deal with Democrats that could compel them to give some funding for a bailout package domestically,” Treyz told Yahoo Finance.

Last week, the Trump administration announced that the Agriculture Department would reopen approximately 2,100 core county offices to release more than $3 billion in aid to US farmers, despite the ongoing government shutdown. According to the AP, a White House official said the administration is using funds from a USDA agency that addresses agricultural prices. The release of these funds comes after farm aid was frozen for three weeks.

“This is the critical piece,” Treyz said about agriculture and the US-China talks. “China has quite a bit of room to make purchases … [and] that dynamic has a read-through to the government shutdown.”

Sun, October 26, 2025 at 7:14 PM UTC

Transportation Secretary Duffy says more shutdown-related delays likely at US airports

Ahead of the busy holiday travel season, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that more flight delays and cancellations are likely as the government shutdown, now more than two weeks old, drags on with no end in sight, Bloomberg reports:

Read more here.

Sat, October 25, 2025 at 7:27 PM UTC

USDA won’t use contingency funds to bolster SNAP benefits during shutdown

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday it will not use contingency funds to help pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, even though the government shutdown means the program will lapse in a few days’ time, according to a department memo, Reuters reports.

Read more here

Sat, October 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM UTC

As lapse in SNAP benefits looms, food banks brace for impact

After the USDA said Friday it would not use a contingency fund to bolster the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), some states are looking at alternate funding scenarios. SNAP benefits will lapse in November if the U.S. government remains shut down, and Reuters reports that food banks across the country will struggle to absorb the expected uptick in people seeking food.

Read more here.

Ben Werschkul
Fri, October 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM UTC

More flight delays in evidence Thursday as the shutdown drags on

Flights were delayed Thursday at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport, and Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

The cause, as in previous delays seen earlier this week, was air traffic controller staffing shortages exacerbated by the government shutdown.

The Associated Press reports:

Read more here

Ben Werschkul
Fri, October 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM UTC

The White House says October inflation data is likely to be canceled entirely

The White House said Friday that the release of October inflation data due next month is likely to be canceled due to the US government shutdown, posting “there will likely NOT be an inflation release next month for the first time in history.”

The post went on to again blame Democrats for the stoppage and added that “surveyors cannot deploy to the field — depriving us of critical data … the economic consequences could be devastating.”

The announcement came as September’s inflation data was belatedly released and came in lower than expected but held stubbornly at around 3% in September.

Another closely watched government data release is the monthly jobs report. September’s jobs data was compiled but the shutdown commenced before it could be released.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts added a challenge Friday for Trump to “release the already prepared September jobs numbers before the Fed meets next week to decide on interest rates,” saying the president is “hiding” that data.

A White House official also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether October’s jobs report was in jeopardy because of the shutdown.

Ben Werschkul
Thu, October 23, 2025 at 3:23 PM UTC

If safety is in jeopardy ‘we will delay flights,’ says Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday morning that traffic controllers “are angry” about the shutdown and that additional flight delays could be in the offing as flyer safety becomes a growing concern.

“I can’t guarantee you that your flight is going to be on time, I can’t guarantee that your flight isn’t going to be cancelled,” Duffy said Thursday during an appearance on Capitol Hill alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The secretary added that shutdown-related disruptions are “moving throughout the national airspace,” and that as he and his team see safety issues, “we will delay flights.”

The new comments come as shutdown-related travel delays are already piling up. Staffing shortages among air traffic controllers led to delays over this past weekend and the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed new airport troubles on Tuesday.

Thursday’s event also featured Sam Graves, a Missouri congressman and chair of the House Transportation Committee. The lawmaker said that for now “our skies are safe,” but Johnson added that the longer the shutdown continues, “the safety of the American people is thrown into further jeopardy.”

Duffy also expressed renewed worry Thursday that the shutdown could cause long-term problems, saying that current air traffic control trainees are thinking about leaving the field given shutdown uncertainty.

The secretary added that, given the already stressed air travel system, if the shutdown continues, these problems could “ricochet in the months and the years to come.”