Federal Government Shuts Down as Congress Fails to Pass Appropriations

The federal government shut down at midnight on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2026. Senate Democrats opposed Republican spending bills that omitted extensions of Affordable Care Act subsidies scheduled to expire in November 2025. The USDA announced it held only about $5 billion in SNAP contingency reserves — roughly 60% of one month of benefits — for approximately 42 million recipients. This marked the first time in SNAP's history since 1964 that a government shutdown threatened to cut off food benefits.