DAY 10: Gone for the weekend, and is shutdown hitting farmers in the breadbasket?
- Agora
- Oct 10
- 2 min read
AGORA SHUTDOWN UPDATE
October 10, 2025
The Senate heads home for the long weekend without a deal to end the shutdown, even as momentum grows for legislation to pay the troops and Hill Republicans fret that President Trump might undercut them on health insurance.
Meanwhile, more agencies furlough staff, and farmers are feeling the anxiety from shuttered USDA programs.
Below is a roundup of the latest shutdown news.
CONGRESS
Senators departed Washington without a deal to end the government shutdown, ensuring that it will last into next week with both sides still deadlocked.
Amid a push to ensure members of the military receive on-time pay even if a shutdown continues to drag on, some Senate Democrats said on Thursday they would advocate for civilian employees to also get their paychecks on a normal schedule.
Senate Republicans are grumbling that President Trump undercut their strategy for ending the government shutdown when he said that he’s willing to cut “the right deal” with Democrats on health care.
WHITE HOUSE
In the eight days since the government shut down, President Donald Trump and his allies have engaged in a furious public campaign against Democrats, blaming them for the closure, trolling political opponents online and urging party leaders to accede to their demands. Behind the scenes, Trump and his aides have still not engaged with Democrats at all.
FEDERAL AGENCIES
Senior administration officials outlined how the ongoing government shutdown is affecting operations in the agencies they lead during a Thursday Cabinet meeting that focused primarily on the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday revoked guidance it had sent to employees the day prior reminding them that federal statute guarantees those furloughed during the shutdown will receive back pay when the government reopens.
The Environmental Protection Agency has begun sending furlough notices to its employees after keeping them on the job for the first nine days of the government shutdown.
The government shutdown is creating financial heartburn for farmers across the country, stalling the delivery of farm loans, the release of critical market reports and the Trump administration’s plans for cash bailouts.
What does a shutdown mean for government contractors, employees, grantees and the general public? Click here for more information.
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