DAY 27: The pain starts getting real
- Agora
- Oct 27
- 3 min read
AGORA SHUTDOWN UPDATE
October 27, 2025
With Congress and the White House no closer to a deal to re-open federal agencies, this week will likely bring fresh reminders of the pain that a government shutdown brings.
By the end of the week, SNAP monies will dry up. Federal workers are facing the fallout from their first full missed paycheck. And the nation’s airports are seeing delays multiply. Even a $130 million donation to pay the troops won’t do much to help military personnel get by.
As the pain increases, so does the pressure on lawmakers to do something. But for the time being, Congress is sticking to the same old script: the Senate will probably block partisan efforts to end the shutdown and pay employees, while the House remains MIA.
CONGRESS
The Senate this week is expected to take up three joint resolutions that would terminate emergency declarations by the president that have been used to impose tariffs. That’s in addition to judicial nominations and any more potential votes related to reopening the government. The House, once again, is not in session.
Democratic and Republican strategists and pollsters agree that the government shutdown, which will hit the 30-day mark this week, is a growing liability for both parties, which could push congressional leaders to look for an off-ramp to the stalemate soon.
Put your furloughed nuclear-security staff back to work, 27 lawmakers urged Energy Department leaders in a Thursday letter.
FEDERAL AGENCIES
The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world's busiest airports soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed and canceled in the coming days as the nation's air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a memo Friday the agency’s contingency fund cannot legally be used to provide food assistance benefits for more than 42 million people in November, as the government shutdown drags on.
Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown, according to two people familiar with the matter.
FEDERAL WORKFORCE
About 1.4 million federal employees missed a full paycheck this week, according to data analysis from the Bipartisan Policy Center. About half of those employees are furloughed, and the rest are working without pay.
In a strong condemnation of both parties on Monday, the American Federation of Government Employees argued the shutdown is an “avoidable crisis” harming American families and workers across the nation.
For civilian federal employees stationed overseas, the government shutdown—poised to enter its fourth week after a weekend of inactivity in Congress—is bringing a range of unique challenges.
THE IMPACT
With President Donald Trump traveling abroad and Congress still deeply divided over a path to fund federal agencies, a pileup of deadlines on and around Nov. 1 is set to put many U.S. households at risk of new hardship: Popular programs that provide nutrition assistance, early childhood education and air service to rural communities are now among those about to run out of money.
What does a shutdown mean for government contractors, employees, grantees and the general public? Click here for more information.
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