As November 1, 2025, arrives, Americans are feeling the mounting pressure of a government shutdown that has now stretched into its second month. The standoff in Washington is not just a matter of political brinkmanship; it’s affecting the daily lives of millions, from families reliant on SNAP benefits to those facing soaring health care premiums. At the center of the storm is the U.S. House of Representatives, which, under Speaker Mike Johnson, has been conspicuously absent from legislative action for over 40 days, marking the longest unscheduled break outside of typical recess periods in recent history, according to The Conversation.
This prolonged absence comes at a particularly critical time. November 1 is the day open enrollment begins on the Obamacare exchanges, meaning 20 million Americans are discovering just how much more they’ll be paying for health insurance in the coming year. Early reports, as highlighted by The New York Times, paint a grim picture: one Oregon woman’s monthly premium is set to spike from $459 to $1,059, with a staggering $7,100 deductible, while a Californian faces an increase from $865 to $1,965. These numbers aren’t just statistics—they’re life-altering changes for families already struggling to make ends meet.
But health care isn’t the only concern. On the same day, the Trump administration announced it would stop paying SNAP benefits—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that helps 42 million Americans put food on the table, at an average benefit of $175 a month. The administration’s refusal comes despite the existence of a $6 billion reserve fund explicitly set aside for food stamp emergencies. In court, officials argued that the current situation doesn’t qualify as the “right kind” of emergency, a stance that has drawn sharp criticism from both political opponents and advocacy groups.
“It sounds crazy to say that Republicans are making children go hungry to protect pedophiles, but it’s actually a reasonable interpretation of the situation,” wrote Paul Krugman on his Substack. His pointed remark refers not only to the SNAP standoff but also to a political drama unfolding in the House: Speaker Johnson’s ongoing refusal to swear in Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election for Arizona’s 7th District 38 days ago. Johnson, who by law must administer the oath, has delayed the ceremony, effectively denying representation to 812,000 Arizonans. The reason, many believe, is that Grijalva’s vote would be the deciding one to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein—a move Johnson and his allies appear desperate to avoid.
This blockade is not lost on members of either party. House Republicans themselves have begun voicing frustration over the extended recess. On a recent GOP conference call, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene confronted Johnson about his handling of the shutdown, while Rep. Dan Crenshaw questioned how lawmakers would make up for lost time, as reported by The Hill. The House last voted on September 19, and with five weeks of scheduled votes canceled, members are bracing for what one GOP insider likened to “two-a-day” football practices when they finally return to work.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole has been candid about the challenges ahead. “We’re just going to have to hit the accelerator,” Cole told The Hill, acknowledging the backlog of appropriations bills—twelve in total, all cleared by committee but few brought to the floor. Cole also expressed frustration with the lack of negotiation with Democrats during the shutdown, a sentiment echoed by others who note that committee work has largely ground to a halt. “We’ve got to move, and we’re wasting a lot of time,” Cole added.
Speaker Johnson, for his part, insists that keeping the House out of session is not a deliberate strategy, arguing that there’s nothing for the chamber to do while the government is shut down. Yet, as The Conversation points out, the Senate has continued to meet, voting on judicial nominations, a major defense bill, and tariff policy, while also engaging in behind-the-scenes negotiations to resolve the impasse. The contrast between the two chambers couldn’t be starker.
Johnson has also pointed to ongoing committee work, such as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, and bipartisan efforts like the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s request for a briefing from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on sports gambling scandals. But critics argue that these activities pale in comparison to the pressing legislative business left unaddressed, especially as Americans begin to feel the real-world effects of the shutdown.
The shutdown’s impact is not just economic but constitutional, raising questions about the very role of Congress in American democracy. Charlie Hunt, a political scientist and co-author of “Congress Explained,” laments what he describes as Congress’s “path to irrelevance.” The Constitution, he notes, places Congress first for a reason: to ensure a decentralized, representative government that serves local as well as national interests. But decades of political nationalization and increasing reliance on executive action have diminished the legislature’s power, a trend now laid bare by the current crisis.
“Congress has shown little to no interest in reasserting its ‘power of the purse,’ content instead to let the president decide which individuals and agencies receive funding, regardless of what Congress has prescribed,” Hunt observes in The Conversation. This abdication of responsibility, he argues, not only undermines the institution’s legitimacy but also leaves constituents without a voice on issues that matter most to them.
Meanwhile, the political gamesmanship continues. Some House Freedom Caucus members have floated the idea of a continuing resolution extending government funding through December 2026, a proposal Cole adamantly opposes. More realistically, leaders from both parties anticipate that the current stopgap, set to expire on November 21, will be extended to late January or early February 2026. Whatever the outcome, the consensus is clear: when lawmakers finally return, they’ll face a mountain of unfinished business and a public increasingly impatient with Washington’s dysfunction.
As the shutdown drags on, its human toll becomes harder to ignore. With SNAP benefits halted, millions risk going hungry. With health care premiums skyrocketing, families face impossible choices. And with Congress missing in action, the foundational promise of American self-government feels more fragile than ever. The coming weeks will test not only the resolve of lawmakers but the resilience of the institutions they are sworn to uphold.
