On October 22, 2025, the United States federal government entered its 22nd day of a partial shutdown, a milestone that now marks it as the second-longest funding lapse in American history, according to USA TODAY. With Congress deadlocked and no end in sight, the shutdown’s effects are radiating across the nation, touching everything from airport security lines to national parks and family dinner tables.
The origins of this latest shutdown date back to October 1, when Congress failed to agree on appropriations for the new fiscal year. The core of the dispute? A partisan standoff over health care—specifically, whether to extend enhanced tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which are set to expire at the end of 2025. Democrats have insisted that any short-term funding bill must include these extensions, warning that millions of Americans could face steep increases in health insurance premiums if the credits lapse. Republicans, meanwhile, have refused to negotiate on health care issues until after the government reopens, insisting that Democrats are holding the government hostage.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, summed up the Republican position bluntly: "We have negotiated. I don't know what there is to negotiate. This is about opening up the government. We have offered them several off-ramps now. The Democrats want something that's totally untenable." Thune added that while Trump may eventually speak with Democratic leaders, "open up the government first."
Democratic leaders, for their part, have called for direct talks with the president, hoping to break the impasse. But as of Wednesday morning, there was no vote scheduled in the Senate, and a stopgap funding resolution had already failed in the upper chamber 11 times, despite Republicans holding a 53-47 majority. The reality is that 60 votes are needed to pass any funding bill, and bipartisanship remains elusive.
As the shutdown drags on, the human and economic toll is mounting. Thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay, and many will miss their first full paycheck on October 24. While federal law requires that workers receive back pay once the shutdown ends, the White House has sown uncertainty about when, or even if, those payments will be made. Volunteers and local charities have stepped in to provide food and support, but the anxiety is palpable. According to NPR, President Trump has linked the shutdown to his broader goal of shrinking the federal workforce, with thousands of layoff notices issued earlier this month—though some unionized employees have won a temporary restraining order halting certain layoffs.
The shutdown’s effects are not confined to Washington. Across the country, the ripple effects are being felt in countless ways. Air travelers face potential delays as TSA agents and air traffic controllers, deemed essential, continue to work without pay. Airports like McGhee Tyson in Tennessee have warned of disruptions, and a "slight increase" in sick leave among air traffic controllers has already caused chaos at some major hubs, as reported by NPR.
National parks are a mixed bag. While some sites, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, remain open thanks to emergency funding from state and local entities, others have shuttered entirely. The National Park Service has halted most operations, and even the famed animal cams at the National Zoo are turned off. In Salem, Massachusetts, local businesses and nonprofits rallied to raise $18,000 in just 48 hours to keep a visitor center open through Halloween, according to WBUR. Yet, in places like California and Missouri, park closures have left both tourists and local economies in the lurch.
For families relying on government benefits, the stakes are especially high. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves nearly 42 million Americans, is funded through October, but the USDA has warned that benefits may not be issued after November 1 if the shutdown continues. The National WIC Association says the program serving 7 million mothers and children will also run out of money without an additional $300 million in emergency funds. Some states, like Connecticut and Vermont, are considering using their own reserves to fill the gap, but those funds are finite.
Schools are not immune, either. Some state agencies have warned they may lack the funds to reimburse schools for free and reduced-price meals, potentially jeopardizing access to healthy food for students. Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association told NPR, "There is a strong commitment on both sides of the aisle to make sure that kids have access to healthy meals at school, so we are hopeful that the administration and Congress will act before this becomes an issue." Still, uncertainty reigns as contingency plans are stretched thin.
Certain federal services continue, albeit with caveats. The U.S. Postal Service remains "open for business as usual," since it is primarily self-funded and not reliant on annual appropriations. Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ benefits are still being distributed, but some Social Security field office services have been curtailed. The IRS, meanwhile, has furloughed nearly half its staff but is maintaining essential operations to prepare for the next tax-filing season. Some employees, however, have received layoff notices with a final day of December 9.
Security is another area of concern. The National Nuclear Security Administration has furloughed about 1,400 employees, leaving around 400 on the job to oversee the nation’s nuclear arsenal. The office responsible for moving nuclear weapons remains funded—but only until next week, according to the Department of Energy. At the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement officers, including those in ICE and the U.S. Coast Guard, will continue to be paid, but other oversight functions have been suspended.
The shutdown’s impact also varies by state. In Alaska, 15,000 federal employees face uncertainty, while in Hawaii, the University of Hawaiʻi is paying federally funded staff out of pocket, a move that costs $20 million every two weeks. In Kansas and Iowa, the halt in USDA operations threatens farm subsidies and crop reports, raising the specter of foreclosures during harvest season. States like Wyoming and North Dakota are stepping in with short-term loans or state funds to cover gaps for public employees, but these are stopgap measures at best.
Historically, this is the 22nd government shutdown since 1977. The longest, in 2019—also under President Trump—lasted 35 days and cost the U.S. economy about $3 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That shutdown, sparked by a dispute over border wall funding, ultimately ended with a temporary funding bill that omitted Trump’s demands. The current crisis, while rooted in different policy disagreements, is following a similarly drawn-out and painful path.
As November 1 approaches—a key date for both ACA open enrollment and the funding of critical aid programs—the pressure is mounting on lawmakers to find common ground. But with both sides dug in, the endgame remains uncertain. For millions of Americans, the question is no longer whether the shutdown will affect them, but how deeply and for how long.