The US government shutdown entered its 29th day as lawmakers remained deadlocked, and top Democrats sharply criticized the administration after it said it could not keep a major food aid program running beyond the weekend.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer accused President Donald Trump of ordering the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits despite funds being available to continue them. Schumer called the decision unprecedented and “heartless,” saying it would leave around 42 million Americans — including children, veterans, seniors and newly unemployed workers — without food assistance. A coalition of more than two dozen states has filed suit seeking to force the US Department of Agriculture to tap emergency reserves to keep benefits flowing.
On the Senate floor, Democratic senator Ben Ray Luján urged colleagues to pass a unanimous bill guaranteeing SNAP benefits during the shutdown. Republican majority leader John Thune blocked the measure, calling it a cynical political move and arguing that Democrats should instead agree to reopen the government. Democrats have resisted a Republican short-term funding bill because it does not include extensions of healthcare subsidies and other priorities they insist must be paired with any stopgap funding.
Economic and policy fallout
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the shutdown will shave between $7 billion and $14 billion from real GDP, depending on how long it lasts, with much but not all of that damage reversed when funding is restored. Federal Reserve officials said the shutdown is weighing on growth: Fed chair Jerome Powell said the disruption would reduce economic activity while it persists but expected effects to reverse once the government reopens. Powell also noted slower job gains and signaled that declining immigration and participation had contributed to labor-market softening.
Against that backdrop, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point, citing an uncertain outlook and “somewhat elevated” inflation. The move — the Fed’s second cut this year — was supported by most committee members; two dissented, one favoring a larger cut and another opposing any reduction.
Legal and personnel developments
Two federal prosecutors, Samuel White and Carlos Valdivia, were placed on leave after a court filing described those who attacked the Capitol on January 6 as “a mob of rioters.” The prosecutors had been seeking a sentence for a defendant with ties to the January 6 case; their suspension is part of a broader series of personnel changes and disciplinary actions affecting Justice Department staff who worked on cases unpopular with the administration.
Separately, reports said Trump has fired all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, the independent board that reviews changes to the White House grounds and related projects.
Politics, polls and policy fights
New polling from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and YouGov found the president’s approval at about 42% and widespread pessimism about the country’s direction. In Wisconsin, a Marquette University survey found inflation and cost of living were top concerns for voters; a majority there thought Trump’s policies would raise prices rather than lower them.
Democratic senators also wrote to the president ahead of his planned meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, urging him not to negotiate away export controls, investment screening or other national-security tools. The White House confirmed a Trump-Xi meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, where the president was attending APEC events.
Trump’s trip to South Korea drew protests. Demonstrators in Gyeongju staged “No Trump” rallies and criticized his tariffs and pressure on allies to increase defense spending. South Korean officials presented the president with the country’s highest decoration during his visit.
Other items in play include a rare bipartisan Senate vote to overturn Trump’s tariffs on some Brazilian imports, and court rulings affecting Justice Department appointees overseeing prosecutions in California.
Healthcare stakes
A major sticking point in funding talks is the future of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Democrats want Congress to extend the subsidies that have kept premiums affordable for millions; without a deal, analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests average premium increases could be steep next year and some enrollees could see out-of-pocket costs rise sharply.
Broader consequences
With the House out of session — a recess the Republican leadership has used to limit floor action — and the Senate gridlocked over competing demands, there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough to end the shutdown. The economic and human costs continued to mount: furloughed federal workers, delayed government data releases, and threatened interruptions to services including food assistance.
What to watch next
Key developments to follow include any White House decision on using emergency SNAP funds, the outcome of state lawsuits seeking to compel benefit payments, whether Senate leaders will permit votes on targeted relief measures, and the results of the Trump-Xi talks in South Korea. Lawmakers and officials also remain focused on the Fed’s next steps as it balances inflation risks and a weakening jobs picture while the shutdown complicates data collection.
