President Trump begins Asian tour in Malaysia
President Trump begins a six-day tour of Asia to monitor ceasefire agreements between Cambodia and Thailand and meet with ASEAN leaders.
The federal government shutdown reached its 27th day on Monday, but little progress is expected in the coming days as President Donald Trump heads out on a nearly week-long trip abroad.
The president is scheduled to return to Japan on October 30th via Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. Meanwhile, Congressional leaders remain locked in a bitter stalemate over health care policy, with no sign of an end to the disagreements that led to the government shutdown on October 1st. A deal is unlikely for the president to leave the country, but workers continue to go unpaid, flight delays are increasing and low-income families are at risk of losing food aid.
This is currently the second-longest shutdown in history, and threatens to become the longest if it continues until Election Day on November 4. The longest shutdown in history was 35 days during President Trump’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019.
More than 700,000 federal employees have been furloughed, and about the same number are working without pay. Employees deemed essential to public safety, such as military personnel, law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, and air traffic controllers, are required to work regardless.
Unions representing more than 800,000 federal employees are calling on lawmakers to end the government shutdown by passing a Republican-sponsored bill that does not include the extension of health care benefits demanded by Democrats.
The statement from Everett Kelly, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, is pressuring Democrats to join them in passing a so-called “clean” government funding bill that does not include the changes to health care policy that the party wants.
“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” Kelly said in a statement. “No half-measures, no gamesmanship. Let’s get all federal employees back to work now, on full pay.”
Republicans immediately touted the AFGE announcement and pressured Democrats to abandon efforts to include the extension of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance premium subsidies into government funding legislation.
The 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will no longer receive benefits starting November 1 as the government shutdown continues, according to a new message from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
SNAP, also known as food stamps, is a federal program that provides monthly stipends to low-income families to provide healthy meals.
The Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, has warned in recent weeks that November’s SNAP funds could be at risk if the shutdown continues. But in a prominent new message on its website dated Oct. 27, the USDA said no benefits would be issued on Nov. 1. read more.
– Melina Khan
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said active-duty troops would begin working without pay by Nov. 15 if lawmakers cannot agree to end the government shutdown.
The Trump administration is moving Pentagon funds to pay military personnel during the government shutdown, but Bessent suggested the fiscal juggling act won’t last much longer.
“I think we’ll be able to pay them starting in November,” Bessent told CBS News on Oct. 26. “But by Nov. 15, our military and military personnel who are prepared to risk their lives will not be able to receive a paycheck.”
Federal nutrition programs that provide meals, education and counseling to at-risk children under age 5 are at risk of running out of funding if the government shutdown continues into November.
The National WIC Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients, said on October 21 that millions of families could lose benefits starting November 1 without additional funding for the program.
The program, which also helps people who are pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding, received emergency funding from the White House earlier this month to temporarily keep the program running. Nevertheless, the nonprofit warns that people could lose access to benefits starting Nov. 1 if nothing changes, as the emergency funding is only enough to sustain the program until Oct. 31.
– melina khan
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said travelers should prepare for more flight delays and cancellations as the continued closure puts further stress on air travel.
Duffy told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” that air traffic controllers are “exhausted.”
“We’re going to see even more staff shortages in the towers, which means we’re going to see more delays and cancellations,” Duffy said.
The government shutdown has exacerbated longstanding problems at the Federal Aviation Administration, which has suffered from significant staffing shortages for years. Duffy said in May that the FAA was short about 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide.
More than 24 million Americans are currently enrolled in ACA plans, also known as “Obamacare,” and average out-of-pocket premiums are expected to double from $888 to $1,904 a year without the federal subsidies that began during the pandemic.
Democrats want to secure tax breaks for the 24 million Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act, but have refused to support government spending bills that do not address the issue.
Senate Democrats want to make the tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, permanent and provide reassurance to prevent the Trump administration from temporarily withholding funds.
Republicans and the president have said they are open to considering fixes to the expiring ACA tax cuts, but want the issue to be addressed separately from the ongoing budget impasse.
– Terry Moseley
