The federal government shutdown dragged into its fifth week on Wednesday, with Democrats and Republicans remaining firmly entrenched in their positions, even as the threat of food aid expiring for 42 million Americans and repeated legislative failures ratchet up the pressure.
A key deadline looms on Saturday, when funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is set to run out. The impending crisis has prompted legal action: 26 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday.
They argue that the law requires the government to provide SNAP funds for November and that the administration is unlawfully withholding benefits.
Adding to the legislative deadlock, the Senate on Tuesday failed for the 13th time to advance a Republican-backed funding bill designed to end the shutdown.
The measure did not gain the necessary support from Democrats, despite a public plea from the largest union representing federal government employees, which called on lawmakers to reopen the government on Monday. The Senate has no vote on the funding measure currently scheduled for Wednesday.
The failure comes as thousands of federal workers face a mounting financial crisis, though Vice President JD Vance offered one piece of good news on Tuesday.
He announced that the Trump administration has found a way to pay members of the military this Friday, though he did not provide details on the funding source. Earlier this month, the administration had tapped unspent research and development funds to cover service members’ pay.
Despite the public gridlock, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Wednesday that talks among rank-and-file senators aimed at ending the shutdown have “ticked up significantly.”
“But there are a lot of rank-and-file members that continue to, I think, want to pursue solutions,” Thune said, adding that he is hopeful it’s a “precursor of things to come.”
The Republican leader suggested that Democratic leadership is “out of the equation” but expressed hope that something “very soon will be fruitful” as Republicans seek the support of five more Democrats to pass their measure. The plan, however, is still to break for the weekend after a vote on the measure on Thursday, unless a breakthrough occurs.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) unleashed harsh criticism on Democratic leadership, calling them “irredeemable” during his Wednesday press conference. He dismissed the idea of passing a new continuing resolution (CR) as a “futile exercise,” arguing that the current House-passed CR, which expires on November 21, has been blocked by Senate Democrats
Johnson accused Democratic leaders of delaying a resolution, claiming they are influenced by the political emergence of Zohran Mamdani, the party’s nominee for mayor of New York City.
“I’ve given up on the leadership,” Johnson stated. “We’re trying to appeal to a handful of moderates or centrists who care more about the American people… This fault is squarely on the shoulders of the Democrats.”
With the SNAP deadline rapidly approaching and lawmakers unwilling to budge from their positions, millions of Americans face immediate consequences. Nearly three million in Florida will feel this. RELATED: SNAP Cutoff Hits Florida: 3 Million Vulnerable Residents Face Hunger Crisis
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