The government shutdown entered its second month on Saturday, and the stalemate between Republican and Democratic senators could soon see a breaking point as federal food programs stopped issuing benefits to millions of Americans.
Back from his trip to Asia, President Trump said on Thursday that he wants Republicans to use the “nuclear option” to reject the filibuster, which requires legislation to be passed with 60 votes, and end the shutdown.
He’s faced pushback from Republicans in return, with a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) saying the senator sees that “the importance of the legislative filibuster is unchanged.”
But shutdown fatigue has some Senate Republicans and Democrats looking for an “off-ramp,” ready to make a proposal as early as next week. Democratic senators are reportedly looking for a face-saving exit from the shutdown standoff, with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) conceding that Affordable Health Care (ACA) costs will rise if tax credits expire at the end of the year.
“Now we know that the American people’s health care costs are going to go up because the Republican Party in Washington is refusing to extend the ObamaCare tax credits,” Bennet said. “Democrats have won a victory because we have demonstrated that we are fighting for health care for all Americans.”
Thune told reporters on Wednesday that there have been discussions with moderate Democrats about holding negotiations to extend the ACA tax credits, but only after the government reopens.
“It’s just a question of whether or not they are at some point willing to take ‘yes’ for an answer,” Thune said.
Without extending the tax credits, coverage prices in 2026 will jump for millions of Americans. Individuals 60 and older who make $65,000 a year will pay $920 more for health care, with monthly premiums at $1,380. If the tax credits are extended, monthly premiums in 2026 will be $460.
Lower earners would lose their free insurance, as Americans making less than $27,000 are expected to pay $66 a month should the subsidies expire. Those who earn $35,000 will see a $132 increase compared to the $86 if subsidies were extended.
The effects of the shutdown are also causing flight delays and cancellations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urged lawmakers on Friday to reopen the government after reporting a high number of air traffic controller call-outs. Paid by the federal government, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the start of the shutdown.
“After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue,” the FAA wrote on social platform X. “The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travelers can avoid further disruptions and delays.”
Military service members, who have also gone without pay, could face further impacts. Without funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), around 42 million Americans face food insecurity and could plunge thousands of service members into crisis.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is among the voices calling on both sides, especially his own party, to act and not vote “no” on another attempt to approve the House-passed “clean” continuing resolution (CR).
“Americans are not leverage,” Fetterman told CNN’s Manu Raju on Friday, before SNAP benefits lapsed. “This is not some sh—y gameshow about who’s winning or whatever.”
Fetterman is likely going to talk more about the shutdown’s impact on programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other agencies on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
The Trump administration has argued that it legally cannot dip into emergency funding to keep SNAP afloat past Saturday, but two federal judges on Friday ordered the administration to tap into those funds. Later in the day, Trump indicated that he would fund SNAP.
“I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT,” he posted on Truth Social. “Therefore, I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible.”
Away from the shutdown fight at home, Trump announced this week that the U.S. would resume nuclear weapons testing after a decades-long moratorium. This was met with a great deal of pushback from lawmakers and critics, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
“This is weakness masquerading in strength,” Newsom said to Kristen Welker in the upcoming episode of “Meet the Press” on NBC News. “This is classic Trump and Trumpism. This guy is historically weak, and these are acts of a weak person that is trying to appear strong.”
Going into next week, attention will also focus on the upcoming elections on Nov. 4. High profile races include the New York City mayoral race, where Assembly member Zohran Mamdani (D) maintains his polling lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who is running as an independent after Mamdani’s primary win.
The state next door is also expecting a tough race for the New Jersey governorship between Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) and former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R). Trump endorsed Ciattarelli and has touted his experience with energy policy as a reason to support the Republican candidate.
Split-ticket results are possible in Virginia’s gubernatorial race between former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Lt. Gov Winsome Earle-Sears (R), with the attorney general race between Democratic nominee Jay Jones and incumbent state Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) being marked by scandal.
Sherrill and Ciattarelli will appear on ABC’s “This Week,” while Cuomo will appear on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Features.”
These topics and more will be discussed on this week’s Sunday morning news shows. A full list of planned guest appearances is below:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D), Virginia Lt. Gov. candidate John Reid (R), Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.)
NBC’s “Meet the Press”: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)
CBS News’s “Face the Nation”: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), United Services Automobile Association (USAA) president and CEO Juan Andrade
CNN’s “State of the Union”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), former Obama administration and Biden campaign advisor Ashley Allison, Republican campaign strategist Kristin Davison
Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Nvidia president and CEO Jensen Huang, New York City independent mayoral candidate and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), lawyer Mike Davis
ABC’s “This Week”: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), New Jersey Republican gubernatorial nominee and former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R-N.J.)
