The federal government shutdown has officially lasted 31 days, and its effects are spilling into every corner of American life.
Over 1.4 million federal employees are either furloughed or working without pay. Over 40 million SNAP recipients face losing benefits starting Nov. 1, a situation that has never happened during any previous shutdown.
Highlights
- The federal shutdown has lasted 31 days, furloughing 1.4 million workers and threatening SNAP benefits for over 40 million recipients starting Nov. 1.
- Trump raised $350M for a $300M White House ballroom during the shutdown, exceeding the budget and planning a $50M ‘Arc De Trump’ arch project.
- Washington prioritized deploying National Guard troops to cities amid legal battles, while crucial domestic programs face cuts or delays.
- Press freedom was restricted at the Pentagon, causing 40-50 journalists from major outlets to return press badges and walk out.
- HHS Secretary RFK Jr. fired most senior staff across health agencies amid growing vaccine skepticism, disrupting ongoing research projects.
Funding for childhood programs like Head Start is threatened, rural flight subsidies could be eliminated, and health insurance premiums are poised to increase.
The federal government shutdown entered its 31st day, and American citizens are facing the brunt of it
The federal government shutdown continues. Image credits: Celal Güne/Getty Images
Many federal workers are turning to side hustles just to make ends meet, taking gigs like pet-sitting or driving for ride-hailing apps, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Air traffic controllers, who are legally required to work despite missing paychecks, have been calling in sick, leaving airport towers understaffed and sending flight delays soaring.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the focus seems far from urgent aid.
As the shutdown continues, Washington has had other priorities this month
Democrats have insisted on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies before agreeing to a federal budget, and Republicans say those discussions can take place once the government has been funded.
Americans are suffering, but Washington has been consumed by other projects.
Donald Trump has been focused on his ballroom. Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Trump’s $300 million ballroom and its fundraiser
Trump’s dream ballroom was not prevented by the government shutdown, as a wrecking ball tore down the East Wing of the White House last week, despite the president’s promise that the construction wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.”
While the Trump administration moved some money around to fund federal programs till the end of the month—and state governments are scrambling to fund SNAP programs from their own pockets come November—Trump hosted some of the richest people in the country to fund his $300 million project.
A rendering of the exterior view of the ballroom. Image credits: The White House
Trump told his deep-pocketed friends at a donation dinner earlier this month: “A couple of you sitting here [were] saying, ‘Uh, sir, would $25 million be appropriate?’ I said, ‘I’ll take it.’ You know, it doesn’t take too many 25’s [million] to get it done.”
A White House official confirmed to ABC News that $350 million has been raised for the project.
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom has already exceeded its budget by $100 million, and Trump said it will be funded by himself and through private donations.
Arc De Trump
Remember the $350 million raised for the ballroom and a leftover of $50 million from the project’s $300 million budget? According to what Trump told reporters, he would like to use it to build another project: a triumphal arch, dubbed the “Arc De Trump,” planned to sit across from the Lincoln Memorial.
Trump holds a model of an arch at his ballroom fundraising dinner. Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Fighting over sending troops to Democratic-run cities
Washington spent the better part of October locked in a political standoff over deploying the National Guard to Portland. Trump has deployed or attempted to deploy the National Guard to cities like Portland, Chicago, and Los Angeles, over claims they are “war-ravaged” or “dangerous” because of an alleged rise in crime.
State officials have argued and even filed legal cases against the presence of the National Guard, asserting their states are safe and crime is not out of control.
Federal agents in Illinois on October 22. Image credits: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
After a U.S. district judge issued two restraining orders, one blocking Trump from federalizing the Oregon National Guard, and another stopping him from deploying any troops in Oregon, Trump tried to evade the first order by calling up troops from California.
The president briefly gained partial authority when a Ninth Circuit panel allowed him to take command of the 200 troops. But deployment remained blocked.
Negotiating a Short Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas
While domestic programs faltered, the White House negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on October 9. The ceasefire was short-lived after Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza on October 28, citing a ceasefire violation by Hamas. The Israeli army said the truce had been reinstated, but the ceasefire remains fragile.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House in September. Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Trump got enraged over his TIME magazine photo and over the No Kings Protest
Midway through October, Trump prioritized fuming over a TIME magazine cover celebrating Trump’s Middle East peace deal for making his hair “disappear” and adding a “floating crown” above his head.
He called the photo “super bad” and criticized it on Truth Social.
"No Kings" protest march in Chicago on October 18. Image credits: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Around the same time, millions joined the No Kings protests to push back against what they describe as authoritarian overreach.
Trump dismissed the demonstrations as a “joke” and “very small, very ineffective,” calling participants “whacked out” and unrepresentative of Americans.
Restricted press freedom at the Pentagon
Dozens of reporters turned in their press badges and left the Pentagon two weeks ago as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued new rules requiring journalists to sign a pledge promising not to report information that has not been officially authorized for release.
Reporters walk out of the White House with boxes of their things. Image credits: Jabin Botsford/Getty Images
About 40 to 50 journalists from The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Fox News, and dozens of other outlets refused to comply with the rules that are supported by Trump, and left at 4 p.m. on October 15, the deadline set by the Department of War.
Hegseth fired “fat soldiers”
Two weeks ago, Hegseth sent back Texas National Guard members who had arrived in Illinois because they failed to meet military weight standards.
It came after images of some troop members appearing overweight went viral on social media.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The troops, who failed to meet weight and fitness standards, were identified and sent back during the mobilization validation process, which took place within 24 hours of the deployment order.
The White House created an airport ad blaming Democrats for the shutdown
Republicans have long played the blame game, holding Democrats responsible for the shutdown. They invested in a video featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be played at airport security checkpoints across the U.S.
“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience as possible while we keep you safe,” Noem says in the video.
“However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government. And because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”
Five airports have declined to broadcast the video.
RFK Jr. fired most of the health department staff
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly dismissed a sweeping number of senior officials, leading to a ripple wave of resignations across the Department of Health and Human Services.
Nearly every major division has been impacted, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The firings and resignations follow RFK Jr.’s growing skepticism of vaccines, “unscientific” policies, and promotion of health “misinformation.”
RFK Jr. has sacked health officials. Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Entire research teams were reportedly escorted out of federal buildings without notice, leaving ongoing vaccine trials and research projects in limbo.
RFK Jr. also claimed earlier this month that it is “highly likely” circumcision may be linked to autism because infants are often given Tylenol after the procedure.
ICE broke into an apartment complex
In the first week of October, federal agents stormed into an apartment building in Chicago in a raid involving helicopters, drones, and armed officers from several federal agencies. They arrested 37 people and detained others, including U.S. citizens, during the raid.
Taken together, these moves paint a stark picture: one where millions of Americans feel the real consequences of a stalled government, while Washington obsesses over spectacle and self-interest power.