Brace yourselves, folks—nearly 42 million Americans could go hungry because of a political chess game in Washington that’s left the government shuttered.
According to the New York Post, as of October 31, 2025, Senate Democrats have stonewalled a funding bill 13 times in just six weeks, prolonging a shutdown that’s now the second-longest in U.S. history, risking vital food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) while pushing for ObamaCare subsidy extensions.
Let’s rewind to September 19, 2025, when the House narrowly passed a funding measure, with even Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, crossing the aisle to support Republicans.
Despite that effort, the shutdown drags on past Election Day, casting a shadow over critical food programs just as voters head to the polls for the New York City mayoral race and gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia.
Democrats remain dug in, refusing to budge unless ObamaCare subsidies—set to lapse at the end of 2025—are extended, holding up relief for millions. Meanwhile, Republican leaders have floated separate proposals to fund SNAP or pay military members, but the stalemate persists with no end in sight.
Fast forward to October 31, 2025, when two federal judges, both appointed by former President Barack Obama, threw curveballs into the mix.
In Rhode Island, US District Judge John McConnell ordered the Trump administration to divert $6 billion in emergency funds to SNAP, even though the White House argues those dollars are earmarked for disasters like hurricanes.
In Boston, US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that SNAP benefits cannot be allowed to lapse as November begins, adding pressure to an already tense situation.
The Justice Department was poised to appeal these rulings but hadn’t filed by the close of business on October 31, 2025, leaving the issue dangling. Amid the legal wrangling, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., didn’t mince words: “They’re setting everything up for next week. They know they’ve got to get out.”
Mullin’s jab suggests Democrats are playing a waiting game, potentially delaying a resolution until after Tuesday’s elections to avoid looking weak to their base—a strategy that smells more of politics than principle.
On the other side, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins blasted the opposition, saying, “Democrats have instigated a disgusting dereliction of duty unlike anything I have seen in all my years doing this work.” Rollins’ frustration is palpable, and it’s hard not to sympathize when SNAP recipients—real people, not pawns—face empty plates while Washington bickers over subsidies.
As open enrollment for ObamaCare plans kicks off on November 1, 2025, this deadlock could ripple into next year, affecting countless Americans shopping for health insurance on the exchanges.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has pitched a bipartisan plan to extend those subsidies, but only if Democrats first agree to a resolution restoring government funding—a reasonable olive branch, yet it’s been snubbed so far.
Even some Democrats, like Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, who opposed the stopgap bill, are nudging their party toward a deal, recognizing the absurdity of letting this drag on. With a significant chunk of congressional Republicans backing legislation for more generous health subsidies, there’s a glimmer of common ground—if only both sides would stop grandstanding long enough to seize it.