Government Shutdown Update: Wednesday, October 29, 2025

In the last 72 hours, there have been further discussions about off-ramps, particularly to address the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits set to expire on November 1.

The firm’s Government Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) group has been in touch with Senate appropriators and understand that productive bipartisan discussions could be in beginning stages. Talks appear centered on attaching the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Appropriations Act; the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; and the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support, to a continuing resolution (CR) that would extend past November 21. It’s notable that the three funding bills have strong bipartisan support behind them and would address an array of critical issues. If passed, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Appropriations Act would fund SNAP and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as provide relief for farmers. The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act would fund the compensation for legislative personnel, including Hill staff and Capitol Police. The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act would provide funding for military infrastructure and housing.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) released a list of stakeholders who have called for the government to pass a clean CR. Among those listed are:

• American Federation of Government Employees
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• American Petroleum Institute
• American Farm Bureau Federation
• National Association of Realtors
• National Restaurant Association
• National Association of Home Builders
• American Chemistry Council
• Teamsters
• International Association of Fire Fighters
• National Fraternal Order of Police
• Air Line Pilots Association, International
• U.S. Travel Association
• National League of Cities
• Feeding America

House Republicans have been discussing policies to lower healthcare premiums by targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and implementing cost-sharing reductions. This progress could be appealing to Democrats, who have focused their shutdown messaging on healthcare affordability.

In a report released today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted that the U.S. will permanently lose $7 billion to $14 billion due to the government shutdown. Seven billion dollars has already been lost, according to the report, with up to $14 billion at stake if the shutdown were to last another month. The loss of wages and food benefits will likely result in a drop in GDP by one to two percentage points in the fourth quarter of the year.

Continuing Pressure Points

The November 4 gubernatorial elections for New Jersey and Virginia are approaching, and Congress will soon have an opportunity to gauge American’s reactions to the shutdown. Following the outcomes of these elections, we may see both Republicans and Democrats shift their messaging to appeal to the electorate.

SNAP funding is set to run out on November 1 for the first time in U.S. history. At this time, the Administration has not stated whether it will be allocating emergency funds to keep the program running, and Congress has not scheduled a vote to pass any individual bill to fund the program during the shutdown.

Yesterday, Vice President JD Vance announced that the Administration had found a way to pay the military during the shutdown. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has reallocated funds from a military housing fund in the reconciliation bill; the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) fund for military research; and a Department of Defense procurement account for building Navy ships to fund servicemembers’ pay.

Many air traffic controllers continue to call out of work, having not received a paycheck for nearly a month. Most recently, Newark Airport was forced to a ground stop due to staffing shortages caused by the shutdown.

Past updates can be found on the DLA Piper website here.

If you have any questions or would like to coordinate an individual conversation about the shutdown’s effects or about the Government Affairs & Public Policy practice, please contact practice chair Karina Lynch at karina.lynch@us.dlapiper.com.