What to know on Day 28 of the government shutdown:
- The stalemate over how to reopen the government continued on Day 28 with no resolution in sight, as Democrats and Republicans continue to trade blame for the shutdown, the second-longest funding lapse in history.
- Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend lunch with Senate Republicans today to discuss tariffs. The Senate is not currently scheduled to vote on a House-passed measure to fund the government, after the bill failed to advance for a 12th time last week. Meanwhile, Republicans are considering whether to move forward on measures to pay some federal workers or fund certain programs amid the shutdown.
- Democrats face increased pressure to back down after the largest union representing federal government employees said that "it's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown" on Monday. Federal employees missed their first full paycheck at the end of last week, and upcoming paychecks, including for the military, could be in jeopardy.
- The Department of Agriculture warned that "the well has run dry" for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that 40 million Americans rely on to help buy food, saying federal food aid will not go out on Nov. 1. While the agency blamed Senate Democrats, Several Democratic states posted messages on their online portals for food aid that explicitly blame the GOP for an expected halt to SNAP benefits.
Facing looming SNAP benefit halt, "people are scared"
More than 40 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to pay for groceries are facing uncertainty as benefits are expected to come to a halt Saturday.
"People are scared," said Central Pennsylvania Food Bank CEO Shila Ulrich, who expects demand to pick up. "It's a moment where people don't know and understand what's about to happen, whether or not they'll get those benefits should the government open back up, or when."
Erin Annis — who uses SNAP benefits after three bouts of cancer and a double knee replacement left her unable to work — told CBS News that she'll need to rely on help from her children if assistance is cut off.
"That's an awful feeling," she said. "For them to have to help me … it's a little tough to think about sometimes."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says "the well will run dry" for SNAP benefits, often known as food stamps, due to the government shutdown. The department says it will not tap into a roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP payments flowing, arguing that money is reserved for natural disasters.
The Trump administration has blamed Senate Democrats for the looming cutoff, faulting lawmakers for not voting on a bill passed by the GOP-controlled House to fund the government. Meanwhile, Democrats have pressed GOP leadership to agree to extend health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans in exchange for Democratic votes to end the shutdown.
Annis said she just wants lawmakers to find a solution.
"This should not be a political issue," she said. "This should be a human privilege to be fed."
Vance to meet with Senate Republicans
Vice President Vance is expected to attend the Senate Republican lunch on Tuesday as the shutdown nears the one-month mark.
The focus is expected to be on President Trump's tariff agenda as Senate Democrats look to force votes this week on terminating emergency declarations used to impose tariffs on Canada and Brazil, along with the general global tariffs.
The visit comes as the president is away from Washington on a three-country visit in Asia until later this week.
Air traffic controller shortages cause delays at Newark, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin airports
Three U.S. airports faced delays Monday due to low air traffic control staffing levels.
Flights at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport were delayed by an average of 39 minutes, with flights out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport delayed 18 minutes, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. The agency said staffing was the cause of the delays at all three airports.
Dallas and Newark are among the busiest airports in the country, and serve as hubs for American Airlines and United Airlines, respectively.
Air traffic controllers have not received a full paycheck since the government shutdown began earlier this month, but they are expected to report to work without pay — and as in prior shutdowns, the number of staff members who call out sick has increased.
Senate Republicans consider separate measures to pay workers, fund programs
Discussions are ongoing among Senate Republicans over whether to move forward on narrower legislation that would fund certain programs or pay federal workers amid the shutdown, like a measure to pay air traffic controllers or the military, or legislation to fund the SNAP program.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Monday, when asked about the standalone bills, that GOP leaders will "see what the temperature is of our senators on some of those issues."
Sen John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said he expects the topic will come up at Tuesday's lunch meeting, where Republicans will "figure out what the consensus strategy is going forward."
"Right now, it's reopen the government," Cornyn said of the Republican thinking.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, told reporters after a leadership meeting Monday night that he doesn't understand why the separate measures are needed, saying Democrats have repeatedly supported "clean" stopgap funding bills in the past.
If they're "really concerned about the SNAP program," Democrats should "open the government with a simple vote," Mullin said.
— Kaia Hubbard, Alan He and Cristina Corujo
