Government shutdown live updates; latest on Social Security and national parks
The government shutdown has extended into a new week as most Democrats and Republicans in Congress remain at loggerheads and federal employees, military members and other Americans continue to worry about critical paychecks.
The Senate funding bill failed for the tenth time on Thursday, but senators will vote again on Monday. Democrats are pressing to include expansion of health care subsidies in any spending legislation, warning of huge increases in health insurance premiums. The stalemate suggests the shutdown is approaching three weeks.
The longest government shutdown was 35 days during the Presidency in 2018 and 2019 Donald TrumpThe first period of. While Trump has used workarounds to pay military service members and other workers, many federal employees are furloughed or working without a paycheck.
Vice President J.D. Vance “We need to figure out how to pay these sailors,” he told soldiers gathered at Camp Pendleton in California on Saturday for an event celebrating the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary.
At the same time, the Trump administration has initiated thousands of layoffs at some federal agencies during the shutdown and is targeting federal funding at blue states and cities.
On October 17, Trump’s White House announced that the Army Corps of Engineers would “immediately pause” $11 billion in infrastructure projects in several Democratic-led cities.
Some VA services affected
Some U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs services were affected by the shutdown as thousands of its employees were furloughed.
VA benefits such as compensation, retirement, education and housing continue as usual. Medical centers and clinics will remain open. Suicide prevention, homelessness and support services for caregivers are also still available.
However, during the shutdown, VA benefits regional offices are closed, transition program assistance is discontinued, and VA cemetery grounds are not maintained. Outreach efforts through social media and emails have also been halted.
on October 7 letter In a statement to VA Secretary Doug Collins, members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees criticized the VA’s response to the closure. Lawmakers said the agency was misleading in its claims that it could not respond to communications from members of Congress during the shutdown.
Meanwhile somehow column For The Hill, published on October 10, Collins called the actions of Congressional Democrats “one of the greatest displays of hypocrisy in recent history.”
Are national parks open?
While operations of “non-essential” government agencies, including the National Park Service, have been suspended indefinitely, access to recreation areas has not yet been affected by the federal government shutdown.
All 63 national parks across the country are technically open for public use and have been since the closure began on October 1.
However, some services may have limited use or may not be available to the public. South Rim Visitor Center in the Grand Canyon, until a funding package is passed.
– Amaris Encinas and Sudiksha Kochi
Will I still receive my Social Security check?
Yes, Social Security paymentsSupplemental Security Income, including retirement, disability and survivor benefits, will continue during the government shutdown.
Because Social Security benefit programs considered a mandatory expenditure By law, they are not affected by delays in the financing of appropriations. Payments continue to be distributed on a regular schedule during the shutdown.
Social Security offices are still open during the shutdown, but only some services are available.
– Sudiksha Kochi and Melina Khan
A rainbow is seen in the clouds behind the Capitol Building on October 18, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, weeks before the US government shutdown.
Is the military getting paid during the shutdown?
Nearly 46,000 full-time U.S. military members are without pay during the federal government shutdown. EmbersPressure to pay active duty troops.
Affected service members, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other military reserve units. according to federal law Must wear military uniform to work daily, maintain part-time military membership and meet military standards.
Bistable technologies – “considered as”rare birds“by Supreme Court – they often work shoulder to shoulder with active duty members of their units, receiving different wages and different benefits for similar tasks and risks. Active peers received full pay on October 15 after Trump instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Approximately $6.5 billion in funds will be transferred to make payroll.
–Davis Winkie and Sudiksha Kochi
When is the next Senate vote?
A sign posted by the National Park Service at the entrance of the Washington Monument warns visitors that some services may be unavailable weeks before the US government shutdown on October 17, 2025 in Washington, DC, USA.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Monday afternoon at 3pm ET. Following this, the Senate will vote on a measure to end the shutdown around 5:30 PM ET.
If passed, the government shutdown would end once the funding bill is signed by Trump. However, if the vote fails, the shutdown will continue as it has for the past two and a half weeks.
– Sudiksha Kochi and Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Contributed by: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
This article first appeared on USA TODAY: The government shutdown is approaching its 19th day with no end in sight
