On October 1st, 2025, the government announced that it was shutting down. Prior to the current shutdown, the most recent occurred in 2019, claimed to have been due to disputes over President Donald Trump’s proposal to fund and construct a US-Mexico border wall. The 2019 government shutdown lasted 34 days, being the longest government shutdown in United States history.
A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass—or the president refuses to sign—a spending bill to fund the federal government’s operations. This results in a gap in government funding that can cause several functions of the government to be disrupted.
A government shutdown causes the temporary closure or reduced operation of “non-essential” government services. Some federal employees may be furloughed or temporarily laid off, while essential employees continue to work without pay. A shutdown usually affects non-essential federal employees more than most, as well as people and businesses that rely on government services.
This current government shutdown is the longest in the United States government’s historical total of ten, and it is currently unclear when the government plans to reopen. Due to the length of the current crisis, different areas of service are beginning to be impacted by the government shutdown. National parks and monuments, federal museums, federal research projects, the processing of certain government benefits, and IRS taxpayer services have all been affected by previous government shutdowns.
This means that, depending on available funding and staffing, national parks and museums may close or begin to operate with limited services. VA (Veterans Affairs) services may be reduced, and offices may be closed.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is the nation’s largest domestic food-assistance program. Funding is lapsing on SNAP benefits, bringing a hefty threat to hungry families. As the funding lapse drags on with no sign of a deal to reopen the government, the impact is beginning to reach programs that feed the country’s most vulnerable population. An administration official said in a letter to state agencies earlier this month that there would be “insufficient funds” to pay full November benefits for some 42 million people.
Unfortunately, this shutdown was brought about perfectly timed to affect benefit-receiving families for the holidays. This means that thousands of families are on track to be spending Thanksgiving without the assistance necessary to enjoy one of the most important familial holidays.
For a very long time, there has been a lot of criticism of families who receive government assistance. Benefit users are oftentimes labeled as “lazy”, “dumb”, or “greedy” by people who do not even take a chance to know them. In reality, SNAP benefits recipients are often parents of large families, students, or the elderly.
When Thanksgiving hits, there will be many families who are unable to celebrate the popular American holiday due to the government funding cuts.
