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October 31, 2025 | Vol. MMXXV | Issue 136
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In this edition:
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Appropriations & Government Shutdown
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The federal government is still shut down. Congress needs to pass either a full-year appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2026 or a continuing resolution (CR) to continue to fund the government at current spending levels for a shorter amount of time. Democrats want a deal on the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, while Republicans want to open the government first.
The government shutdown has entered its fourth week. On October 28, the Senate voted for the thirteenth time on the Republican CR, which would fund the government through November 21 at similar funding levels as the previous year (FY25). It did not have enough votes to pass. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) refuses to call the House back in session as part of his attempt to pressure the Senate to pass the Republican CR and reopen the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has said that Congress needs to end the government shutdown before he will advance any other long-term spending bills.
On October 27, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) called for an immediate end to the shutdown and passage of a “clean” continuing resolution. A clean CR refers to a continuing resolution that funds the government at the same spending levels as the previous fiscal year with no major amendments or riders. The President of AFGE called for Congress to “ensure back pay for every single employee who has served or been forced to stay home through no fault of their own.” Last week,
the Senate voted against a bill to pay the federal workers who are considered “essential” and have been working during the shutdown because Democrats wanted to advance a bill to pay all federal workers, not just those working during the shutdown. Read more in last week’s issue of Disability Policy News.
On October 28, a federal judge indefinitely extended</> her order that the Administration stop carrying out layoffs during the government shutdown. She granted a preliminary injunction blocking reductions in force (RIFs) at most federal government agencies.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is running out of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for November as a result of the shutdown. SNAP has a contingency fund, but the Trump Administration has concluded that it cannot legally tap into that fund right now and released a memo making their case for not using the fund or moving money from other USDA funds. More than two dozen Democratic attorneys general and governors are suing the Administration over this.
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Key Takeaways |
The government shutdown is affecting Americans in many different ways. For some organizations and programs that receive government funding, the lack of transparency about who has been RIF’d within the federal government has led to broad confusion and made it harder to get answers about how these RIFs might affect program beneficiaries. With fewer people at government agencies, there are fewer points of contact for grantees, people who receive benefits, community health providers, and more. Benefits themselves have begun to be affected, as evidenced by SNAP. Running out of SNAP funding could affect more than 40 million low-income people, including 4 million people with disabilities. November 1 will be the first time in SNAP’s history that its beneficiaries will go without funding. There are reports that services and therapies provided by the government have been paused, affecting military families with autistic kids.
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Plain Language |
The federal government has been shut down for four weeks because Congress has not agreed on a funding bill. Democrats want to include health care subsidies in the deal, while Republicans want to reopen the government first. The subsidies are something that help keep health care affordable for people and they are going to expire soon, that will make healthcare cost a lot more money for everyday people. The Senate failed again to pass a short-term funding plan, and the House has not returned to session. A federal workers’ union is calling for an immediate end to the shutdown and back pay for all employees. A judge has blocked federal layoffs, and the USDA warns that funding
for SNAP food assistance may run out in November.
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Department of Health and Human Services |
There were two hearings scheduled this week to consider the nominations for Surgeon General and Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing to consider President Trump’s nominee to serve as the Surgeon General, Casey Means, was postponed because she went into labor. The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to consider four nominees, including Thomas Bell to be HHS Inspector General. You can read his testimony here.
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Plain Language |
Two Senate hearings were planned this week for the nominees for Surgeon General and HHS Inspector General. The hearing for Surgeon General nominee Casey Means was postponed because she went into labor. The Senate Finance Committee moved forward with a hearing for four other nominees, including Thomas Bell for HHS Inspector General.
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Letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Nick LaLota (R-NY) are leading a letter with a group of more than 20 House Republicans to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner about the agency’s Continuum of Care program. The Continuum of Care program partners with communities to transition people from homelessness towards permanent housing. The lawmakers urge Secretary Turner to renew
the program’s existing grants for a year, as they were set to expire in calendar year 2026. According to Politico, the “22 House Republican signatories, confirmed by Garbarino’s office, include Reps. Mike Lawler of New York, Maria Salazar of Florida, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Pete Stauber of Minnesota and Don Bacon of Nebraska, among others.”
Previously, Politico reported that the Trump Administration was planning to make deep cuts to the Continuum of Care program’s funding, move the permanent housing part of the program to a transitional housing program, and add some work requirements. The President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal cut HUD’s budget for housing, homelessness, and community development work by 44%. The proposal cut funding for the entire Continuum of Care program.
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Key Takeaways |
The official funding cut proposed by the Administration was expected to come in a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) in the fall, although the government shutdown seems to have slowed this process. The letter’s signatories write that “substantial changes to the NOFO process or funding priorities should be implemented carefully to avoid destabilizing programs that serve individuals with severe disabilities related to mental illness, chronic health conditions, or substance use disorders, as well as seniors with disabilities.”
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Plain Language |
More than 20 House Republicans, led by Representatives Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota, sent a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner about the “Continuum of Care” program, which helps people move from homelessness to permanent housing. They are asking HUD to renew the program’s grants for another year before they expire in 2026. The Trump Administration’s budget proposal would cut HUD’s housing and homelessness funding by 44%, including eliminating funding for the Continuum of Care program.
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New Legislation
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The IDEA Full Funding Act (S. 1277)
Introduced by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA)
Would ensure Congress fulfills its commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
You can read Senator Van Hollen’s press release here.
The Keep SNAP Funded Act (H.R.5822)
The SNAP BACK Act (H.R.5860)
The District of Columbia Medicaid Fairness Act (H.R.5815)
The Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day Resolution (H.Res.829)
S.Res.471
A resolution calling on Congress, schools, and state and local educational agencies to recognize the significant educational implications of dyslexia that must be addressed, and designating October 2025 as “National Dyslexia Awareness Month”
H.Res.831
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AUCD Story Collection |
AUCD is collecting stories from the Network on a variety of topics to amplify the effects of this Administration on real people and our programs. If you have a story, we want to hear it.
We are interested in stories about:
Medicaid and its impact on people's lives
The impact of dismantling ACL
The important work of UCEDDs, LENDs, IDDRCs, PNS’s, DD Councils, P&As
The impact of zeroing out UCEDDs, LENDs, IDDRCs, PNS’s, DD Councils, P&As
Impact of grants that are being cut
Stories responding to RFK Jr.’s claims about autism or the autism registry
You can use this link to provide information and let us know if you are comfortable sharing your story with Members of Congress and their staff.
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AUCD Policy Blog
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AUCD invites Network members to fill out this form if you’re interested in writing for the AUCD policy blog. We are open to a variety of issues areas, and we will follow up with you as relevant issues come up that we’d like you to write about.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month! Check out our most recent blog post on disability and employment from Jean Winsor, PhD, from the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston: Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month
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Disability Policy for All with Liz |
Join Liz on Instagram Reels, where she provides plain language updates on policy, highlighting current issues and hot topics in federal disability policy.
Liz Weintraub is AUCD's Senior Advocacy Specialist and the host of "Disability Policy for All with Liz." She has extensive experience practicing leadership in self-advocacy and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations, including the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL) and the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council.
Watch Liz’s most recent video on the government shutdown.
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Words to Know
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Appropriations
This is money that is set aside by Congress for a particular use. The appropriations process happens once a year. Money is sometimes requested by the President’s Administration or by Congress for a specific use.
Continuing Resolution
This is an agreement to fund the government for a short amount of time. This agreement usually lasts for less than a year. It is sometimes called a ‘CR.’
Government Shutdown
When there is a government shutdown, government departments and agencies are not working. This happens when Congress does not pass a funding bill on time, usually when Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on how to fund the government. During a government shutdown, some people will keep working, especially if they keep people safe.
SNAP
SNAP is a government program that provides food benefits to families who don’t have very much money. This means that some families get a card, like a credit card or a debit card, that they can use to pay for groceries.
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