The government shutdown 2025 stretched into its second day on Thursday, as negotiations on Capitol Hill remained stalled. Roughly 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, while millions of others face growing uncertainty over when they will next receive a paycheck.
For families like Mark Cochran’s in Newburg, Pennsylvania, the shutdown’s impact is immediate. Cochran, a National Park Service employee and president of his local union, told the media his daughter just started college, and the loss of income is already raising difficult questions.
“Now we have to try and figure out how we’re going to continue affording that while this is going on for who knows how long,” Cochran said.
White House Targets Democrat-Backed Programs
As talks stalled, the Trump administration escalated pressure on Democrats by freezing $18 billion in infrastructure funding for New York City and blocking $8 billion in energy projects across 16 Democratic-leaning states.
The White House insists these cuts target what it calls partisan spending priorities, but Democrats argue the moves are political punishment aimed at their leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
U.S. Government Shutdown 2025 Begins as Funding Fight Escalates
Military Families Caught in the Middle
While Oct. 1 paychecks have already reached about 2 million active-duty service members, families now face the possibility of missed pay on Oct. 15 if the shutdown continues. Although troops will receive back pay once the government reopens, many households are struggling in the meantime.
Heather Campbell, a military spouse and mother of three, described the stress of relying on a single income.
“When we’re talking about a government shutdown, this is a big stressor for our community in the military and even for my family because many of our families are one-income,” Campbell said.
Campbell, who lost her job earlier this year due to federal cuts, said her family’s rental property is also affected, as tenants face similar financial strain.
National Guard Troops Working Without Pay
The shutdown has also hit members of the National Guard deployed in Washington, D.C. Although many Guard members hold outside jobs, some told the media they are not being compensated by their full-time employers during their active duty service.
One Guardsman said he expects to miss his next paycheck due to the shutdown, but noted that his civilian employer is still paying him, easing the blow.
The Guard is expected to remain deployed in the capital until November 30.
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Political Standoff Continues
With the Senate adjourned for Yom Kippur until Friday, lawmakers appear no closer to a resolution. Democrats have called for bipartisan negotiations, while Republicans insist on passing their own stopgap funding bill.
“It is not radical to say we want to prevent average American families from getting huge increases,” Schumer said this week on the Senate floor.
As negotiations drag on, families across the country — from federal workers to military households — are left to navigate an uncertain financial landscape.
