We’re now in the midst of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The government has been shut down since October 1. There hasn’t been much progress among lawmakers to solve it, though that may change now that President Donald Trump has said Republicans are suffering politically.
Here are some of the impacts we’re tracking.
Federal worker pay
Millions of federal employees are furloughed or working without pay. Military members have been getting paid, but through piecemeal funding measures, and it’s unclear whether their next paycheck (November 14) will come through or where it will come from.
As of September 2025, there were 7,304 federal civilian workers in Connecticut and 54,092 in New York, according to federal statistics.
As of 2024, Connecticut was home to 8,349 active-duty service members and 10,072 National Guard and reserve members. New York was home to 28,373 active-duty service members and 40,837 National Guard and reserve members. That’s according to the Department of Defense.
Food insecurity
Food benefits in Connecticut and New York have been significantly reduced due to disruptions to SNAP.
Both states have tried to mitigate the effects.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont allocated $3 million to support food pantries before SNAP benefits were cut off. New York Governor Kathy Hochul allocated $100 million for the same cause.
Next week, the Connecticut legislature is expected to meet for a special session to appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars to offset shutdown-related interruptions. That’s expected to include money to reload EBT cards partially.
Advocates have called on Hochul to fund SNAP directly.
Each month, CT typically gets $72 million for SNAP benefits and NY gets $650 million.
WSHU has compiled a list of resources for members of our community facing food insecurity.
Health care costs
The issue of extended Affordable Care Act tax credits, which has lawmakers divided and caused the government shutdown in the first place, is also a problem in the two states.
Open enrollment began on November 1, and people shopping on the exchange may notice their coverage costs have sharply increased. Average coverage costs increased by 26%, according to KFF.
Democratic Senators have said they will not provide the votes necessary to fund the government until premium tax credits from the ACA are extended.
Transportation
The FAA announced that it will reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 airports on Friday due to staffing shortages, including those at JFK and LaGuardia. No Connecticut airports are on the list.
During the last government shutdown, which ended in 2019, disruptions to air travel spurred lawmakers to solve the impasse.
Child care
Head Start centers around the country are shutting down after missing federal support on November 1.
No centers in Connecticut or New York were reported closed.
