White House staffers to miss October paycheck amid shutdown

Washington DC [US], October 29 : The White House staffers have received a notice that they will not receive their next paychecks scheduled for October 31, their first missed paycheck of the government shutdown, according to a notice reviewed by CNN.

"Due to the lapse in appropriations, the Chief Administrative Officer's (CAO) Office of Payroll and Benefits has no authority to pay salaries until an appropriations continuing resolution or a Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill is signed into law," the notice states.

House staffers are paid once a month, unlike Senate staffers, who are paid twice a month, according to CNN.

In an unprecedented situation, millions of Americans could soon lose access to a crucial food assistance program amid the federal government shutdown, as per CNN.

The US Department of Agriculture has said it does not have the funds to pay $8 billion in food stamp benefits for November amid the funding impasse on Capitol Hill that led to the government shutdown on October 1. The agency argues it cannot tap into its roughly $6 billion contingency fund to cover next month's benefits, though Democratic lawmakers and advocates claim the USDA should or is even obligated to use the money, as per CNN.

Senate Democrats on Tuesday voted for the 13th time to block a House-passed bill to reopen the federal government, despite a plea this week by the nation's largest federal workers union to end the 28-day shutdown, as per The Hill.

The House-passed measure to fund the government through November 21 failed by a 54-45 vote. It needed 60 votes to advance.

Only three members of the Democratic caucus voted to advance the bill: Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) said before the vote that Republicans need to start negotiating an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies in order to bring federal employees back to work, The Hill reported.

He noted that the open enrollment period for the health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act begins on November 1, as per The Hill.

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