1. October 24th
—Federal employees, whether furloughed or working, will miss their first full paycheck, forcing lawmakers to act. They have already missed partial paychecks, placing significant financial strain on over 2 million employees and their families.
2. October 31st
—The Trump administration this week used $8 billion in unused research and development funds from fiscal year 2025 to ensure 1.3 million active-duty personnel receive their October 15th paycheck. However, whether this can be done again before Halloween (November 1st) remains uncertain.
3. October 31st and November 5th
—Senate staff members will miss their first full paycheck (paid on the 5th and 20th of each month) on October 20th. House staff members will miss their paychecks (paid at the end of each month) at the end of October. If they miss, they will not receive their paychecks until after Thanksgiving, creating significant financial hardship.
4. November 1st
—Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act opens. Healthcare is the primary cause of the shutdown, with Democrats aiming to pressure Republicans to agree on stronger subsidies for Obamacare before open enrollment begins.
5. November 21st
—If the shutdown continues into late November, it could lead to TSA staffing shortages and air traffic control issues for Americans during the busy Thanksgiving travel week. The air traffic control chaos in early 2019 was a key factor in forcing an end to the longest government shutdown in history.
