Tami Luhby

Congress is moving quickly to pass a funding package that would end the longest federal shutdown in the nation’s history.

Millions of SNAP recipients have been suffering whiplash this month, with a series of conflicting memos from USDA about paying benefits and two lawsuits moving through the system.

Tens of millions of Americans who rely on the nation’s largest federal food assistance program have been caught in a weekslong swirl of Trump administration pronouncements, court orders and anxiety since the US government shutdown has called their ability to buy groceries into question.

Millions of Americans with Affordable Care Act policies are contending with the looming lapse of the enhanced subsidies. The increased cost of coverage can lead to agonizing tradeoffs for many enrollees.

Annemarie King is eating only once a day, and her husband, Randall, is picking up extra shifts at the drywall factory where he works. They are among the nearly 42 million Americans preparing for their food stamp benefits to run dry in November because of the ongoing government shutdown.

The clock is ticking for four major social safety net programs that keep tens of millions of struggling Americans — including millions of children and senior citizens — fed and warm, as well as provide early education services.

Premiums for Affordable Care Act coverage will skyrocket 26%, on average, next year, according to a KFF analysis released Tuesday evening, just days before open enrollment starts on November 1. The price hike is one of the largest jumps since Obamacare plans debuted more than a decade ago — and it doesn’t factor in the expiration of the enhanced premium subsidies.

In an unprecedented situation, millions of Americans could lose access to a crucial food assistance program in the coming weeks amid the federal government shutdown.

Right after setting her out-of-office email on October 1, one furloughed US Department of Agriculture worker filed for unemployment benefits to help her pay for food, rent and other necessities during the federal government shutdown.

Social Security recipients will receive a 2.8% boost in their monthly benefits in 2026, the Social Security Administration announced Friday. However, many seniors say the annual adjustments haven’t been enough to cover their ever-rising expenses.

The US Department of Agriculture says it will not tap into its $6 billion contingency fund to cover food stamp benefits next month, according to an agency memo obtained by CNN. That means that roughly 42 million Americans will not receive critical food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in November, unless the agency shifts its position.

Because many federal workers are off the job during a government shutdown, many services are stopped or slowed, disturbing the day-to-day life for many Americans.

Federal workers are bearing the brunt of the government shutdown, with more than 1 million of them going unpaid while Democrats and Republicans in Congress argue over funding federal agencies for the current fiscal year.

Weight loss drugs are proving to be super popular among many workers with job-based health insurance.But GLP-1 medications are busting their employers’ budgets, leading some firms to rethink their coverage.

Roughly 42 million people are at risk of losing critical food assistance in November amid the federal government shutdown. And it’s not clear whether the Trump administration will step in to find the funds to continue paying benefits, as it has with other priorities.

Federal workers are now feeling the reality of the shutdown. Many are due this week to receive partial paychecks, compensating them only for the days they worked before the government shut down on October 1

President Donald Trump is expected on Friday to announce a deal with drugmaker AstraZeneca in his latest effort to lower drug costs through so-called “Most Favored Nation” pricing, according to two people familiar with the matter.

At the center of the government shutdown conflict are the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsides that help Americans pay their monthly premiums.

Most Americans with health insurance should not have to pay out of pocket for Covid-19 vaccines, even after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added an extra hurdle to getting the shot. But some people could face new costs.

Barbie Anderson is trying to conserve the milk her three young children drink in case she doesn’t get her WIC benefits on October 15 as scheduled.