Listen: Amid Shutdown Stalemate, Families Brace for SNAP Cuts and Paycheck Limbo

Listen: Health care has been at the heart of the federal government’s shutdown. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Oct. 22 “Health Hub” to explain the health care compromises some lawmakers want before they will agree to reopen the government.

Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the heart of one of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history. The impact is starting to be felt by families and federal employees. Food assistance programs could run out of money at the end of the month. And federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have faced layoffs.

KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Oct. 22 “Health Hub” to discuss the possible compromises that could reopen the government.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

<h1>Listen: Amid Shutdown Stalemate, Families Brace for SNAP Cuts and Paycheck Limbo</h1>
<div>	<span class="byline">Julie Rovner, KFF Health News</span>
		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2025-10-24T05:00:00-04:00">
			October 24, 2025		</time>
		</div>
<p>Listen: Health care has been at the heart of the federal government’s shutdown. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Oct. 22 “Health Hub” to explain the health care compromises some lawmakers want before they will agree to reopen the government.</p>	<p>Affordable Care Act tax credits are at the heart of <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-history-congress/">one of the longest</a> government shutdowns in U.S. history. The impact is starting to be felt by families and federal employees. <a href="https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/snap">Food assistance</a> programs could <a href="https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/financial/2025-federal-government-shutdown">run out of money</a> at the end of the month. And federal health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have faced layoffs.</p><p>KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on <a href="https://wamu.org/story/25/10/22/dc-healthcare-federal-shutdown-week-four/">WAMU’s Oct. 22 “Health Hub</a>” to discuss the possible compromises that could reopen the government.</p><p /><ul><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/wamu-health-hub-shutdown-stalemate-snap-benefits-paychecks-october-22-2025/?share=x">				Click to share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/wamu-health-hub-shutdown-stalemate-snap-benefits-paychecks-october-22-2025/?share=facebook">				Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/wamu-health-hub-shutdown-stalemate-snap-benefits-paychecks-october-22-2025/?share=linkedin">				Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Listen%3A%20Amid%20Shutdown%20Stalemate%2C%20Families%20Brace%20for%20SNAP%20Cuts%20and%20Paycheck%20Limbo&body=https%3A%2F%2Fkffhealthnews.org%2FMjEwNDYzMQ&share=email">				Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/wamu-health-hub-shutdown-stalemate-snap-benefits-paychecks-october-22-2025/#print?share=print">				Click to print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li><li>				<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/wamu-health-hub-shutdown-stalemate-snap-benefits-paychecks-october-22-2025/view/republish/">					Republish This Story				</a>			</li></ul><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p><p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/wamu-health-hub-shutdown-stalemate-snap-benefits-paychecks-october-22-2025/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org">KFF Health News</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src="https://kffhealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/kffhealthnews-icon.png?w=150" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"></p>
<img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://kffhealthnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=2104631&amp;ga4=G-J74WWTKFM0" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

Some elements may be removed from this article due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about available photos or other content, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org.

More From KFF Health News