By Andy Sullivan and Bo Erickson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -With Republicans and Democrats dug in to their respective positions, it is not clear when Congress will restore government funding and end a shutdown that started October 1.
But lawmakers could come under increasing pressure to do so as the real-world effects of the shutdown mount. Here are some upcoming events that could prove relevant:
MISSED PAYCHECKS FOR WORKERS
U.S. government employees don’t get paid during a shutdown, even though many of them are required to stay on the job.
That will start to bite on October 10, when workers at many government agencies are scheduled to get their pay deposited into their bank accounts. That check will be smaller than usual, as it covers work performed between September 22 and October 4, which includes the first three days of the shutdown.
The nation’s 2 million active-duty troops are scheduled to get paid on October 15 for work performed after October 1. If the shutdown is still going at that point, they will not get paid at all.
Some civilian Pentagon employees would only see a few days’ worth of pay in their October 16 paychecks, which covers work done between September 28 and October 11.
Congress has paid workers for that missed time in past shutdowns, and a 2019 law requires them to be paid. But U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that some of those workers might not get paid.
SOCIAL SECURITY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2026 PAYMENTS
There is no collection of key economic data during the shutdown for the Social Security Administration to analyze the cost-of-living adjustments for senior citizens’ 2026 retirement payments.
This announcement usually follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ October 15 deadline for the Consumer Price Index report, but that is also expected to be delayed as the current data collection and cost analysis is not happening.
CHILD FOOD AID PROGRAM RUNS OUT
A food aid program for almost 7 million American babies, kids and new mothers was expected to run out of money in some states after a week of the shutdown.
October 15 was another estimate for the funding to run out, according to a top Republican senator overseeing funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
The WIC funding is distributed by states with varying needs, so funding may last longer in some places than others.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the White House is considering a transfer of funds from tariff revenue to this WIC program.
ECONOMIC DATA DELAYS
Some employment trends data has already stopped, and other government economic data might not be released as scheduled, including jobless benefit claims and wholesale sale information on October 9.
Private data analysis is expected to continue for the short term, such as the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, but other indexes could eventually face difficulties as they are based on government-collected information.
The October 15 real earnings and consumer price index reports are also not expected if the shutdown continues.
FARMER AID
Up to $15 billion in farmer aid payments to deal with the lack of foreign commodity purchases and high input costs was expected to be announced this week, according to top Trump administration officials.
But a White House spokesperson said on Tuesday that a “wrench” was thrown into this plan due to the shutdown, which also prevents any such payments without government funding approved by Congress.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan and Bo Erickson)
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