As of Oct. 15, 2025, Congress has failed to reach an agreement on federal funding, resulting in the government shutdown that has dominated the headlines. While it might seem like business as usual in Washington, the consequences have already begun hitting hard here in Westchester.
The partisan battle between Democrats and Republicans in Congress risks repercussions for many New Yorkers in the Lower Hudson Valley. The specific clash between the two parties in the Senate revolves around Medicaid cuts and Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.
The Democratic refusal to compromise on the healthcare of our nation’s working people is currently being met with Republican contempt for allegedly attempting to protect healthcare for “illegal aliens.” Instead, according to the New York State Department of Health, healthcare for nearly 80,000 New Yorkers is at risk during this shutdown. In the Hudson Valley specifically, premium costs are expected to rise by 31% if current funding subsidies are allowed to expire.
Despite not receiving paychecks during the shutdown, federal employees continue to provide certain essential services at various locations in Westchester. By law, services like Social Security must remain funded and available to the people.
Thankfully, people are currently still able to apply for benefits, Social Security cards and submit appeals. The agency won’t be able to grant benefits to new applicants, or replace Medicare cards. This is expected to exacerbate the effects of previous attacks on Social Security. The most important issue of the shutdown is in food assistance programs which are especially vulnerable to losing funding– the risk increases as the shutdown continues.
In New York, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are guaranteed to be administered through the end of October, and will still accept applications. But the status of November SNAP benefits are unclear. 3 million people in our state rely on these benefits to eat, 80,000 in Westchester alone.
This shutdown is not simply a national matter; it is an issue that will be felt deeply in our own communities, and should the Republicans maintain their harmfully stubborn position on federal funding, we must find ways to take action in our community.
On campus, the Feeding Westchester club is already planning to take action by reaching out to local elected officials and raising awareness about this issue. Co-chair Talia Hird explained, “I think the combination of this government shutdown, recent legislation and ICE agents targeting people outside of food pantries is detrimental to people in need because of the constant need for adaptation.”
