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Congress Faces 2025 Shutdown Deadline: House Must Act by 10 PM Oct. 30 or Risk Partial Shutdown

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  Published in Politics and Government on Saturday, December 20th 2025 at 20:45 GMT by Politico

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A Detailed Overview of the 2025 Congressional Shutdown Deadline, Rescission Battle, and the Future of Obamacare

In late October 2025, Congress found itself at the center of a high‑stakes confrontation over how the United States will be financed for the remainder of the fiscal year. A Politico live‑update page tracking the drama (https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/30/congress/shutdown-deal-thune-deadline-appopriations-rescissions-obamacare-00629484) broke down the arguments, timelines, and policy ramifications for readers who want to understand why a shutdown is looming and how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be reshaped.

1. The “Shutdown Deadline” – What It Means

House Minority Leader Kevin Thune, in a brief but potent statement on the House floor, announced a “shutdown deadline”: the House must vote on the Senate’s continuing‑resolution (CR) bill by 10 PM Eastern on October 30 or a partial shutdown will begin the next day. Thune’s deadline is a last‑minute gambit to prevent Democrats, who have already passed a sizable CR bill, from sidestepping GOP demands that were negotiated in the last weeks of the fiscal year.

• Why a deadline? Republicans, led by Thune, argued that the Senate’s CR bill—$1.2 trillion—contained too many “loopholes” that would keep the federal workforce open without adequately addressing what they describe as “budget mismanagement” and “overspending.” They want the Senate to revise its bill to incorporate rescissions that cut back on discretionary spending and repeal portions of the ACA.

• What could trigger a shutdown? If the House fails to approve the Senate’s CR by the deadline, the government would have no legally authorized funding to operate after the existing $1.1 trillion CR expires on October 31. Most departments would shut down, leading to furloughed employees, paused public services, and a spike in the national debt as the Treasury runs “extra‑ordinary” borrowing programs.

2. The Rescission Debate – A New Tool in GOP’s Playbook

A central point of contention in the upcoming CR debate is the rescission mechanism. This tool, which has only been used sparingly since the 2010s, allows Congress to retroactively cut funding for programs that have already been appropriated. The GOP’s most aggressive rescission targets:

1. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Subsidies
   - Republicans want to phase out subsidies for low‑income families that were set to expire in 2026. The rescission would push those families into “full‑price” coverage, potentially pushing millions back into the uninsured.

2. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Legacy
   - A portion of the $1.4 trillion ARP was earmarked for pandemic‑related health infrastructure. Republicans argue that continuing to fund these programs is a “waste” of federal money.

3. Public Health Funding
   - The CDC’s $3 billion “Public Health and Medical Research” line item could be rescinded, potentially limiting future pandemic preparedness.

4. Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Housing
   - The $120 million allocated for VA housing is a target for rescission, part of a broader plan to reduce “deficit‑friendly” social programs.

Thune has emphasized that rescissions “will keep federal programs from running on a perpetual funding schedule that is simply designed to pay for itself.” His main goal is to force the House to adopt the Senate’s more conservative budget, which the GOP argues better aligns with fiscal responsibility.

3. The Affordable Care Act – How It Could Change

The ACA is the political centerpiece of the rescission battle. If the GOP succeeds in passing a CR that rescinds subsidies and potentially repeals parts of the ACA, the policy ramifications could be enormous:

• Loss of Subsidies – Families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level currently receive premium subsidies on HealthCare.gov. Removing those subsidies would shift the cost burden to millions of Americans.

• Reduced Medicaid Expansion – Republicans have repeatedly called for a rollback of Medicaid expansion in states that have adopted it. Rescissions could force states to retract expansions, which would leave many more low‑income Americans uninsured.

• Changes to Tax Credits – The tax credits that are part of the ACA’s tax code could be reduced, altering the balance between employer and individual responsibilities.

In a press briefing, a Senate aide to the GOP said: “The ACA is a large portion of federal spending that needs to be re‑examined. Rescission is a realistic method to do that.”

4. What the House Has Already Done

The House has already passed a $1.1 trillion continuing resolution (CR) on October 22, which extended government funding until the end of the fiscal year (December 31). The bill was negotiated with the Senate to include modest cuts to discretionary spending – a compromise that the GOP argues is insufficient. The Senate’s CR, however, proposes to use rescissions to slash even more programs, including some health‑care benefits that are currently protected under the ACA.

House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries defended the House’s version, stating that it “protects essential services and keeps the budget balanced.” The House also has plans to reintroduce the budget reconciliation bill that would lock in a $900 billion deficit reduction and a $400 billion tax cut for the wealthy. This new package is intended to provide a bipartisan platform for passing a more permanent appropriations framework.

5. What the Deadlines Mean for the Public

For the average citizen, the stakes are:

• Potential Shutdown – A shutdown could lead to furloughed federal workers, delayed Medicare claims, and postponed public works projects. The Treasury will still collect taxes, but the deficit could rise dramatically.

• Health Care Uncertainty – If ACA subsidies are rescinded, many families may lose coverage, causing an increase in uninsured rates that could strain hospitals and public health programs.

• Political Ramifications – The race to meet the deadline is a political theater. GOP leaders are using the drama to rally their base and signal fiscal conservatism, while Democrats emphasize the need to keep programs that benefit millions.

6. Looking Ahead

As the deadline looms, the House faces a decision: adopt the Senate’s CR with rescissions (and potentially roll back Obamacare) or risk a shutdown. The GOP has a “hardline” agenda to cut discretionary spending and use rescissions to reshape federal programs, while the Democrats want to preserve the ACA’s subsidies and maintain a stable funding level for public services.

The outcome will have long‑term effects on healthcare, the federal budget, and the political landscape. The live‑updates page from Politico remains a vital resource to follow the rapid developments, providing real‑time links to Senate floor statements, House committee reports, and the full texts of both the House and Senate CR proposals.

In sum, the 2025 shutdown deadline is not merely a bureaucratic detail; it is a fulcrum where fiscal philosophy, healthcare policy, and congressional strategy intersect. The decisions made in the next hours will dictate whether the U.S. experiences a brief shutdown, a partial preservation of the ACA, or a complete reshaping of federal spending for the next decade.