Shutdown: Possible Deal Would Fund Programs, Extend Telehealth, Pay for SNAP
(Nov. 12, 2025) As reported by LeadingAge, the U.S. Senate on Nov. 10, 2025 voted 60-40 to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that will, should the House advance it, reopen the federal government after a historic 40-plus-day shutdown.
Media outlets are reporting that the House will vote at 4 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 12th on the funding package. The measure is expected to pass and then go to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has said he will approve it. It is possible, under this scenario, that the shutdown will end this week.
Included in the CR are numerous provisions of interest to aging services providers. It was negotiated over the weekend, and on Sun., Nov. 9th, the Senate voted to procedurally advance it. A day later, another Senate vote sealed its approval. Eight senators broke ranks with the Democratic Party to join all Senate Republicans in approving the measure.
The CR funds government programs through Jan. 30, 2026; extends Medicare telehealth flexibilities through Jan. 30, 2026; waives the 4% Medicare pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) cut from being implemented in calendar year 2026; fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through fiscal year 2026; and includes three full-year appropriations bills (Agriculture, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch).
In addition, the CR includes back pay for federal workers furloughed during the shutdown, brings back all federal workers fired through reduction in force actions during the shutdown, and calls for a Senate vote on the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in December.
Regarding telehealth, the CR includes extenders of telehealth flexibilities and the Acute Hospital Care at Home program through Jan. 30, 2026 – the length of the overall CR. The telehealth language appears to be intended to cover the shutdown period and apply retroactively.
Once the government reopens, LeadingAge will ask the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for guidance on how they plan to implement this retroactivity and ask for specific clarity for the association's range of providers.
The CR also waives Statutory PAYGO that would have triggered mandatory sequestration as a result of the deficits incurred by the passage of H.R. 1. The waiver ensures that there will be no mandatory sequestration, including for Medicare.
As the short-term deal progresses, legal wrangling between federal courts and the Trump administration over SNAP funding continues. Late Sun., Nov. 9th, a U.S. appeals court denied the administration’s efforts to stop the release of full funding for SNAP after the Supreme Court’s Nov. 7th temporary halt of a federal court ruling issued late the day before ordering the administration to release SNAP benefits in full to states by Nov. 7th.
These developments add to the uncertainty around SNAP funding for the month. However, NY Governor Kathy Hochul on Nov. 7th directed state agencies to issue full federal SNAP benefits for November, with the first payments starting on Nov. 9th – a move the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Nov. 8th would be “unauthorized,” indicating that any full payments above the 65% pledged by the Trump administration should be clawed back from beneficiaries.
SNAP, which provides an average of $189 in monthly assistance for groceries to 42 million people across the country – including approximately 4.8 million adults aged 60 or older who have low incomes and nearly 3 million New Yorkers – is a critical program, as LeadingAge explains here.
Many affordable senior housing communities serve residents on fixed incomes who rely on SNAP to cover food purchases each month. In addition, some U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-assisted affordable housing providers offer meal programs on site that rely on resident payments using SNAP benefits.
Also of importance to affordable senior housing residents are Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits, and even if the federal government reopens in the coming days, the shutdown has resulted in the indefinite delay of federal funding for LIHEAP, and lawmakers have not yet committed to immediately restoring federal heat assistance as cold weather approaches, says Governor Hochul’s office. At the Governor’s direction, the NYS Department of Public Service (DPS) will require NY’s major utility companies to ensure that any New Yorkers enrolled in the State’s Energy Affordability Program (EAP) will continue to receive their discount, despite the lack of federal funds for the separate LIHEAP program. DPS has initially directed the utilities for at least the next month to not disenroll NY households who were receiving LIHEAP from the state EAPs, while the agency considers a longer pause on disenrollments. That means that the credits through the state program will continue for the time being.
The Governor is urging New Yorkers to go to the State’s EAP website to check their eligibility and learn how to enroll as soon as possible. In addition to enrollment information, the State’s website also includes guidance on how New Yorkers struggling with higher heating costs can work with their energy provider to defer payments.
In addition to its EAP, NYS supports eligible New Yorkers facing energy-related emergencies through the Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA), which provides special protections for consumers with medical emergencies or who are elderly, blind, or disabled, and to all consumers who may encounter health or safety issues due to a shutoff during the cold weather period between Nov. 1st and April 15th.
Those qualifying for the elderly, blind, or disabled protections should immediately notify their utility so it can code their account with the information should it be needed in the future. Those threatened with a residential electric or natural gas shutoff can also contact DPS at 800-342-3355 Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Around 2.4 million older adults nationally access LIHEAP for energy assistance, mainly for help to pay home heating bills. The loss of housing support could have a spiraling effect on some aging services staff, particularly if combined with the loss of SNAP, as those staff may seek additional work with downstream impacts on their physical and mental health, and more.
Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866