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January 30th is approaching.
When select Senate Democrats ended the government shutdown in 2025, it was with temporary funding through 1/30. Since re-opening, Congress has been pushing through funding bills in order to avert another shutdown.
Incidentally, this shutdown was also to mark the deadline to discuss the extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. This was the premise those Senate Democrats re-opened the government on, and so far we have seen no extension on the horizon.
As of 1/16/26, six of the 12 appropriations bills needed to keep everything running have been passed (recommended article here). At least one bill is heading to a final vote in Senate this week (more details below). Possibly most importantly, these bills appear to be passing on a largely bipartisan basis making it a bipartisan effort to avoid another shutdown. As we stand eleven days out from the January deadline, we are likely to see much more movement on these bills from both sides of the aisle across Congress. This also means that if a potential shutdown is not outright averted, it will at least be less disruptive compared to 2025’s 43-day shutdown.
Minimally disruptive, in this case, refers to government operations. While federal workers and social services beneficiaries have the most to lose with each shutdown, government operations also come to a halt. With each appropriations bill passed, we will see less workers and systems impacted. Which could lessen the political theater of a potential shutdown: one the one hand it’s good for the people, on the other hand it gives politicians less social pressure to apply on each other.
SNAP, for example, is fully funded through September 2026 (source). It was a main focal point in the 2025 shutdown, which made it a talking point for both parties and a major concern for voters. It was fully funded through September shortly after the shutdown ended, removing that piece of political pressure off of the chessboard for 1/30/26. As we see appropriations bills pass we will see the larger strategies of both parties.
Currently, it looks like both sides are avoiding a shutdown. If we look at the current state of politics from this angle (avoiding the shutdown) and we note that momentum in Senate has stalled on ACA tax credits (source), then we ask: if there is a shutdown, how will the tax credits be leveraged? There is still time for political theater ahead of 1/30, talks of primaries this year are getting heated, and people’s healthcare premiums have increased.
But something else has been stalled for even longer: HR 3131, the Community Services Block Grant Improvement Act of 2025.
HR 3131 was introduced 5/1/25 by Rep Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15), has thirty-one cosponsors, and has been in the House Committee on Education and Workforce since 5/1/25 (source). Click here to see the list of Reps on the committee (and if it’s your Rep).
We have seen a lot of introductions on the Community Development Block Grants, including:
- HR 3987 – No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced by Rep Ralph Norman (R-SC-5) on 6/12/25 and sent to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- S 2060 – No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act, introduced by Sen Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on 6/12/25 and sent to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- HR 1133 – Repeal Community Development Block Grants Act of 2025, introduced by Rep Tom McClintock (R-CA-5) on 2/7/25
- HR 6773 – To amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require that grantees of the Community Development Block Grant program maintain a database of publicly owned land, introduced by Rep Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) on 12/17/25.
We will keep you updated as we learn more and potentially see movement, as these block grants affect countless organizations. Don’t forget to reach out to your representatives regarding these, and check your inbox for the CCEDA January 2025 newsletter that has events specifically geared at organizational lobbying/advocacy!