Now in its fifth week, the government shutdown continues, and the House remains out of session. Several new programs will be affected by the shutdown on Nov.1, increasing the pressure on policymakers to come to an agreement. Health care premiums under the Affordable Care Act are expected to rise significantly over the weekend as well. Congress remains at a stalemate over funding bills, although there has been an increase in bipartisan conversations among Senators, which could be a sign of progress. Read more updates below. 

• Funding for Various Federal Programs Set to Run Out: As Nov. 1 approaches and the government shutdown continues, funding for several federal programs is set to run out. Head Start programs across the country are set to run out of funding and close. SNAP benefits for millions of Americans were also set to expire, but two federal judges ruled Oct. 31 that the Trump Administration must use contingency funds to continue SNAP payments. Most federal K-12 programs, including Perkins, are forward-funded and not significantly implicated by the shutdown at this time, although the lack of federal support and technical assistance is starting to be felt more significantly. 

• ED Announces Final Rule on PSLF: On Oct. 30, the Department of Education (ED) released its final rule on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The PSLF program provides student loan forgiveness to individuals who make enough qualifying monthly payments and work for specific eligible employers, such as public schools. The final rule, which was initiated from an Executive Order signed by President Trump earlier this year, amends the criteria for qualifying employers to exclude ones who engage in “unlawful activities,” such as supporting undocumented immigrants. A notice of the new rule was posted in the Federal Register, and ED also released a fact sheet on the rule. Several organizations have already indicated that they plan to file a lawsuit against the rule. 

• Federal Judge Blocks Layoffs of ED Workers During Shutdown: On Oct. 28, a federal judge ruled that ED workers laid off by the Trump Administration during the government shutdown can keep their jobs as litigation continues. The reductions in force earlier this month had left the special education, civil rights and other offices at ED decimated. 

• Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Release Mental Health Funds: On Oct. 27, a federal judge ruled that ED must release millions of dollars in federal grants meant to address mental health worker shortages in schools across the country. The grants were originally established following the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, but the Trump Administration had halted the distribution of the funds to grant recipients earlier this year, opposing several diversity aspects of the grants. 

• Democratic AGs Announce Lawsuit Against ED on TRIO Programs: This week, Democratic Attorney Generals from 21 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against ED for delaying and terminating grants to TRIO programs over diversity-related concerns earlier this year. The Council for Opportunity in Education, a national organization that advocates for TRIO programs, filed its own lawsuit on Sept. 30. 

• Universities Continue to Contemplate Funding Compact: This week, universities across the country continue to consider the Trump Administration’s funding compact it announced earlier this month. Most universities have largely opposed the compact or expressed skepticism, but the New College of Florida announced its desire to be the first school to sign the compact this week. 

• ACTE Submits Comments on Secretary’s Proposed Priorities: ACTE and Advance CTE submitted comments to ED on Secretary McMahon’s new proposed priorities for competitive grants. You can read the comments we submitted on the Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness Priority here and the Meaningful Learning Opportunities Priority here. 

• Sen. Cassidy Introduces AI Oversight Bill Focused on Education: On Oct. 28, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced the Learning Innovation and Family Empowerment (LIFE) with AI Act to establish a framework to oversee the use of AI in K-12 education, including through enhanced privacy protections and parental rights. We will have more analysis of potential impacts of the bill on AI in CTE soon!